On this day: Gordon Hayward agrees to sign; Griffin, Lucas born; Gene Conley passes
"There was the winning culture of Boston, as a city — from the (Red) Sox to the (New England) Pats to the (Boston) Bruins. There was the special history of the Celtics, as a franchise — from (Bill) Russell to (Larry) Bird, to (Paul) Pierce, and it goes on."
"And of course, there was coach Stevens: Not just for the relationship that we've built off the court — but also for the one that we started building on the court, all of those years ago, in Indiana," he added.
It is also the birthday of former Celtic wing Adrian Griffin, born this day in 1974 in Wichita, Kansas. After playing in college at Seton Hall, he went undrafted in 1996. He eventually signed with Boston in 1999. He played two seasons with the Celtics, averaging 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists with the team. Ex-Boston guard/forward Al Lucas was also born on this date in 1922. A graduate of Fordham, the 6-foot-3 wing played just two games for the Celtics in the 1948-49 season, putting up 1 point per game in his short stint with the team.
Finally, it is also the day we lost forward Gene Conley in 2017. One of a handful of people to win a title in Major League Baseball as well as the NBA, Conley also played for the Boston Red Sox, Boston (then Milwaukee) Braves, and Philadelphia Phillies in MBL. He also played for the New York Knicks and Hartford Capitals of the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Washington Tapers of the American Basketball League as well as the Celtics.
Conley played four seasons for Boston, his rookie campaign of 1952-53, and three more after five seasons away to play baseball. He won titles with the Celtics between 1959 and 1961 and averaged 5.3 points and 6.8 boards per game off of the bench -- rest in peace.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Boston Celtics jersey history No. 26 - Toby Kimball (1966-67)
The Boston Celtics have had players suiting up in a total of 68 different jersey numbers (and have three others not part of any numerical series) since their founding at the dawn of the Basketball Association of America (BAA -- the league that would become today's NBA), worn by well over 500 players in the course of Celtics history. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Celtics Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. With 25 of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Celtics to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover. And for today's article, we will continue with the first of 10 people to wear the No. 26, Boston forward alum Toby Kimball. After ending his college career at UConn, Kimball was picked up with the 29th overall selection of the 1965 NBA draft by the Celtics. The Framingham, Massachusetts native would play the first season of his NBA career with Boston, coming to an end when he was was picked up by the (then) San Diego (now, Houston) Rockets in the 1967 NBA expansion draft. During his time suiting up for the Celtics, Kimball wore only jersey No. 26 and put up 2.6 points, and 3.8 rebounds per game. All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Diogo Jota's heartbroken wife Rute Cardoso breaks down while helping carry coffin at funeral
The wife of late Portuguese soccer star Diogo Jota broke down while carrying his coffin after his funeral mass Saturday at Igreja Matriz church in Gondomar, Portugal, following his tragic death in a fiery car crash earlier this week. Rute Cardoso was emotional while helping pallbearers Saturday, appearing to cry and lowering her head while they carried the ex-Liverpool standout's coffin after the mass for Jota and his younger brother, Andre Silva, who also perished in the wreck that occurred just after midnight Thursday in Spain. 6 Cardoso is emotional while helping carry the coffin. REUTERS Advertisement 6 Cardoso buries her head while helping carry her husband's coffin. Getty Images Jota was 28 years old and Silva, a fellow soccer player, was 25. The siblings lost their lives when the Lamborghini they were driving veered off the road and burst into flames, investigators said. Advertisement It is unclear who was behind the wheel. The horrific incident occurred just weeks after Jota and Cardoso, his partner of 10 years, tied the knot on June 22. They share three young children. 'A day we will never forget,' Jota captioned a joint Instagram post with Cardoso. Advertisement In the weeks leading up to his big day with Cardoso, Jota helped Portugal win the Nations League with a 5-3 triumph over Spain on June 8. 'I extend my deepest condolences to their family,' Portugal Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said. 'It is a sad day for soccer and for national and international sports.' 6 Rute Cardoso walks with her late husband's coffin. Getty Images Jota made 49 appearances for Portugal. Advertisement He suited up for Liverpool since 2020, scoring 65 goals across 182 appearances. 6 Cardoso (white outfit) with the coffin on Saturday. Getty Images 'Liverpool Football Club are devastated by the tragic passing of Diogo Jota,' the club said in a statement. The team added it requests 'the privacy of Diogo and Andre's family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable loss.' Liverpool's captain, Virgil van Dijk, posted an emotional tribute to Jota on Instagram, calling him 'a champion forever.' 6 Cardoso and the pallbearers Saturday. AP 'What a human being, what a player, but most importantly what an unbelievable family man,' he wrote. 'You meant so much to all of us and you always will! For your family to lose two sons, a husband and a father is just unimaginable. So cruel and unfair. My heart is breaking for all of your beautiful family, for Rute and for your kids. I promise you that in these difficult times and beyond we will always be there for your family.' Van Dijk, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, teammate Andrew Robertson and manager Arne Slot were among those from Liverpool who attended Saturday's funeral in Jota's hometown. Advertisement 6 Cardoso hugs someone on the day of the funeral. REUTERS The Liverpool captain had a red floral arrangement in the form of a soccer jersey with Jota's No. 20 in white, while Robertson had a No. 30 version for Silva, per the Associated Press. Team Portugal's Rúben Neves served as a pallbearer, while fellow national team member João Cancelo and others also attended the funeral, per the report. Advertisement Hundreds of people reportedly paid their respects at the funeral. 'These are really, really sad days, as you can imagine,' Team Portugal manager Roberto Martínez said, per the AP. 'But today we showed we are a large, close family. … Their spirit will be with us forever.'
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Penn State QB Drew Allar facing pressure of high expectations in 2025
The Penn State Nittany Lions are coming off one of the most successful seasons under head coach James Franklin and will enter the 2025 season with high expectations placed upon them. After a shot at a Big Ten title and a run to the College Football Playoff semifinals, Penn State should be hungry to take the next step and bring home some championship gold in the 2025 season, and the pieces are in place for that level of success. Of course, a lot of that relies on the performance of Penn State's best players on the roster in the biggest spotlight opportunities. Starting quarterback Drew Allar enters his third season leading the Penn State offense, and he has been one to have some ups and downs in the position. Allar's numbers tend to be good, but they could be better in the toughest matchups against teams like Ohio State, Michigan, and Oregon. Armed with an NFL-caliber arm and a new wid erecweiveing corp from the transfer portal, and one of the Big Ten's best offensive lines and running back stables behind him, Allar will face some pressure to get this Penn State team to take the next elusive step toward being a national championship contender, if not a favorite. Here is a look at one of the biggest pieces of Penn State's 2025 season, the starting quarterback. 2024 in review Drew Allar improved on his overall stats and efficiency in 2024 compared to his first season as Penn State's starting quarterback in 2023. Allar had one fewer touchdown pass thrown in the 2024 season despite playing in more games during Penn State's postseason run, but his completion percentage increased, as well as his total passing yards. This is despite not really having a strong connection with his wide receivers all season long. Allar was reliant on All-American tight end Tyler Warren, as any quarterback should have been, and he did take advantage of some opportunities with receivers at times, but the season ended without a single completion to a wide receiver in Penn State's College Football Playoff semifinal loss to Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. Allar's biggest blemishes came in the biggest spotlight, unfortunately, with a bad interception in the Big Ten championship essentially gifting Oregon a touchdown from the one-yard line and setting up Penn State's fate in the playoff, leading to a game-winning field goal by Notre Dame. For the season, Allar completed 66.5% of his passes, but he was below 60% in each of Penn State's four postseason games, including the Big Ten championship game and three College Football Playoff games. Biggest question in 2025 Drew Allar will face some tough questions in the 2025 season. The first is how he comes back after the way last season ended. But the biggest question will be how effective Allar is with his new wide receiving corp. Penn State added some experienced wide receivers to the roster from the transfer portal, each with good stats at their previous schools. Allar will need to get in rhythm with his new receiving targets and establish a new trust in his tight ends under the leadership of offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, who is in his second season with the Nittany Lions, calling the plays for the offense. 2025 will be a success if... Simply put, if Drew Allar is connecting with his wide receivers far more frequently and effectively this season, Penn State should be in great shape for another fun postseason run. With all of the other ingredients in place for a solid offense, the difference maker will be Allar continuing to improve his game and use his receivers with bigger and more consistent results in the passing game. 2025 will be a disappointment if... If Allar does not put up better numbers in the biggest games on the schedule, then Penn State will likely suffered a similar disappointing fate at the end of the year. To his credit, Allar had some good numbers against Orgeon in the Big Ten championship, but his two interceptions didn't help the cause, and his untimely interception against Notre Dame was a sting that would carry over into the offseason. Allar was also without a touchdown in the game against eventual national champion Ohio State last season, a 20-13 setback at home. If Allar comes out without a win against Ohio State and Oregon again, and takes an early exit in the postseason, this will be a disappointing end result. Realistic outlook for 2025 We should be about to see the best Drew Allar has to offer. In his second season under innovative offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki and with a new trio of wide receivers to trust, Allar should have a chance for another 3,000-yard season with 25 touchdowns en route to another playoff run that could include another shot at a Big Ten title. Allar could cut down on his interception total of eight last season as well. Allar should play well enough to put up the kind of numbers that will continue to keep him on the radar as a potential first-round NFL draft pick in 2026. Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads
