Chuck Connors Plays the Star

Kevin “Chuck” Connors, the one-time Celtics player and future television star, prepared for his Hollywood career by posing with his head in a basketball rim. In the early years when the Celtics walked a financial tightrope, Connors was a potential money-making attraction. “I’m positive my greatest value to the Celtics was as an after-dinner speaker,” he later commented. “It seems to me I did more public speaking for the team than playing that first season.” While he may not have made an instant impact on the court, Connors’ presence helped keep the franchise alive.