Wednesday marks the 95th birthday of a living legend and the most famous man who calls Worcester home, Bob Cousy.
Cousy’s legacy is so significant in Central Massachusetts, it is celebrated by two statues in Worcester — one in front of the Hart Center at the College of the Holy Cross and the other in front of the DCU Center.
Born on Aug. 9, 1928, in New York City, the only child of poor French immigrants, Cousy spoke only French for his first five years.
When he was 13, he fell out of a tree and broke his right arm. Undeterred, he became so proficient at dribbling with his left hand that the basketball coach who had cut him twice from his high school junior varsity team in New York invited him back.
Cousy moved to Worcester in 1946 to attend Holy Cross and has lived in the city most of his adult life.
One of the greatest basketball players of all time, Cousy defined the point guard position with his behind-the-back, no-look passes and ability to find the open man. The 6-foot-1 Cousy was a freshman on Holy Cross’ NCAA championship team in 1947 and became a three-time All-American. As a senior, Cousy led Holy Cross to 26 consecutive victories and second place in the National Invitational Tournament.
He helped the Boston Celtics win the first six of their 17 NBA championships. He played in the NBA All-Star Game in each of his 13 years in the league and was named the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 1954 and 1957. Cousy was voted to the All-NBA first team 10 times and to the All-NBA second team twice. He is most proud of being honored as NBA Most Valuable Player in 1957. He averaged 18.4 points, 7.5 assists and 5.2 rebounds in his career and is still the Celtics’ all-time leader in assists, with 6,945. He led the NBA in assists eight years in a row.