The Dick Raphael Interview
By:
Michael D. McClellan | Wednesday, March 30th 2005
Your association with the Boston Celtics is unique,
spanning more than four decades and cementing your
legacy as a giant in the field of photography. Please
take me back to 1964, and tell me how you came to work
for the Celtics.
DICK RAPHAEL
I was a student at Boston University at the time, and I
loved sports – basketball, football, you name it. I was
working as the photo editor for the Boston University
News when I decided to approach the Celtics. I
literally walked in off the street and talked to Howie
McHugh, who had been the team’s public relations man
since 1946. We had a good conversation. Howie ended up
giving me a pass to the next home game, with the
agreement that I’d take a bunch of pictures as part of
my unofficial tryout. I brought the pictures in to him,
one thing led to another, and that’s how I started
freelancing for the Celtics.
Walter Brown, who owned the team, hated freelance
photographers. He quickly learned who I was. He’d see
me around the court taking pictures, and he’d get very
angry. There were times when I’d see him coming, and I
knew what was going to happen. He kicked me out of the
Boston Garden on more than one occasion [laughs].
A perfect lead-in to my next question. Franchise
founder Walter Brown was one of the most beloved owners
in all of sports. Mr. Brown passed away on September
17th, 1964, and a month later the team raised the
honorary “Number 1” to the rafters in his honor. Please
tell me about Mr. Brown, and also about that memorable
Boston Garden ceremony?
DICK RAPHAEL
From everything I’ve heard, Walter Brown really cared
about everyone within the Boston Celtic organization.
It was a true family atmosphere. The team struggled
financially in the early years, and he did some very
generous things to help the players pay the bills. I
wish I could tell you about the ceremony, but
unfortunately I wasn’t there for that event.
Later that season, one of the most memorable plays in
team history occurred. Take me back to the 1965 Eastern
Division Finals, and John Havlicek’s famous steal?
DICK RAPHAEL
I don’t remember it – I wasn’t at that particular game,
so I read about it in the paper like everyone else.
That play was immortalized by the late Johnny Most, and
everyone growing up in New England is familiar with
“Havlicek stole the ball”. It’s probably the most
famous call in NBA history.
Your photography is world-renowned. Perhaps most
intriguing is your collection of Bill Russell-Wilt
Chamberlain images. After all of these years, what
stands out most about those classic Russell-Chamberlain
battles?
DICK RAPHAEL
As a photographer, it would have to be the immense size
of these men. Being down on the court gave me a true
feel for how big these players were – especially Wilt,
who was 7’-1” and close to 300 pounds. So it quickly
struck me that these men were giants in a very literal
sense. They were big and physical players who really
went at each other on the court. The other thing that
struck me was how Russell used to psyche out Wilt before
the game ever started. He was a master of the mind
game, and he always knew which buttons to push – to
great effect.
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