MADISONVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Frank Ramsey, an All-American at Kentucky and member of seven NBA championship teams with the Boston Celtics, died Sunday. He was 86.
Ramsey’s death was announced by Kentucky, where he was a part of the Wildcats’ 1951 national championship team and a three-time All-American. The school said he died of natural causes.
The 6-foot-3 guard was selected by the Celtics in the first round of the 1953 NBA draft and began his professional career one year later. He averaged double figures in eight of his nine seasons and 13.4 points per game for his career. His No. 23 jersey is retired by Boston.
The Celtics said in a statement that the “original sixth man” helped create a legacy of excellence and selflessness that “remains part of the Boston Celtics ethos to this day.”
Ramsey, 86, went on to coach the Kentucky Colonels in the American Basketball Association for a season and later served on the Kentucky Board of Trustees.
He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1981.