Today in Boston Celtics history, the storied ball club signed big man Ruben Wolkowyski to the team as a free agent. A native of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wolkowyski played for several clubs in his home country before landing a spot on the Seattle SuperSonics’ roster in 2000.
After a few stints playing professionally in Argentina and in Russia, the Argentinian surfaced on the team’s radar, inking a deal for one season with Boston. Wolkowyski was not exactly a Celtics long-hauler — he played a mere seven games for the ball club in a reserve role that season.
Over that brief stretch, he averaged just 0.7 points, 0.1 rebounds, and 0.1 assists per game, and he was waived in February 2002.
Birthdays
Former Boston big man Bob Kinney was born on this date in 1920 in Bexar County, Texas. He played his NCAA ball with Rice and played for the (then) Fort Wayne (now, Detroit) Pistons before joining the Celtics in a trade in 1949. Kinney played two seasons for Boston, averaging 10.8 points and 1.6 assists per game (rebounds were not yet tabulated).
Former Boston point guard Dan Dickau shares the birthday with him, having been born on this date in Portland, Oregon in 1978. Dickau played collegiately for Gonzaga and was drafted 28th overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2002 NBA draft. He played stints for the Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks, and (then) New Orleans Hornets (now, Pelicans) before being traded to the Celtics in 2005.
The Portland native played 19 games with the team before rupturing his Achilles tendon. That summer, he was dealt with center Raef LaFrentz and draft assets to the Trail Blazers for Theo Ratliff and Sebastian Telfair. He averaged 3.3 points per game and 2.1 assists per game while with Boston.
Former Celtic guard Charlie Hoefer was also born on this date, in 1921 in Frankfurt, Germany. A graduate of Queens College, Hoefer was dealt from the Toronto Huskies to the team for Red Wallace. He played 35 games for Boston in its inaugural season, 1946-47, and seven more the following season before retiring from league to play in the American Basketball League, primarily for the Wilmington Bombers.
Rest in Peace
Finally, it is also the date of former Celtics vice president Dave Gavitt’s passing in 2011. While his tenure replacing legendary Boston executive Red Auerbach was not a particularly successful one, the man was a giant in the sport.
Better known for his role in helping put together the Big East Conference at the NCAA level and his work with USA Basketball, Gavitt’s passing was a tremendous loss for the sport.
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics history: Wolkowski signed; ex-Celts Dickau, Kinney, Hoefer born
