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The Boston Celtics : The Story Behind Their Irish Green Theme


Bill Russell played for the Boston Celtics from 1956 to 1959

(This story was updated in March 2024)
Many people wonder why the Boston Celtics wear shamrocks on their green uniforms and have a giant leprechaun smoking a cigar as their team logo. And why is the team mascot a guy named Lucky who looks like he stepped out of a box of Lucky Charms?

According to the Boston Celtic’s official web site, the name came about in 1946 when owner Walter Brown started the team. He and his public relations guy, Howie McHugh, were throwing out potential nicknames, including the Whirlwinds, Unicorns and Olympics.




It was Brown who had the epiphany, saying, “Wait, I’ve got it – the Celtics. The name has a great basketball tradition from the old Original Celtics in New York (1920s). And Boston is full of Irishman. We’ll put them in green uniforms and call them the Boston Celtics.”

Red Auerbach, the now legendary coach of the early Celtics, then commissioned his brother Zang, a graphic designer in the newspaper business, to come up with the famous Celtics logo in the early 1950s. The logo manages to include all of the iconic depictions of the Irish in America that were standard in the 1950s: a leprechaun covered in shamrock clothing and a bowler hat, smoking a pipe, holding a shillelagh and sporting a mischievous grin!

The logo is said to have brought the Celtics good luck, since they won their first championship in 1957, so it has remained.   

The Rifleman Chuck Connor, Boston Celtics Star 1946-47

When the team first formed, one of the early Celtic stars in the 46-47 season was Chuck Connors, who later had a successful television career as The Rifleman.  Connors broke the backboard with a slam dunk right before the Celtics' first home game in the Boston Garden.

In the late 1940s and 1950s,  early teams included Bill Russell, considered one of the greatest players of the game, alone with other greats such as Bob Cousy, Ed Macauley and Tommy Heinsohn.  Russell led the team throughout the 1960s, joined by stars  Satch Saunders, Bill Havlicek and Sam Jones. 


Mike Gorman of Dorchester, Celtics play-by-play announcer 

Read about Irish-American Mike Gorman, the popular play-by-play announcer for the Boston Celtics for 43 years, who is retiring after the 2024 season. 

For more information on Irish-American history and heritage, visit IrishMassachusetts.com

For more about the Boston Celtics, visit NBA.com/celtics/

(This story was updated in March 2024)

Research + Text, Michael Quinlin





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