Benson would do things like figure out which side of the court Bird was warming up on, for instance, then come over and take the ball away from him and order Bird off to the other end of the floor. Check out 50 great assists by Larry Bird. Attendance often reached 1,600 and they were all there to watch the blond-haired shooting whiz with a funny smile named Larry Joe Bird. Born: Dec 7, 1956 (66 years old) . Larry Bird | Basketball Wiki | Fandom After working at municipal jobs for a year Bird enrolled at Indiana State and was accepted into their program. Finally, Bird enrolled at Indiana State, which had posted 12-14 records in each of the two previous years and where the pressure was not quite the same as at Indiana a perennial Big Ten power and national title contender. 18 Alabama and No. They both finished their college playing careers in the spring of 1979. No shit! He was brilliant against the Razorbacks with a a 31-point, 10-rebound game in the regional finals. He missed 37 games because of the continuing back problems. Cathie. When the doubleheader was over, hed finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs while recording nine putouts from first base in the second game. Let me be clear, college basketball would look and feel the same if Bird never transferred from IU to ISU, but the 1979 national championship game Bird vs. Magic is still the highest-rated college basketball game of all-time, with a 24.1 rating for a game in which 38 percent of all TVs in the country that were turned on at the time were tuned into Indiana State vs. Michigan State on NBC. As a senior at Springs Valley High School, Bird averaged nearly 31 points and 21 rebounds per game. Larry Bird left IU in mid-September of his freshman year, citing too heavy of a course load and his desire to be closer to home. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). He initially enrolled at Indiana University in 1974 but dropped out before the season began. Once every generation or so, a player comes along who can truly be called a superstar. Jamal Mashburn recalled how Larry Bird responded to trash-talk at a Larry Bird Comparisons: ( players sorted by last name ) - A-Larry Bird vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=674090812743125&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/>. The hours he had spent working on his shot as a youngster paid big dividends in the NBA. Han slutade spela i NBA 1992. Knight said(to the effect).."I didn't handle that well, I just let him goI had a lot of good players(at the time) who were happy to be where they wereto me, we had a great team shaping up and I didn; envision Bird playing much for us until he was a junior, anyway. Join our linker program. Its also fair to speculate that the south wall of Assembly Hall might be a little more crowded if Larry Bird had never transferred from IU. I ran across this short narrative while reading Bobby Knight's book- "Knight-My Story", and thought it might be interesting to share to the board. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Twelve of the top 14 picks in that years draft were seniors, with the other two non-seniors being juniors Kenny Carr and Bernard King, so staying all four years of college was still very much the norm then. An undefeated IU team with a healthy Scott May or Larry Bird, let alone both, wouldve made for a compelling matchup with Woodens final UCLA team. Jobbade sedan i Celtics frn 1992 till 1997 och coachade sedan Indiana Pacers frn 1997 till 2000. The internet said that Bird's mother worked 2 jobs to care for Larry and his 5 siblings. But he has said many times over the years that he would have never been able to play for Bob Knight. Larry Bird was drafted as the 6th overall pick by the Boston Celtics in 1978 before he went back to college for a final year. Bird nearly doubled the Sycamores win total year-over-year from 13 to 25 after sitting out just one year in 1975-76, rather than two, after IU signed papers for Birds release. We had guys last year who didn't care about passing. 1 pick in the 1977 NBA Draft, and Woodson. '", Indiana State coach Bill Hodges on the notion that man-to-man defenses might slow Bird down: "If we go against a UCLA or a Notre Dame later on and they play man-to-man, that's when you'll see how tough Larry really is. Larry used BB tThe internet said that Bird's mother worked 2 jobs to care for Larry and his 5 siblings. Bird and Johnson were already playing their first year in the NBA by then. Larry Bird's journey began in the small rural community of French Lick, Indiana. He started his college career in the fall of 1979. Springs Valley went 19-2 and young Larry became a local celebrity. Bird was the embodiment of Celtics Pride. He was a classy, confident, hardworking player who thrived on pressure and inspired teammates to excel. On a grander scale, however, college basketball may have needed Birds run with Indiana State to really make March Madness the spectacle it is today. The Hick from French Lick. He was such a deadly shooter that he sometimes practiced 3-pointers with his eyes closed. College basketball conference tournament predictions: Picks for every mens league. He is a graduate of Indiana University. Carreira Basquete universitrio. He has accounted for 1,556 steals, as well as 755 blocks and 5,695 assists. 1 ranking. The pair made an agreement: A non-conference doubleheader was looming against Kentucky Wesleyan, a perfect low-risk opportunity to put Bird in a baseball uniform. In 2003, he joined the Pacers front office as the teams president of basketball operations and worked side-by-side with Walsh to rebuild Indiana into a contender. It was Bird's first experience with Knight in a gym setting. IU peaked at No. He was named NBA Head Coach of the Year in 1998. No-Trouble Returns upon All orders. If the answer was yes, then theres a chance there would be national championship banners from 1975 and 1976 hanging inside Assembly Hall right now. Celtics Jamal Mashburn recalled how Larry Bird responded to trash-talk at a 'Dream Team' practice in 1992 "Hey Larry, you ain't hit a jumper since '84." Check out the top highlights and plays from Larry Bird's storied NBA career. Bird enjoyed a phenomenal collegiate basketball career at Indiana State (30.3 points per game in a three-year career that included a trip to the national championship game). Incredible story of Larry Bird, high school baseball coach - Audacy He definitely had a softball swing, Hayes recalled. It's because of Bird. All rights reserved. Editors note: This is part of a series of stories revisiting the biggest what-ifs in IU history. Bird literally despised him for the way he treated him at Indiana, and he has never been shy to remind people of the opposite trajectories of their respective careers. Few played tougher than Bird, who would leap into crowds and over press tables for loose balls. Bird finished with 49 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals. 1,400 points): 30.3 points, 16th all-time on the NCAA career scoring list: 2,850 points, Tied for 23rd all-time in career double-doubles: 68 double-doubles, Tied for 24th all-time in points in a season: 973 points (1979), Tied for 24th all-time in consecutive double-doubles in a season: 16 double-doubles (1979). Having collected 7,217 defensive boards and 1,757 on the offensive end of the court, Bird has accounted for 8,974 total boards in his career. In one of the only noteworthy gaffes of his career, Bird missed a routine layup in overtime that would have tied Game 4 of a playoff series with Cleveland that spring. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. At different times, Bird has been quoted saying either Dennis Johnson or M.L. Larry Bird's Wife Keeps a Low Profile - FanBuzz There is no question about his eligibility.. Birds concentration and composure were unmatched. Birth City: West Baden Springs. In addition to his three championship rings, Bird piled up an awesome collection of personal achievements. He's an impressive figure with incredible rivalries, but there are still tons of things that younger NBA fans should know about Larry Legend. When Bird maximized his potential at Indiana State in the 1978-79 season, he took a Sycamores team that had a first-year head coach and was picked to finish third or fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in 1979 and carried it all the way to the national championship game with an undefeated record and the countrys No. The following comes from The Tampa Bay Times: His best NCAA tournament game came in the Final Four against DePaul, when he scored 35 points with 16 rebounds and nine assists (all were NCAA tournament highs for him) while shooting 16-of-19 from the field. May 16, 2022. Bird was 20, 21 and 22 years old when he eventually played college ball for Indiana State. January 19, 2023 3:00 am ET. For one day, Bird got to prove he wasnt just a basketball player icing up in the locker room; he was a star at anything he wanted to try. . In 1987-88, Bird was the first Celtic ever to record a 40-20 game, with a 42-point, 20-rebound effort against Indiana. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Imagine Thomas, Bird and Magic on the same team. It began as gentle ribbing, poking fun at Birds propensity to spend a majority of his free time getting ice and massages in the ISU training room. The Celtics, however, fell to the Pistons in the conference finals. The 16th-leading scorer of all-time in NCAA mens basketball history scored 2,850 points in just three seasons an incredible 30.3 career scoring average after enrolling at Indiana University in the fall of 1974. The story behind the 1978 NBA draft, often known as the Larry Bird draft, is one of the most important in league history. Indiana State went 81-13 during the three seasons in which Larry Bird played for the Sycamores. Benson, of course, was a God in Indiana. Could you imagine Bob Knights reaction if, just three years after IU became the most recent undefeated national champion, the Hoosiers lost that distinction to an in-state school (and not even Purdue or Notre Dame, but Indiana State) that was led by an outbound IU transfer? Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. He was a 12-time All-Star, a two-time NBA Finals MVP and a nine-time member of the All-NBA First Team. Talking trash to Larry Bird rarely ever ended well, as former NBA player Rodney Rogers found out the hard way. Larry Joe Bird (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope) Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana High School: Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana College: Indiana State University Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1998 As Player: 897 G, 24.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 6.3 APG (Full Record) Note: at Spring Valley HS in his senior year., Bird averaged 31 ppg, 21rebounds per game and 4 assists). Birth Country: United States. When talking about per game stats, Bird sports an average of 6.8 assists as well as 9.6 boards. Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.He is the only person in NBA history to be named Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player, Finals . When Bird elected to return to Indiana State for one more year, the Celtics dipped to 29-53. He won the NBA Executive of the Year award in 2012 to become the only person in NBA history to win Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year. Their top eight scorers eventually played in the NBA and they were a 31-1 juggernaut that ran through the Big Ten gauntlet unscathed and suffered their only loss of the season against Kentucky, 92-90, in the regional final. ---------------------------------------------------- Larry Bird, in full Larry Joe Bird, (born December 7, 1956, West Baden, Indiana, U.S.), American basketball player who led the Boston Celtics to three National Basketball Association (NBA) championships (1981, 1984, and 1986) and is considered one of the greatest pure shooters of all time. Then he left the local junior college, Northwood Institute. College at Indiana State. Larry Bird, AKA "Larry Legend," was selected by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA Draft. During his career he shot .496 from the floor and .886 from the free-throw line, retiring as the fifth all-time free-throw shooter behind Mark Price, Rick Barry, Calvin Murphy and Scott Skiles. . Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Larry Bird is recognized as one of the greatest NBA players of all time. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. School: Indiana StatePosition: ForwardHeight: 6-9Weight: 220 poundsYears active: 1976-79NCAA tournament record: 4-1Career averages: 30.3 points per game, 13.3 rebounds per game, 4.6 assists per game, 53.3% shooting. Home; Tickets; Schedule. He was out to embarrass him from the beginning buzzer to the end buzzer of every meeting. ", In Bird's own words, here's the value he placed on ball movement: "My feeling about passing is that it don't matter who's doing the scoring as long as it's us. Larry Bird vs Magic Johnson Stats. Larry Bird was such a player. Three Things: Indiana womens basketball defeats Michigan State 94-85. Hes very intense. Magic Johnson was in the class of 1977. Drafted into the NBA by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in . Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, former coach and former executive. Navigation Toggle NBA. Larry Bird: Coaching Record, Awards | Basketball-Reference.com In order to finish his college degree, Larry Bird was working at Ballinger's school as a physical education student-teacher just weeks before becoming an . Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins battled each other during a classic Game 7 in 1988. My goal is to . IU had three . Check out the detailed 1977-78 Indiana State Sycamores Roster and Stats for College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com

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