- Walter A. Brown
Walter A. Brown (
February 10 ,1905 –September 7 ,1964 ) was the original owner of theBoston Celtics as well as an important figure in the development ofice hockey in theUnited States .Life
He was born in
Hopkinton, Massachusetts and attended Boston Latin from 1922 to 1923 andPhilips Exeter Academy from 1923 to 1926. After succeeding his father,George V. Brown , as manager of theBoston Garden , he helped to found theBasketball Association of America in 1946, and was instrumental in merging the BAA and the National Basketball League into theNational Basketball Association in 1949. He founded the Celtics in 1945, and helped to transform the team into a dynasty, as the Celtics won sixchampionship s in the seven years before his death.Hockey
Brown also played an important role in the development of hockey; he coached the amateur
Boston Olympics to fiveEastern Hockey League championships and guided the USA to its firstgold medal in theIce Hockey World Championships in 1933. In 1951, he bought the financially strappedBoston Bruins ; he had been the Bruins' landlord since becoming the Garden's manager. He served as the president of theInternational Ice Hockey Federation from 1954 to 1957.Honors
in 1965. [cite web| url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?type=Builder&mem=B196202&list=ByName |title=Hockey Hall of Fame |accessdate=2007-12-02] [cite web |url=http://www.hoophall.com/halloffamers/bhof-walter-brown.html |title=Basketball Hall of Fame |accessdate=2007-12-02] The Boston Celtics retired uniform number "1" in Brown's honor in 1964.
ee also
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Walter A. Brown Trophy
*Walter Brown Arena References
External links
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