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). Bird took just two shots that night and made both, according to the Philadelphia Daily News, while he helped teammates Carl Nicks and Steve Reed score 50 combined. Students skipped class to line up for tickets eight hours before tipoff. That was excellent. Larry used BB to escape from his family problems! I didn't say that Bird was the best college basketball player of all time. Entdecke Spielplan College Basketball jhrliche Vorschau Menge 2 1977-78-1978-79 Vogel Magie in groer Auswahl Vergleichen Angebote und Preise Online kaufen bei eBay Kostenlose Lieferung fr viele Artikel! Learn more and register, Scores from any date in BAA/NBA or ABA history, Frequently Asked Questions about the NBA, WNBA and Basketball, Basketball-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREE. Join our linker program. He pulls people together. Bird finished with 49 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals. But everyone knows why Indiana State is where it is. Larry Bird - net worth, private life. One newspaper in Indiana vaguely described the reason as personal dissatisfaction. He then enrolled at Northwood Institute, a two-year school with roughly 200 students in West Baden, Indiana, near his hometown of French Lick. Birth City: West Baden Springs. Finally, with the Celtics in a decline that hit bottom in 1996-97, Bird decided to take the plunge. Games. 10 attempts), Indiana State-record 16 rebounds in an NCAA tournament game, Tied for first in semifinal history with 16 made field goals against DePaul, Second-leading scorer in the country in 1978: 30.0 points per game, Second-leading scorer in the country in 1979: 28.6 points per game, Third-leading scorer in the country in 1977: 32.8 points per game, Sixth all-time (since 1973) in rebounds in a season: 505 rebounds (1979), Tied for seventh with a two-game Final Four rebound total of 29 rebounds in 1979, Eighth in Final Four history with an 84.2 shooting percentage against DePaul, Tied for eighth all-time in career rebounding average: 13.3 rebounds per game, Ninth in NCAA tournament history (since 1973) with 67 rebounds in a single NCAA tournament, Tied for 13th all-time in double-doubles in a season: 28 double-doubles (1979), 15th all-time in career scoring average (min. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. We present them here for purely educational purposes. College Basketball Scores. He was such a deadly shooter that he sometimes practiced 3-pointers with his eyes closed. Indianapolis Star. OT: Larry Bird College Statistics. ", Indiana State teammate Carl Nicks: "It's a tremendous feeling to play with him he brings out the best in everybody. Celtics Wire. Few played tougher than Bird, who would leap into crowds and over press tables for loose balls. No-Trouble Returns upon All orders. My goal is to . McHale just destroyed him. Odds & lines subject to change. Their coach, Bill Hodges, is in his first year, the first rookie ever to take an undefeated team to the tournament final. Bird chose IU because he likes coach Bobby Knight, the players, the fans and the way they have things set up there, according to The Noblesville Ledger. 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. Knight went on"at 6-'6" and 180 lbs, I could not envision Bird being what he became, but I could see where he could become a "darned" good player for us". Knight signed Bird up to play at Indiana in the spring of his senior year.! Gender: Male. So, what will Larry Bird's age, height, and weight be in 2021? After the 2011-12 season, Bird stepped down as the Pacers president of basketball operations, citing health issues. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, former coach and former executive. Bird poured in 20 points in the final period to outdo his counterpart and lead the Celtics to victory even though he had bronchial pneumonia. Hardly a change of clothes each day. Hoosiers survive Big Ten tournament quarterfinal test. At one time I believe Knight had Bird, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas in for recruiting. Larry Bird SF #33. I just think when a man is open, he should get the ball whether it's 30 feet out on the wing or underneath. Birth date: December 7, 1956. Name: Larry Bird. src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=674090812743125&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/>. In his other eight seasons as a DI head coach, he won just 96 games and compiled a .384 winning percentage. 13, but spent most of the season outside of the AP poll. Or write about sports? He initially enrolled at Indiana University in 1974 but dropped out before the season began. After 897 games Bird retired with 21,791 points (24.3 ppg), 8,974 rebounds (10.0 rpg) and 5,695 assists (6.3 apg). Bird won 3 MVP Awards, was selected to play in 12 All-Star Games, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998. Get to know Larry Bird: Stats, records and more, How the Celtics landed Larry Bird in the NBA Draft, 1988 NBA Playoff Highlights: Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins epic showdown, Celtics 75th Season: Bird-Dr. J fight adds to 76ers rivalry, Celtics 75th Season: Bird's debut, Ford sinks first NBA '3', Looking back on Larry Bird's steal against the Pistons, Bill Walton on what made Bird the best he ever played with, Bird's gutsy performance vs. Pacers in '91 series clincher, Three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986), Three-time All-NBA Defensive Second Team (1982-84), Three-time NBA Three-Point Contest champion (1986-88). Do you have a blog? Larry Bird ranks as one of the all-time top players of the NBA. Three-time NBA champion with Boston Celtics - 1981 . Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. When Bird elected to return to Indiana State for one more year, the Celtics dipped to 29-53. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. He was remarking to one of the players before the game that he just wanted to do well; he didnt want to let the team down.. He became only the third player (and the first non-center) to win three consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Awards. RotoWire considers the best player values in Yahoo fantasy leagues for Friday's 10-game slate. Taking a look at the numbers behind Nikola Jokic's historic season for the Nuggets. He led the league in free-throw percentage four times. 1 ranking. Home; Tickets; Schedule. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Bird was named the 1978-79 College Player of the Year and left Indiana State as the fifth-highest scorer in NCAA history. Find out more. "He's 6-9, was the nation's second leading scorer and that's not all," wrote The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton. Springs Valley in French Lick, Indiana, Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1998 (Full List), As Player: 897 G, 24.3 PPG, 10.0 RPG, 6.3 APG (Full Record), As Executive: IND franchise, 2003-2017 (Full Record). Larry Bird vs Steven Adams. '", 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. 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? It looked almost like a straight uppercut. The massive strike zone should have given pitchers a field day, but they soon realized Bird wasnt there to goof around. He was also called Kodak by his first NBA coach, Bill Fitch, . It was the only time the Hoosiers had a record that was less than five games over .500 under Knights watch. With Bird in the mix, IUs 1978 team wouldve been built around him, Woodson and Radford. 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. Larry used BB tThe internet said that Bird's mother worked 2 jobs to care for Larry and his 5 siblings. Boston survived a memorable Eastern Conference finals against Philadelphia in which the Celtics bounced back from a 3-1 deficit and posted come-from-behind victories in each of the last three games, then took the title over Moses Malone and the Houston Rockets in a six-game NBA Finals. But there were plenty more heroics yet to come. But mostly he was bored. 1 in Birds senior year that is, until a Michigan State team featuring a 6-foot-9 guard named Earvin Magic Johnson knocked them off in the 1979 NCAA Championship Game, one of the most widely watched showdowns in basketball history. Larry Bird's Wife Dinah Mattingly. In reality, he spent most of the next five years in Florida, playing golf and taking it easy. IU would have definitely won 1 or 2 more titles had Bird stuck around and become the player he eventually did. And then there is a lesser known Bird, the college baseball . College: Indiana State. He was there to prove a point. Larry Bird Rookie Year Stats. He was named the NL's Freshman of the Year after playing in his first All-Star game. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. I also really believe he can be a heck of a coach. I could do that. The three-time NBA champion played 94 games with the Sycamores. Bird always held a chip on his shoulder over that, even decades later. However, he was eligible to be drafted without applying for "hardship" because his original college class at Indiana University had graduated. The hours he had spent working on his shot as a youngster paid big dividends in the NBA. No shit! But Knight was not impressed. Springs Valley went 19-2 and young Larry became a local celebrity. His Mom and Dad divorced while Bird was in HS, His dad shot and killed himself a year later. 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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. One basketball coach, however, apparently missed the memo. He scored zero points while wearing cream and crimson, however. He was a 2x 1st team All American, future #1 overall lottery pick and 1976 NCAA player of the year, leading the 76 IU team to the only undefeated national title of the next 40 years. What if former IU football coach Clyde Smith hadnt resigned after an open and undercover campaign to oust him? Bird was one of the best scorers in the country, a big forward who led the way for the Sycamores from the Missouri Valley Conference to the biggest national stage.