Thomas Ernest "Satch" Sanders (born November 8, 1938) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who played as a small forward and power forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics. The Celtics selected him in the first round of the 1960 NBA draft. Sanders won eight NBA championships and is tied for third for the most NBA championships. He is also one of three NBA players with an unsurpassed 8–0 record in NBA Finals series. He was considered among the best defensive forwards in NBA history during his playing days. During his Celtics' career, he had a stretch of playing in 459 consecutive regular season games. He was selected to the NBA-All Defensive Team second-team in 1968; the inaugural year for those defensive recognition awards.
After his playing retirement, he served as a head coach for the Harvard Crimson men's basketball team and the Boston Celtics. In 1987, he was hired by the NBA to establish and lead the NBA's Rookie Transition Program. He retired after 20 years as the NBA's vice president of player programs, and in 2007 was presented with the John Bunn Award by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Sanders was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor in 2011.
Sanders played college basketball at New York University (NYU) in the Metropolitan New York Conference. He was twice named first-team All-Metropolitan Conference, and led the conference in both scoring and rebounding as a senior. United Press International named Sanders a third-team All-American in 1960. He received the Haggerty Award in 1960 as the best player in the New York metropolitan area. He led NYU to the 1960 NCAA University Division basketball tournament, reaching the Final Four before losing to eventual tournament champion Ohio State. Sanders was named to the All-Tournament first team.
Early life Sanders was born on November 8, 1938, in New York City. At the time he was to attend high school black teens in New York City were encouraged to attend vocational high schools. Sanders was from Brooklyn, but his closest friends encouraged him to instead attend Seward Park High School in Manhattan, where he played basketball under coach Henry Cohen. Sanders was selected to play in a high school basketball all-star game between New York and New Jersey players in 1956. One of his New York all-star teammates in that game was Doug Moe.
Sanders got the nickname “Satch” as a teenaged playground baseball pitcher because he had some resemblance to Satchel Paige when he pitched.
College career Sanders received a scholarship to attend New York University (NYU), where he majored in marketing. He played on the Violets varsity basketball team from 1957 to 1960, playing in the Metropolitan New York Conference. As a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) sophomore forward, Sanders averaged 11.9 points and 12.1 rebounds per game, on a 10–11 Violets team.
As a junior (1957–58), Sanders averaged 15.9 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. His .555 field goal percentage was fifth highest among all college players. Sanders had the third highest rebounding average among all Metropolitan Conference players and the fourth best scoring average. He was selected to the All-Metropolitan Conference first team.
The Violets improved to 15–8 that season. NYU was selected to play in the 1959 National Invitation Tournament (NIT). Sanders scored 18 points in the Violets second round win over a top 20 ranked Oklahoma City University team, 63–48. NYU lost to top 10 ranked Bradley, 59–57, in the semifinal round. In March, Sanders was among the college players chosen to participate in tryouts for the 1960 United States men's Olympic basketball team.
Sanders was elected team captain in May 1959, before going into his senior season (1959–60). United Press International (UPI) named him a third-team All-American in 1960. He played center that season. As a senior, Sanders led the Metropolitan Conference in both scoring (21.4 points per game) and rebounding (15.2 points per game). He had a .517 field goal percentage. NYU won the Metropolitan Conference, and had an overall record of 22–5. Sanders was unanimously selected first-team All-Metropolitan Conference, and was nearly unanimously selected for the Haggerty Award, presented to the top player in the New York metropolitan area.
NYU participated in the 1960 NCAA University Division basketball tournament. They defeated Connecticut in the first round, 78–59. Sanders had 11 points, 15 rebounds, and played strong defense in the game. NYU then upset West Virginia 82–81 in overtime, in the East Regional semifinals. Sanders led NYU with 28 points in that game. NYU then upset Duke 74–59. Sanders led NYU again with 22 points (19 in the second half), and had 16 rebounds against Duke.
NYU played Ohio State in the Final Four, losing to the eventual national championship team, 76–54; with Sanders limited to eight points. The Ohio State team included future Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers John Havlicek and Jerry Lucas, and future nine-year NBA guard Larry Siegfried; with Sanders having the job of guarding Ohio State center Lucas. (Havlicek and Siegfried would become Sanders' long-time teammates in the NBA with the Boston Celtics.) Ohio State head coach Fred Taylor said after the game that Sanders "'has the best moves as a rebounder I've seen'". NYU then lost the third-place game to Cincinnati and Oscar Robertson, 95–71, but Sanders had 27 points. Sanders was selected to the NCAA All-Tournament Team, and the East Regional All-Tournament Team.
Professional career
The Boston Celtics selected Sanders in the first round of the 1960 NBA draft, eighth overall. Celtics coach Red Auerbach told Sanders he was drafted for his defensive ability. He spent all of his 13 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Boston Celtics at both small forward and power forward. He was part of eight championship teams (1961 to 1966, 1968 and 1969). In NBA history, only teammates Bill Russell and Sam Jones have won more championship rings during their playing careers; while three other teammates, John Havlicek, Tom Heinsohn and K. C. Jones, also won eight championship rings. He is also one of three NBA players (along with Havlicek and K. C. Jones) with an unsurpassed 8–0 record in NBA Finals series. Sports Illustrated has listed Sanders and Havlicek as the NBA small forwards with the most championships.
As a rookie (1960–61) he was a reserve small forward, averaging 15.9 minutes, 5.3 points, and 5.7 rebounds per game. The Celtics were 1961 NBA champions, under Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach. The team included seven future Hall of Fame players: Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, K. C. Jones, Sam Jones, Frank Ramsey, Bill Russell, and Bill Sharman; in addition to Sanders. Sanders averaged 19.4 minutes, 8.2 points, and 7.8 rebounds per game in the Celtics Eastern Division series win over the Syracuse Nationals. In the five game 1961 NBA finals victory over the St. Louis Hawks, he averaged 23.8 minutes, 9.6 points, and nine rebounds per game.
In his second season (1961–62), Sanders played in 80 games, averaging 29.1 minutes, 11.2 points, and 9.5 rebounds per game. The Celtics were again NBA champions. He scored a career-high 30 points to go along with 26 rebounds in a 142–110 win over the Syracuse Nationals on March 13, 1962. Sanders averaged 30.6 minutes, 7.4 points, and 9.6 rebounds per game in the seven game Eastern Division finals win over Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia Warriors.
In the seven game 1962 NBA finals win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Sanders averaged 32.1 minutes, 12.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. He had 16 points and 13 rebounds in the Celtics Game 1 win, and 20 points and six rebounds in the series-tying Game 6 win. The Lakers' Hall of Fame forward Elgin Baylor had scored 61 points in the Lakers' Game 5 win, but "only" 34 in Game 6. After that game, coach Auerbach said Sanders "'was a big factor . . . He played his best game and his defensive job on Baylor was a gem'".
John Havlicek joined the Celtics in the 1962–63 season. Forwards Sanders, Havlicek, and Heinsohn all averaged between 26.4 and 27.5 minutes per game. Sanders averaged 26.9 minutes, 10.8 points, and 7.2 rebounds per game. The Celtics defeated Oscar Robertson and the Cincinnati Royals in seven games to win the 1963 Eastern Division finals. Sanders averaged 24.4 minutes, 6.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game in that series.
The Celtics won the 1963 NBA Finals in six games over the Lakers. Sanders played 35.8 minutes per game, averaging 13.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. Once again, it was Sanders' role to defend Baylor, and in Game 2 he received credit for helping to "hold" Baylor to only 30 points. In the Lakers two wins, Baylor had 38 points and 23 rebounds, and 43 points and 20 rebounds. In the Game 6 Celtics series-clinching win, Sanders held Baylor to nine points in the first half, and Lakers' coach Fred Schaus moved Baylor to guard (where he had 19 points in the second half, and eight rebounds in the game). Teammate Bob Cousy later said of Sanders "I used to feel sorry for Satch . . . He'd break his back night after night guarding the toughest forwards, the Baylors, Pettits, Gus Johnsons, Dave DeBusscheres, and the average fan, reading the scoring totals – or even watching the game – would see only that Satch's man scored 25 or 30 points".
In 1963–64, Sanders averaged 29.6 minutes, 11.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game; and the Celtics won the NBA championship again. Former Ohio State opponent Larry Siegfried joined the Celtics that season. The Celtics beat the Royals (who now had Jerry Lucas as well as Oscar Robertson) in five games in the 1964 Eastern Division finals; with Sanders averaging 26.8 minutes, eight points, and 7.4 rebounds per game. The Celtics won the 1964 NBA Finals in five games over Chamberlain and the San Francisco Warriors. Sanders averaged 31.6 minutes, 10.2 points, and 6.2 rebounds in that series.
The Celtics were NBA champions again in the 1964–65 season. Sanders played in all 80 Celtics regular season games for a fourth consecutive season. He played a career-high 30.7 minutes per game; averaging 11.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. The Celtics won the Eastern Division finals against Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers in seven games, winning Game 7, 110–109. Sanders averaged 29.9 minutes, 12.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game in that series. Sanders had 25 points and 15 rebound in a Game 6 loss to the 76ers, and 18 points and 10 rebounds in the Game 7 win; scoring the winning field goal in that game. The Celtics then beat the Lakers in five games to win the 1965 NBA Finals. Sanders averaged 31.8 minutes, 13.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, and two assists per game. Baylor was injured earlier in the 1965 NBA playoffs, and did not play in the finals against the Celtics.
In Sanders' sixth year with the Celtics, they were NBA champions for a sixth consecutive season. Sanders played in 72 of 80 games that season, averaging 26.3 minutes, 12.6 points, and 7.1 rebounds per game. He suffered a knee strain in a January 14, 1966 game against the Philadelphia 76ers that ended his consecutive game playing streak at 459 games. This remained a Celtics' record until broken by teammate Don Nelson in December 1972.