Fitch was a US Marine as a youngster, a fact that Larry Bird credited in his book Driven as an important reason for his strong work ethic.
Fitch ranks number 444 among all NBA coaches in all time number of victories. He has, however, been named NBA coach of the year two times, and he guided Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and the rest of the Boston Celtics to the 1981 NBA world championship, defeating the Houston Rockets 4 games to 2 in the finals.
Fitch also has coached the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers and New Jersey Nets, among others.