On this day in Boston Celtics history, iconic head coach and general manager Arnold “Red” Auerbach secured the 1000th win of his head coaching career with the storied franchise in a 114 – 102 home win at the old Boston Garden over longtime rival Los Angeles Lakers.

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And while it took him six seasons to create a contender, once he got the ball rolling in the mid-1950s, his Celtics rarely missed winning it all until he ceded the role of head coach to iconic big man Bill Russell at the end of the 1965-66 NBA season.

The campaign would not only see him surpass the 1,000 win mark but would also end with Boston winning a title against that same team – the Lakers – for Auerbach’s ninth title as coach.

This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire.