Frank Ramsey (basketball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Frank Ramsey

Personal information
Born	(1931-07-13)July 13, 1931 Corydon, Kentucky
Nationality	American
Died	July 8, 2018(2018-07-08) (aged 86) Madisonville, Kentucky
High school	Madisonville (Madisonville, Kentucky)
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
College	Kentucky (1950–1954)
NBA Draft	1953 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
Selected by the Boston Celtics
Pro career	1954–1964
Career history
As player:
1954–1955, 1956–1964	Boston Celtics
As coach:
1970–1971	Kentucky Colonels
Career highlights and awards
7× NBA champion (1957, 1959–1964) No. 23 retired by Boston Celtics NCAA champion (1951) Consensus second-team All-American (1954) Second-team All-American – AP, UPI (1952) Third-team All-American – AP, UPI (1951)
Career statistics
Points	8,378 (13.4 ppg)
Rebounds	3,410 (5.5 rpg)
Assists	1,134 (1.8 apg)

Frank Vernon Ramsey Jr. (born July 13, 1931 – died July 8, 2018) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was 6 feet 3 inches tall and played as a forward or guard. Frank Ramsey spent his entire nine-year career (1954–1964) in the NBA with the Boston Celtics.

He was a very important part of the Celtics' early "dynasty," which means they won many championships in a row. Ramsey helped the team win seven NBA championships. After his playing career, he also coached the Kentucky Colonels in the ABA during the 1970–1971 season. Frank Ramsey was honored by being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

College Basketball Career at Kentucky

Frank Ramsey grew up in Madisonville, Kentucky. He was a talented athlete who played both baseball and basketball at the University of Kentucky. He played basketball under the famous coach Adolph Rupp.

In 1951, as a sophomore, Ramsey helped his team, the Kentucky Wildcats, win the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. They beat Kansas State with a score of 68–58.

A jersey honoring Ramsey hangs in Rupp Arena.

In 1952, the Kentucky basketball team faced a big problem. Some players were involved in a rule violation. Because of this, the NCAA (the group that runs college sports) asked other schools not to play against Kentucky. This meant Kentucky's upcoming season, which would have been Ramsey's senior year, was canceled. This was a very rare punishment for a college sports team.

Ramsey, along with two teammates, Cliff Hagan and Lou Tsioropoulos, graduated from Kentucky in 1953. Even though they had graduated, they were allowed to play one more season. All three players were chosen by the Boston Celtics in the 1953 NBA draft. Ramsey was picked in the first round.

In that final college season, Ramsey averaged 19.6 points per game. The team had a perfect 25–0 record and was ranked #1. They were invited to the NCAA Tournament. However, NCAA rules at the time said that graduate students could not play in post-season games. Because Ramsey, Hagan, and Tsioropoulos were graduate students, the Wildcats decided not to play in the tournament. They didn't want to risk their perfect season by playing without their key players.

Ramsey also played on the Kentucky Wildcats baseball team. He was recognized as an excellent outfielder in 1951, 1952, and 1954. By the end of his college basketball career, Ramsey had scored 1344 points (14.8 points per game). This was the fourth-highest in the school's history at that time. He also grabbed 1038 rebounds (11.4 rebounds per game), which was a school record.

Playing for the Boston Celtics

After his first year with the Celtics (1954–1955), Frank Ramsey spent a year serving in the military. When he returned to the team, he became a key player. In the eight seasons he played after his military service, he was part of seven championship teams. These wins happened in 1957 and then from 1959 to 1964.

Ramsey was a big reason for the Celtics' success during their "dynasty" years. He played alongside famous players like Bob Cousy, Bill Sharman, Bill Russell, Sam Jones, K. C. Jones, Tom Heinsohn, John Havlicek, and Satch Sanders.

In his 623 NBA games, Ramsey scored 8378 points. This means he averaged 13.4 points per game. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1981. The Celtics honored him by retiring his jersey number, 23. This means no other Celtics player will ever wear that number.

Ramsey's best season for statistics was 1957–1958. He averaged 16.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. This was also the only season after his military service that the Celtics did not win the NBA championship. They lost to the St. Louis Hawks in the NBA Finals. Interestingly, his former college teammate, Cliff Hagan, played for the Hawks.

A Short Time as a Coach

Frank Ramsey also had a brief career as a coach. He coached for one season (1970–71) in the ABA with the Kentucky Colonels. This team included two other former Kentucky Wildcats, Dan Issel and Louie Dampier.

Ramsey took over as coach 17 games into the season. Even though his record was 32 wins and 35 losses, he led the Colonels to the playoffs. They played against the Utah Stars in the 1971 ABA Finals and lost 4 games to 3. The Stars were coached by Bill Sharman, who used to be Ramsey's teammate on the Celtics. After that season, Joe Mullaney became the Colonels' coach.

Before coaching in the ABA, Ramsey was offered the job to coach the Celtics. This was after their legendary coach, Red Auerbach, retired in 1966. However, Ramsey decided to move back to Madisonville. His father was not in good health, and Ramsey had three children to raise.

The NBA's First "Sixth Man"

Red Auerbach, the Celtics' coach, is often given credit for creating the idea of the "sixth man" in basketball. Even though Frank Ramsey was one of the Celtics' best players, he felt more comfortable starting games from the bench. Auerbach liked this idea because it meant Ramsey would be fresh and ready to play at the end of close games.

Ramsey was the first of many successful "sixth men" who helped the Celtics win championships. After Ramsey retired, other famous Celtics players like Havlicek, Paul Silas, Kevin McHale, Bill Walton, and James Posey also played important roles as sixth men.

Frank Ramsey was even mentioned in a TV show! In an episode of Married... with Children called "If I Could See Me Now", a character named Bud asked Al a trivia question: "Who was known as the best sixth man in basketball? He played for the Celtics." Al quickly answered, "Frank Ramsey."

Personal Life

On November 15, 2005, a tornado hit Frank Ramsey's home in Madisonville, Kentucky, and destroyed it. One of his awards was found miles away. Luckily, Ramsey himself was not hurt.

As of June 2008, Ramsey was working as a bank president in Dixon, Kentucky.

Frank Ramsey passed away from natural causes in his hometown of Madisonville, Kentucky, on July 8, 2018. He was 86 years old.

Honors and Achievements

• Ramsey was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.
• In 2005, Ramsey was inducted into the University of Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame.
• In 2006, Ramsey was one of the first people inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
• Ramsey's #23 jersey is retired by the Boston Celtics.
• Ramsey's #30 jersey is retired by the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season Stats

Playoff Stats

See also

In Spanish: Frank Ramsey (baloncestista) para niños