The Bob Cousy Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan
|
February 9th, 2004
Bill Russell arrived during the 1956-57 season, touching
off the greatest dynasty in the history of professional
sports. What was it like to lose a great teammate such
as “Easy” Ed Macauley, and what was it like to gain a
player as dominant as Russell?
As much as we liked Ed we weren’t going to
lose a lot of sleep over that trade [laughs]. Before
the trade we were a decent offensive team – we could
shoot, we could dribble, and we could score – but we
couldn’t play championship defense or rebound the
basketball. Those were the major problems that plagued
us in the years before Russell joined the Boston
Celtics, and the main reasons we couldn’t win a title.
Players like Loscy [Jim Loscutoff] and Heinsohn added a
hell of a lot of power to the team, but we would have
been lucky to win one championship without Russell. He
was the most dominant defensive player in the history of
the game, although we didn’t know that at the time. We
just didn’t realize that we were getting a player of
that stature, but it didn’t take us long to figure out
what we had.
Russell joined the team in December, 1956, following the Olympics. His first game was nationally televised, against St. Louis. He pulled down 16 rebounds and blocked several of Bob Pettit’s shots, and that’s when we realized how important Russell was to winning a championship.
The Celtics finally captured its first NBA championship
in 1957, defeating the St. Louis Hawks 125-123 in a
double-overtime Game 7 thriller. You were also named
league MVP. Where does this season rank in terms of
personal and team accomplishments?
It was the culmination of everything I’d ever
worked for as a professional basketball player. The MVP
award was very satisfying in terms of personal
accomplishments, but the championship was the most
important thing of all. I had endured six years of
frustration so I think winning it all meant more to me
than most of the others on the team.
You have a special relationship with the great Bill
Russell. About Russell the player, you have said:
“Bill Russell revolutionized basketball. He changed the
patterns of play both for individuals and for teams.
First and foremost, Bill Russell was a team man. The
one who made us go. Without him we wouldn’t have won a
championship.” Please add to this quote. Please tell
me about Bill Russell, the man.
Bill is a very complex person. If you’ve done
your homework you know that the racial situation of the
times played a very big part in shaping Bill into who he
is. He suffered from racism and discrimination in ways
that so many people will never understand. It was very
difficult to be an African American at that time, and
being a famous athlete only complicated the situation.
On the one hand you were adored for all of your athletic
achievements, and on the other you weren’t allowed to
play golf at the local country club.
Bill suffered racial hatred that was almost unimaginable. There was an episode where someone defecated in his bed. He was denied a hotel room in St. Louis during his college days at USF and had to sleep in his car. I shared his pain as much as possible, but there was only so much I could understand and identify with. You never truly grasp it unless you actually experience that type of hatred firsthand.
People have been killing because of racial differences since the time of Adam and Eve, but in this country racism has been primarily aimed at African Americans. Bill was a hero in Boston, but that wasn’t necessarily the case everywhere else.
They say that behind every great man is a great woman.
Mr. Russell had this to saying during your final season
with the Celtics: “Bob Cousy and his wife have more or
less set the standard for the Celtics as a team, and
they are high standards because his wife is, without a
doubt, one of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my
life.” Please tell me what it meant to have Missy
supporting you throughout your career as a Boston
Celtic.
If she hadn’t supported me we wouldn’t have been
married for 53 years [laughs]. Missy and Bill are still
great friends, and talk on the phone regularly. They
share concerns, swap stories, and enjoy each other’s
company.
