Today in Sports History: November 21st

Six years after he last played for the Boston Celtics, NBA legend Bob Cousy steps back on the court in a Cincinnati Royals uniform. He had spent the previous six years coaching at Boston College, and although he was successful, he was tired of the recruiting involved with college basketball. The Royals then offered to make him their head coach. For Cousy, who had worked gas pumps in the offseason to support his family, it was what he deemed a “Godfather offer.” “I did it for the money,” he said. “I was made the offer I couldn’t refuse.”

In an effort to increase excitement, Cousy came back on the court at the age of 41; his first game back was at the tail end of a game against the Chicago Bulls. Cousy would play in just seven games for the Royals, amassing only 34 minutes of garbage time with a grand total of five points, 10 assists, and 11 turnovers. His brief comeback did increase attendance, though it did nothing to help the team. He lasted five years with the Royals before stepping down in 1974 with a coaching record of 141-209.

By the time Cousy quit, the Cincinnati Royals (who were originally the Rochester Royals) had moved to Missouri and were known as the “Kansas City-Omaha Kings” -- they couldn’t be the Royals since that was the name of the Kansas City baseball team. They soon stopped playing in Omaha and were just the “Kansas City Kings,” then moved to Sacramento in 1985 and became the Sacramento Kings.