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On this day in Boston Celtics history, former founding member of the Celtics Wyndol Woodrow Gray passed away in 1994. Born just a few days less than 72 years earlier on March 30 in 1922, Gray played his college ball at Bowling Green State University between 1942 and 1945 with his time there interrupted by a tour in the U.S. Navy during the Second World War. He helped carry Bowling Green to the final of the 1945 National Invitation Tournament, and was named a consensus first-team All-American there as a result. He'd continue his education at Harvard University, which he helped lead to their first NCAA appearance in school history.
His collegiate career in the rearview mirror, the Harvard product went on to play in the newly-formed Basketball Association of America (BAA -- a precursor league to the NBA) for the Celtics. Gray played 55 of the team's 60 games in their inaugural season and averaged 6.4 points per game over that stretch.
The Bowling Green alum would be traded to the (now defunct) St. Louis Bombers in exchange for guard Cecil Hankins.
We also lost guard Thomas Edward Kelly on this date in 2008. An alum of NYU who got himself drafted by Boston despite being a walk-on, Kelly played just 27 games for the Celtics after college before retiring to a career as an engineer. The New Yorker averaged 7.1 points and 1.4 assists per game for Boston in the 1948-49 season.
We also lost guard Thomas Edward Kelly on this date in 2008. An alum of NYU who got himself drafted by Boston despite being a walk-on, Kelly played just 27 games for the Celtics after college before retiring to a career as an engineer. The New Yorker averaged 7.1 points and 1.4 assists per game for Boston in the 1948-49 season.
Listen to the "Celtics Lab" podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Bird gets 33, McHale 29 to beat CHI; Gray, Kelly pass
Continue reading...
His collegiate career in the rearview mirror, the Harvard product went on to play in the newly-formed Basketball Association of America (BAA -- a precursor league to the NBA) for the Celtics. Gray played 55 of the team's 60 games in their inaugural season and averaged 6.4 points per game over that stretch.
The Bowling Green alum would be traded to the (now defunct) St. Louis Bombers in exchange for guard Cecil Hankins.
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We also lost guard Thomas Edward Kelly on this date in 2008. An alum of NYU who got himself drafted by Boston despite being a walk-on, Kelly played just 27 games for the Celtics after college before retiring to a career as an engineer. The New Yorker averaged 7.1 points and 1.4 assists per game for Boston in the 1948-49 season.
We also lost guard Thomas Edward Kelly on this date in 2008. An alum of NYU who got himself drafted by Boston despite being a walk-on, Kelly played just 27 games for the Celtics after college before retiring to a career as an engineer. The New Yorker averaged 7.1 points and 1.4 assists per game for Boston in the 1948-49 season.
Listen to the "Celtics Lab" podcast on:
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Bird gets 33, McHale 29 to beat CHI; Gray, Kelly pass
Continue reading...
