John Havlicek

John Joseph Havlicek was born in Martins Ferry, Ohio, the son of Czech-Croatian immigrant parents who ran a general store. A multi-sport star at Ohio State University alongside Jerry Lucas and future coach Bob Knight, Havlicek won the 1960 NCAA championship before being drafted in 1962 by both the Boston Celtics (NBA) and the Cleveland Browns (NFL) as a wide receiver. Choosing basketball, coach Red Auerbach recognized Havlicek's unique physical gift: an abnormally low resting heart rate and limitless cardiovascular endurance.

Auerbach utilized Havlicek to create the concept of the elite 'Sixth Man': bringing an All-Star caliber scorer and lock-down defender off the bench to overwhelm tired starters with relentless non-stop motion. Havlicek was an integral component of the Celtics dynasty, winning six NBA titles alongside Bill Russell (1963–1969) and later captaining a newly reconstructed Celtics team to two more championships in 1974 and 1976 (where he was named Finals MVP).

His defining sporting moment arrived on 15 April 1965 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Wilt Chamberlain's 76ers. With Boston leading 110-109 with five seconds remaining, Hal Greer attempted an inbounds pass for Philadelphia. Havlicek timed his leap perfectly, tipped the ball to teammate Sam Jones as radio voice Johnny Most screamed the immortal call: 'Havlicek stole the ball! It's all over! Johnny Havlicek stole the ball!' Retiring as the Celtics' all-time leading scorer (26,395 points), Havlicek was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1984.