Profile of Johnny Most on Famous Like Me

John M. “Johnny” Most (June 15, 1923 – January 3, 1993) was an American sports announcer known primarily as the raspy radio voice of the Boston Celtics basketball team from 1953 to 1990.

He is most remembered for his excited call of “Havlicek stole the ball!” during the final moments of Game 7 of the 1965 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, sealing the victory for the Boston Celtics.

Born to Jewish parents in New York City, New York, Most began his career in the 1940s as a protégé of Marty Glickman. Before being hired by Boston Celtics owner Walter Brown and coach Red Auerbach to replace Curt Gowdy as the team's radio play-by-play man (on WBZ 1030), Most called road games for baseball's New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers, and football's New York Giants and Army.

Most always his perch or radio booth at Boston Garden (the Celtics' arena) as "high above court-side." Critics often accused Most of being a "homer" for the Celtics. In other words, unlike his long-time contemparary Chick Hearn, who criticized his Los Angeles Lakers when he felt warranted, Most rarely did such a thing. Most went as far as one time, describing Los Angeles Laker Kurt Rambis as "something that had crawled out of a sewer." One such occasion though when Most praised the opposition was during a playoff game against the Chicago Bulls when Michael Jordan scored 63 points against the Celtics.

On October 10, 1990, Johnny Most, who was a lifelong smoker announced his retirement due to health concerns. On December 3 of that year, Most was honored with the permanent installation at Boston Garden of his microphone, silver-plated and encased in a Celtic-green frame. The microphone was to the facade of the vantage point that Most always described as "high above courtside." On January 3, 1993, Most died at the age of 69 of a heart attack in Hyannis, Massachusetts.

Shortly after his death, Johnny Most was awarded the prestigous Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Trustees of the Basketball Hall of Fame for his contribution to basketball. It was very ironic, considering that Most replaced Gowdy as the Celtics' play-by-play announcer. On October 4, 2002 (almost ten years after his death), Most was inducted into the media category of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame at the University of Rhode Island.

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