Fred Lynn, Vince Wilfork, Gabby Thomas, Keegan Bradley, Tim Thomas, and Isaiah Thomas were honored at the Sports Museum's 24th annual The Tradition gala.
Fred Lynn, Vince Wilfork, Gabby Thomas, Keegan Bradley, Tim Thomas, and Isaiah Thomas were honored at the Sports Museum's 24th annual The Tradition gala.TD Garden/Brian Babineau
Isaiah Thomas only spent parts of three seasons and 179 games donning Celtics green and calling Causeway Street home.
Fred Lynn initially punched his ticket to The Show with the Red Sox in September, 1974 — patrolling center field at Fenway Park for six plus seasons through 1980. But the gifted outfielder went on to play another 10 years elsewhere, starting with an offseason trade to the Angels in January 1981.
Both Thomas and Lynn’s respective tenures may not have lasted as long as other stars rooted in the Boston sports sphere.
But the Red Sox and Celtics greats both echoed a similar sentiment about what their successful — albeit abbreviated — stints in Boston meant to them while looking back.
“It feels like I was here for 10 years,” Thomas said of Boston. “It feels like I won multiple championships and I was only here for two-and-a-half, three years. And the genuine love that the city, the organization, just the regular fans, each and every day … since the first day I got traded here — I’m forever thankful. I’m forever grateful. And that feeling is mutual.”
Thomas and Lynn were two of the six athletes honored at the Sports Museum’s 24th annual “The Tradition” award program at TD Garden — with Vince Wilfork, Tim Thomas, Gabby Thomas, and Keegan Bradley also on hand to reminisce about their respective careers and the role that Boston has had in shaping their lives.
Here are other highlights from Tuesday’s event:
A friendship forged on the gridiron
When it came to selecting a presenter for his award ceremony, Vince Wilfork said that former Patriots teammate Devin McCourty was the easy choice.
“I knew from the get-go, Dev was a special player. … He was an easy one to kind of take up under my wing, because all he did was listen,” Wilfork said of McCourty. “He was a sponge. He wanted to learn as much as he possibly could. He stepped in as a leader from day one. … It’s more than just football with me and Dev.”
McCourty believes that the best has yet to come for Wilfork, who he stressed should garner consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But McCourty also couldn’t help but poke fun at his teammate for how Wilfork’s former 325-pound frame has adjusted to a career after football.
“Man, I would love to make a fat joke about Vince, but like — the guy is skinny now,” McCourty said. “Because I was fast and he couldn’t catch me, I would crack all the jokes. His jeans used to be too big. … Now he shops at the regular department stores.”
Looking back 50 years
The final award of the night was handed out to Lynn, who was introduced by his former Red Sox teammate and “Gold Dust Twin” Jim Rice.
Lynn’s award comes on the 50th anniversary of that 1975 season where Lynn, Rice, and the rest of a colorful cast of Red Sox characters forever cherished in this market nearly put themselves on the brink of a World Series title.
Beyond their success on the field, one of the reasons why Lynn believes that the ‘75 team resonates with so many fans to this day was due to the influx of top young talent across the lineup.
“Jimmy and I were on that team, and you look at our outfield again: Rice, Lynn, [Dwight] Evans — we’re all 22, 23 years old,” Lynn explained. “Well, the majority of the fans that sat behind us are the same age. They’re college kids, they’re high-school kids, and they’re going, ‘Well, that could be us.’”
A Boston sports fan, first and foremost
Keegan Bradley’s résumé speaks for itself.
Already in his pro career, Bradley has won eight events on the PGA Tour, headlined by his victory in the 2011 PGA Championship.
But rather than opt for another golfer to present him as part of his award ceremony, the captain of Team USA for the 2025 Ryder Cup chose his friend and former Bruins scrapper Shawn Thornton to take part in the event.
“One of the reasons why I chose Shawn tonight to be a presenter is I feel like he embodies what New England is about: hard-working, blue-collar … and every now and then, you’ve got to beat the [expletive] out of somebody,” Bradley — who grew up in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts- said.
“That’s the nicest thing he’s ever said about me,” Thornton replied.
An old friend
While a majority of the presenters for the six athletes honored on Tuesday were former Boston sports stars themselves, Tim Thomas opted for a close friend from his collegiate days.
Thomas — who led the Bruins to their first Stanley Cup title in 39 years with a stellar showing in net in 2011 — chose his University of Vermont teammate, Pavel Navrat, to join him on stage for Tuesday’s festivities.
“He was there for me to talk to whenever I needed it,” Thomas said.
These days, the 51-year-old Thomas is content with a slower pace of life away from the rink.
“I live a pretty quiet life,” Thomas, who lives in Vermont, said. “I actually like that. I mean, not a lot of traffic where I’m at.”
Finding your ‘why’
Gabby Thomas had a breakout showing at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris — taking home gold medals in the 200 meters, 4×100 relay, and 4×200 relay.
But when the Northampton native isn’t training or competing, she also works at a volunteer health clinic in Texas — assisting individuals without health insurance.
Thomas — who studied neurobiology at Harvard — went on to earn her master’s at the University of Texas in public health, and has made raising awareness of the disparities in health-care system one of her top missions.
“It’s a big part of my ‘why’. When you go into professional sports, it’s really important to have that — to know why you’re doing something and have a purpose outside of just the results,” Thomas said. “And for me, I feel a responsibility to use my platform to inspire young girls to talk about things that I care about, which has traditionally been health disparities.”
Little big man on the court
Thomas was far from the most imposing figure on the parquet floor at 5-foot-9.
For Thomas — who was a top-five finalist for NBA MVP in 2016-17 after averaging 28.9 points per game — his competitive edge and mentality on the court also allowed him to thrive despite his physical limitations.
“I knew I was small,” Thomas said. “I knew I was super short. I was upset at my parents that they weren’t tall. But any time I stepped on any floor, I promise you — I felt like I was just as big as everybody else.”
Conor Ryan can be reached at conor.ryan@globe.com.