Boston Celtics star and basketball Hall of Famer dies at 86
Former Boston Celtics star and basketball Hall of Famer Frank Ramsey died of natural causes on Sunday. He was 86.
He was a national champion, a Hall of Famer, an All-American, an NBA star, and a Wildcat through and through. Frank Ramsey, you will be missed. The UK legend passed away this morning at the age of 86. https://t.co/RrjsC4erfA pic.twitter.com/FJFMaSfndj
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) July 8, 2018
Ramsey was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 1981 and his credentials more than merit the induction.
Ramsey was a winner wherever he went. He won a national championship in 1951 for the Kentucky Wildcats under legendary coach Adolph Rupp. He was also a consensus All-American in 1953-54.
Here's Frank Ramsey and the 1951 national championship team. Frank is in the back left corner. pic.twitter.com/W53FjErhsM
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) July 8, 2018
The Boston Celtics selected Ramsey with the fifth overall pick in the 1953 NBA draft, where he went on to average 13.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in his nine-year career.
“As a seven-time NBA Champion and the original ‘Sixth Man,’ Frank Ramsey helped create a legacy of excellence and selflessness that carried through generations, and remains part of the Boston Celtics ethos to this day,” the Boston Celtics said in a statement. “A true gentleman known for his elegance and thoughtfulness, he remained a loyal and active member of the Celtics family throughout his days. We join those celebrating his life and mourning his passing.”
Ramsey’s No. 23 jersey has long since been retired by the Celtics.
Celtics legend Bill Russell also chimed in, expressing sorrow at the passing of one of his favorite teammates.
I am in shock & deeply saddened to hear of my long time friend & teammate #FrankRamsey passing I had the great pleasure to speak with him often. He won 7 @NBA & 1 @NCAA title & was the 1st true 6th man. He was a great man & father. I will miss him! @celtics @KentuckyMBB @espn pic.twitter.com/X166yw76PD
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) July 8, 2018
Ramsey retired after the 1963-64 season and paved the way for future Sixth Man stars such as the San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginobili and former Dallas Mavericks bench dynamo Jason Terry. The idea was that Ramsey wasn’t a part of the starting five-man unit, but would be inserted into the game at crucial moments.
While many credit legendary Celtics coach Red Auerbach for creating the Sixth Man role, he wouldn’t have been able to execute his vision without the selflessness of Ramsey.
“Psychologically, as soon as you pull one of your starters out of the game, the other team is going to let down just a bit. That’s when I wanted a guy like Ramsey or (John) Havlicek to get out there and run them into the ground,” Auerbach wrote in his autobiography.
Auerbach so appreciated Ramsey that he personally pegged him to be the next Celtics coach after retiring. Instead, Ramsey opted to move back home to Kentucky to be with his ailing father.
But Ramsey was unable to stay away from the game he loved for very long.
He returned to the sport in 1970 was the head coach of the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association.
Ramsey had a farm in Madisonville, Kentucky and was a bank president in the nearby town of Dixon.
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