Cedric Maxwell
The clutch forward whose blue-collar efficiency and trash talk fueled the Boston Celtics' return to glory in the 1980s.
Born 1955 (age 71)·American basketball player·Birthday: November 21·Baby Boomers
Biography
Cedric 'Cornbread' Maxwell didn't look like a typical Celtics legend. In an era before highlight-reel athleticism defined the forward position, Maxwell mastered the art of the simple, effective play. Drafted by a fading Boston dynasty in 1977, his relentless rebounding, clever post moves, and lethal efficiency from the field became the gritty foundation upon which Larry Bird and the new Celtics were built. In the 1981 NBA Finals, he was an unstoppable force, earning MVP honors by averaging nearly a double-double and shooting over 56 percent. His confidence was as potent as his hook shot; he famously told his teammates to climb on his back before the decisive Game 7 in 1984. Maxwell's two championships with Boston were won with elbow grease, savvy, and a swagger that perfectly captured the city's basketball heart.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Cedric was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cedric Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Cedric's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Named NBA Finals MVP in 1981 after leading the Boston Celtics to a championship over the Houston Rockets.
- Holds the Celtics franchise record for highest career field goal percentage (.559).
- Played a pivotal role in two NBA championships for the Celtics (1981, 1984).
- His number 31 jersey was retired by the Boston Celtics in 2003.
Did You Know?
His nickname 'Cornbread' was given to him by a high school friend after a character in the 1975 film 'Cornbread, Earl and Me.'
He led the NBA in field goal percentage during the 1978-79 and 1979-80 seasons.
After his playing career, he became a longtime and popular color commentator for Celtics radio broadcasts.
He played his college basketball at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
“Get on my back, boys. I'm carrying us tonight.”
