Last week Celtics legend Tommy Heinsohn celebrated his 75th birthday. While he is most recently known for being one of the most outspoken broadcasters in Boston,  the MetroWest Daily News revealed a different side of Heinsohn that stems from his childhood in New Jersey. Years before he became a color commentator, Heinsohn began putting color on canvas.

Painting actually provided a safe haven for Heinsohn while he was growing up in Jersey City, N.J. “I was the only German in an Italian-Irish neighborhood during World War II,” he recalls. “I used to fight my way home from school. My mom worked so I was by myself and I started drawing just to amuse myself. It became my best friend. And it kept me out of trouble.”

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