Interview with Red’s friend, the man behind “The Auerbach Dynasty”

This past Friday, as I read the morning Herald, I came across an ad for a play about Red Auerbach. The play, entitled "The Auerbach Dynasty" chronicles the friendship between Red and the play's writer/creator Ken Dooley. 

Use this link to buy tickets & for more info. Here's an excerpt from the official press release:

A new play based on Red Auerbach’s 56-year career as coach, general manager and president of the Boston Celtics will open at the Park Theatre on April 8^th

 Cranston, RI: Shortly before the National Basketball Association's playoffs begin a dramatic presentation on the remarkable career of an NBA giant will open at the Park Theatre. If, as now seems likely, the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Celtics are playoff favorites, sports and drama will triumph together.

 The Auerbach Dynasty, to be performed Fridays through Sundays from April 8^th through May 1^st, depicts a career in coaching and sports management of unrivaled success and duration.

 As a coach, Red Auerbach created more controversy, earned more fans and developed more top-flight teams than any man in the game. What distinguished Auerbach from other coaches was his remarkable ability to turn superstars into team players.

 Red never cared about individual scoring, assists or rebound stats. He was only interested in NBA championships, something he accomplished 16 times in his remarkable career.

 No basketball enthusiast can forget Red’s distinctive victory sign. As the game wound down to the final minutes and the Celtics victory was in hand, Red would pull out a long cigar, light it with a flourish and blow smoke rings at the other team and its fans.

 When Red joined the Celtics as coach in 1950, the team was in danger of going out of business. Walter Brown, Celtics president, gave Red a one-year deal to turn the franchise around.

 Over the next 56 years, as coach, general manager, and president, Red turned the Celtics into the most successful team in NBA history. Still president at the time of his death in 2006, he had earned a well-deserved reputation for having transformed both the league and the sport of basketball itself. Yet key chapters of his remarkable career have remained untold until now…

Enjoy this interview Ken did with me which features the story behind the play, how the C's went after Coach K and why Red snubbed Bob Cousy. (download the mp3 here)