Togo Palazzi obit

Boston alumnus Togo Palazzi has passed away at the age of 90

 

 He was not on the list.

Boston Celtics wing Togo Palazzi has passed away according to a post from the team. The 90-year-old Celtics alum was part of the team in its early years of existence, playing for Boston for parts of three seasons before he was dealt to the (then) Syracuse Nationals (now, Philadelphia 76ers) for cash considerations in 1956.

A product of the nearby College of the Holy Cross — then a hotbed of NBA recruiting — Palazzi was picked up with the fifth overall pick of the 1954 NBA draft in the years before the team had become the juggernaut of the late 1950s and 1960s. A native of Union City, New Jersey who was born there in 1932, the former Boston wing was one of the ball club’s oldest surviving alumni.

The New Jersey native averaged 5.3 points and 2.9 points per game while with the Celtics in a reserve role. Rest in peace.

A 6'4" forward/guard born and raised in Union City, New Jersey, Palazzi played at Union Hill High School, where he was recognized as one of the top prep basketball players nationwide. He played at the College of the Holy Cross in the 1950s and was captain of the Crusaders team that won the 1954 NIT Championship and was named MVP of the tournament.

Palazzi was selected by the Boston Celtics with the fifth pick of the 1954 NBA Draft. He played six seasons in the NBA as a member of the Celtics and Syracuse Nationals and averaged 7.4 points per game in his career. He also played for the Scranton Miners.

Palazzi coached the Holy Cross women's team from 1980 to 1985, going 103–28 as coach; he coached them to an NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament appearance in his final year, the first ever appearance by the women's team.

Palazzi later gave speeches at basketball camps for young adults interested in the sport. Along with conducting area speeches he was the camp director of the Togo Palazzi/Sterling Recreation Basketball Camp in Sterling, Massachusetts.