RIP Larry Siegfried

Former Celtic and Buckeye larry Siegfreind left us at age 71.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AjEzGWG6cZNIrO.kmSONMBW8vLYF?slug=ap-obit-siegfried

Oh man, my worst fear. One of the younger members of the Russell teams is gone...and two years younger than I am. Not making me feel great right now.

Larry was virtually the perfect example of a combo guard. He could shoot light out, especially in the clutch. He was a good (not great) ball distributor, and he played tenacious defense.

Larry was also noted for his stamina...both on and off the court. I'll never forget the sight of Larry and Havlicek striding through the lobby of the Marina Hotel after the '69 championship game, swigging bottles of champagne. It's burned into my retinas and will be my personal memorial to Siggy.

Sleep well, Larry,

Sam

sad day for the C's indeed!

Two years ago not being a Celtics fan and being much younger I would not have known who Larry Siegfried was. However, through Sam's emails and posts I knew exactly who he was when I heard the sad news on the radio this moring at work. Thanks for the education on Celtics history Sam and RIP Larry.

I hope they give him a respectful moment of silence at this years opening home game.Looked up his stats,he avg 14.2 points in the 69 championship season,thats huge,he was a main cog in that backcourt and was dynamic force at both ends.....RIP Larry

Cow, he was one player who could shoot jumpers on the move. He would have been in three-point heaven in today's game. He never had anything handed to him. I'm not sure how many might have heard Tommy's story about Larry last night, but it was pretty interesting.

Seems Larry (who was more heralded than Havlicek at Ohio State) went from college to the forerunner of the ABA; and, when that failed, he was looking for a job. Havlicek convinced Red to give John's college teammate a tryout, and Red signed him. Siggy did okay, but they also had KC Jones at that time; and, after a while, Red decided to let Siggy go.

But Heinsohn had a habit of playing one-on-one games after practice with anyone who would stick around, and Siggy was the only teammate who could consistently beat Tommy. Tommy mentioned to Red that he (Red) was selling Siggy short. So Red said, "I'm going to hide in the balcony after the next practice, and you need to get Siggy into a one-on-one game. Don't tell him I'm watching." So Siggy once again handled Tommy, Red kept him, and the rest is history.

One more think that some people may not know is that Beth Havlicek was Siggy's girlfriend before John won her heart.

I'm actually having a tough time emotionally with this, the first death of the Russell Years core—and one of the youngest ones to boot. I actually feel like I'm in the movie, "The Birds," and there are loads of little peckers starting to pick away at my body. I may actually take tonight's game off, and I hope someone else will run the game-on thread and contest if I'm not available.

Thanks.

Sam

Thanks Sam,hang in there

i might be able to get the Game On! and contest started, i'll say for sure later this afternoon.

we ought to dedicate it to Larry I think.

Siggy was the unsung hero of that '69 championship. Siggy played hurt throughout that series, as did all of them, but nobody went through more than Siggy to get ready against the Lakers. He would be worked over by the trainers before each game, could hardly walk or stand up straight hours before the game, then would go out and give the team everything he had, leading the team in floor burns, playing with reckless abandon. His offense in Games 3 and 4 saved the day, and his defense could always be counted on.

He was a lights-out shooter and savvy playmaker to go with that tenacious D. Most of all, he was a team player; at OSU and with the Celtics, he played a role that perhaps didn't suit his skills, he could have shone in a different role, but he gave the team whatever it needed.

He was one of Russell's favorites, one of Tommy's favorites, and one of Johnny Most's favorites, and that says it all.

Larry Seigfried was one of my favorite all time Celtics. He played the game the way I love watching it be played. Diving for balls, running from one end of the court to the other, and just being a true Celtic. This is a sad day for me, as I followed Ziggy from the day he was brought here to Boston to when he finally
retired. He will be missed, I am sure, by all of his fellow teammates, especially
Havlicek and Russell. Each had a special bond with him. Anyone who doesn't know the history of the Boston Celtics will not feel the way old timers like myself do, sad that a member of the great Boston Celtics teams of the l960's has left us. May he rest in piece.

I was just born too late in Celtic history to enjoy Siegfried. I really would have liked to have seen him live. To the more seasoned veterans on this site, thank you for bringing him to life (as well as all the Celtics from the 60's) for the rest of us.

It's not much, but it's the best I could find:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E3ivAGs83I

Sam

Thanx for sharing Sam.

btw, one of the commenst on youtube for that video is from a celtics fan in the phillipenes, our old pal?

There is something special about being a Celtics fan, even for those of us not part of the organization, we're still a part of the family.. what other team can say that?

Thanks Sam,for a second I thought I saw Dave Cowens running the floor,then realized that was Baily Howell.....now I remember Siegfried,that was my first images of the game as a kid,watching the C's with my father at the end of the Russell era.Siegfried backed up Emmette Brayant and Sam Jones,was a combo guard and the mold for Delonte.Some memories from that era are Russell blocking a Willis Reed shot in the playoffs at the top of the key and Emmette Bryant hitting everything and help getting us a big lead in game 7.