Bill Fitch, a 2-time Coach of the Year, led the Celtics to an NBA championship in 1981.
Bill Fitch, a two-time Coach of the Year who led the Boston Celtics to an NBA championship in 1981, died Wednesday at the age of 89. His death was confirmed by his daughter Marcy Ann Coville via Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.
Hall of Famer Bill Fitch, twice Coach of the Year and a champion with Boston in 1981 as Larry Bird’s first NBA coach, has died at age 89.
Fitch’s passing was confirmed by daughter Marcy Ann Coville via Indiana’s Rick Carlisle, who broke into coaching under Fitch in New Jersey. pic.twitter.com/IsTcCDOAMR
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 3, 2022
“I am sad to announce that NBA Hall of Famer Bill Fitch passed away Wednesday evening,” Carlisle, president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, said. “He died peacefully surrounded by his loving family in Lake Conroe, Texas.” (1/2) https://t.co/4YYgaK9kgc
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 3, 2022
Fitch arrived in the NBA in 1970 as the first coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, turning an expansion franchise into a playoff contender. He came to Boston in 1979 to coach the Celtics in Larry Bird’s first NBA season. Fitch revived the Boston franchise, leading the Celtics to an NBA championship in 1981. His basketball achievements earned him Coach of the Year twice in 1976 and 1980.
Fitch was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.