THE RETIRED NUMBERS PROJECT: NUMBER 23 – FRANK RAMSEY

From now until February 11, Red’s Army will be posting stories about the players behind the Celtics’ 22 retired numbers and that one retired nickname. Stories will be posted in the order that the numbers were retired.

Frank Ramsey drives on future Celtics teammate Don Nelson.The name Frank Ramsey is probably not well-known by today’s generation of Celtics fans, but one of his accomplishments is. Ramsey was the NBA’s original “Sixth Man,” filling the role conceived in the 1950s by coach Red Auerbach.

Red, a cagey innovator, realized he could gain an edge by keeping one player with starter-level talent on the bench, then utilizing that man as the first substitute to go against the opposition’s…