Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Home-game attendance hovered around 3,100 when Bird arrived at Indiana State, but as he had done in Springs Valley, Bird single-handedly packed the house and elevated his team to respectability and more. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Larry Bird's Wife Keeps a Low Profile - FanBuzz Do you have a blog? 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). 13, but spent most of the season outside of the AP poll. I think they may even have been on the floor together. After working at municipal jobs for a year Bird enrolled at Indiana State and was accepted into their program. 19 Minnesota showed the teams potential. Recently crowned national champion N.C. State also joined the pursuit of Bird in mid-April 1974, right before he was slated to sign his National Letter of Intent with the Hoosiers. He was the heart and soul of the 1980s Celtics, leading them to three NBA championships while earning a reputation as one of the greatest players in league history. As freshman and junior varsity statistics do not count toward official NCAA records, three playersPete Maravich, Oscar Robertson and Elvin Hayesonly had three seasons to compile their totals. Check out the top highlights and plays from Larry Bird's storied NBA career. Nicknamed "The Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.He was inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998.. Knight said that when Bird came to campus in the Fall of 1974, and the team would organize pick up games, that Bird would commonly get left out and would not be picked An obsessive perfectionist, Bird was idolized by Celtic fans and basketball purists of all allegiances. Bobby would have won another NC with Bird. But there were plenty more heroics yet to come. Bird had a double-double in all five NCAA tournament games he played in that year. And then there is a lesser known Bird, the college baseball . He led the league in free-throw percentage four times. Larry Bird drafted by Red Auerbach | RetroSeasons Indiana vs. Michigan State: Womens basketball game notes, how to watch, more, Everything you need to know about the Champs Big Ten tournament quarterfinal matchup, Three Things: Indiana mens basketball loses to Iowa 90-68, Indiana mens basketball collapses against Iowa 90-68, Indiana womens basketball: Big Ten awards announced. He even plays defense, although that's not what's causing the NBA Boston Celtics to salivate over him.". After the 2011-12 season, Bird stepped down as the Pacers president of basketball operations, citing health issues. Note: at Spring Valley HS in his senior year., Bird averaged 31 ppg, 21rebounds per game and 4 assists). Check out 50 great assists by Larry Bird. He earned the Rookie of the Year honours and also led a mediocre team . Bird finished runner-up to Moses Malone for the NBA Most Valuable Player Award, as he would the following year. Incredible story of Larry Bird, high school baseball coach - Audacy View Comments. Larry Bird Turned a Painful High School Basketball Snub Into Lasting Why Larry Bird played college all-star game injured: He promised the Real men play with balls this size, Warn said, glaring at Bird. Larry Bird College Stats | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Thats what a coach has to do.. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. 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. This blog is forever grateful for the meme template that sweet, sweet banner gave us. Despite losing leading scorer Steve Green and John Laskowski after the 75 season, IU got the band back together in 1976 and finished what the Hoosiers came three wins away from achieving the previous year: an undefeated, national championship season as they became the NCAAs #1 All-Time March Madness team. The guy had absolutely nothing. The Sycamores went 81-13 during Bird's three-year career. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Indiana State star Larry Bird makes his way through the crowd of players and fans getting congratulations after his team defeated Arkansas, 73-71, to win the NCAA Midwest Regional tourney crown in . 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. Games. As of today, his net worth is around $75 million. Larry Bird was originally in the recruiting class of 1974. Do you have a blog? Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. The story was news to me. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Or does he simply become the most famous figure from the 1976 squad, adding another Indiana-to-NBA success story and making, I dont know, hand-me-down Larry Bird Sacramento Kings jerseys the most popular commodity at Goodwills in Monroe County in the 1990s and early 2000s? "He's 6-9, was the nation's second leading scorer and that's not all," wrote The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton. The following season . All rights reserved. As per reports, Bird made around $24 million over the course of his career. Hodges said of Bird, "His only personal goal this year was to lead the nation in rebounds. Hall of Fame Boston Celtics forward Larry Joe Bird is considered one of the greatest to play the game (never mind for the Celtics) because of how clutch a player he was. Birds legend was born in the tiny town of French Lick, snuggled in Indianas corn country, where his family led a spartan life. There are lecture halls in Ballentine Hall that are bigger than Northwoods entire student body at the time, and the school briefly landed one of the 20 greatest scorers in college basketball history. List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career scoring leaders Benson was an all time great college player, but really just a servicable pro. Season-ticket sales tripled. What if former IU football coach Clyde Smith hadnt resigned after an open and undercover campaign to oust him? Larry used BB to escape from his family problems! Larry Bird ranks as one of the all-time top players of the NBA. Only a few photos exist from the game, but seeing it live would have been legendary. With Bird as the focal point of a well-rounded squad, the Celtics won three NBA titles and 10 Atlantic Division crowns. However, he was eligible to be drafted without applying for "hardship" because his original college class at Indiana University had graduated. Larry Bird began his college career at Indiana alongside Bob Knight All rights reserved. Taking a look at the numbers behind Nikola Jokic's historic season for the Nuggets. According to The New York Times, Hodges once said his primary contribution during Indiana States national runner-up season was not messing up Larry Bird.. Bird once again led the team in points (21.2 ppg), rebounds (10.9 rpg), steals (161), and minutes (3,239). Learn more and register, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 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). Wore the number 33 on his basketball jersey in high school, college and with the Boston Celtics. On The Players Tribune's "Knuckleheads" podcast, former NBA All-Star Jamal Mashburn said Rogers had talked trash to Bird after a day of practice between the 1992 College Select Team and the 1992 Dream Team.. After a practice, as a group of players were standing around, Mashburn said . Larry Bird's baseball career: A lofty .500 batting average Despite being 6 feet 9 inches and 206 centimeters tall, he weighs just roughly 220 pounds and 100 kilograms. He thought he had been playing pretty damn good that day. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. ", The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton: "At the beginning of the season, Indiana State was picked third or fourth in its own conference. At one time I believe Knight had Bird, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas in for recruiting. . 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 internet said that Bird's mother worked 2 jobs to care for Larry and his 5 siblings. This type of behavior was par for the course with Knight, but a new experience alltogether for Bird. Career NBA statistics; Points: Rebounds: Assists: Stats at Basketball-Reference.com: . NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, *Translations are limited to select pages, NBA Legends: Profiling the league's greats, Ex-NBA player Morrow facing assault charges, Durant passes 'Big O' for 13th in career points, NBA Fantasy: Under-the-radar additions for playoffs, Magic's Isaac (torn adductor) out for rest of season, Triple-double win streak shows Jokic dominance, NBA DFS Picks: Yahoo plays and strategy for March 3. Navigation Toggle NBA. Larry Bird's career NBA stats. The College Jersey Store consists of a significant selection of Indiana State Larry Bird Jerseys, such as Mens, Womens and Kids, swingman, limited, Authentic and throwback jerseys for all, Away Larry Bird Indiana State Jersey at Out Online Retail Outlet 24-7. Lets pick a winner in every mens college basketball conference tournament. But mostly he was bored. The Hoosiers were still very good, winning national titles in 1976 and 1981, and maybe Bird gives the Hoosiers another in 1975 or 1978, making that three chips in a six- or seven-year span. Forward Larry Bird played 13 seasons for the Celtics. Larry Bird Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more Years later Bird admitted.."if i had it to do all over again, I'd have gone back to Bloomington, after he had gone home". Theres no guarantee Bird wouldve stuck around for his senior season if he had stayed at IU, but doing so couldve allowed him to be the featured scorer on the Hoosiers if he wanted a larger share of shots after playing alongside Benson, the No. Larry Bird Career NBA Coaching Record and Bio - ESPN Larry Bird | Bio-married, divorce, affair, children - Playerswiki Maybe theres a chance that Bird filling Mays minutes wouldve led to one of the first Is the backup better than the starter? conversations, now famous on message boards regarding college quarterbacks. Benson, of course, was a God in Indiana. 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. 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. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. As many observed, he would see plays not as they were developing, but before they developed. He was out to embarrass him from the beginning buzzer to the end buzzer of every meeting. In an effort to stop Bird, Bradley coach Dick Versace installed what was referred to as the "Bird's Nest Defense," where two defenders would guard Bird and the other three defenders would cover the four other Sycamores. Kent Benson was the bigest name in Indiana basketball back then, but an A1 arrogant asshole as well, at least by most accounts of those who knew him. Birth City: West Baden Springs. He starred in college at Indiana State, taking them to the NCAA final game in 1979, virtually as a one-man team. Two months later, he signed his NBA contract with the Boston Celtics. Editors note: This is part of a series of stories revisiting the biggest what-ifs in IU history. No other player in his era was as good or as consistent a shooter as Bird. This guy is the epitome of everything Ive tried to do here, then-Pacers president Donnie Walsh said of Bird. Talking trash to Larry Bird rarely ever ended well, as former NBA player Rodney Rogers found out the hard way. Few played tougher than Bird, who would leap into crowds and over press tables for loose balls. Hodges allowed Bird to sleep in, which annoyed the folks who sponsored the brunch and the award, and some in the media. ---------------------------------------------------- Bird has four siblings' all brothers named Mike . He was a superstar in college basketball, in essence. Everyone remembers Michael Jordans decision to leave the Bulls and pursue a career in baseball, but it was Larry Bird who tried his hand at the game on April 28, 1979, and became a one-day legend in the process. (. Bird was named the 1978-79 College Player of the Year and left Indiana State as the fifth-highest scorer in NCAA history. Add the best version of Larry Bird in college, one capable of averaging roughly 30 and 15 at Indiana State, and the Hoosiers might have had another title contender in 1978 if the Hick from French Lick was still in Bloomington. Bird averaged 21.3 points, 10.4 assists, and 4.5 steals in 82 games during his rookie season in 1979-80. Bird had actually nailed the jumper from the corner. ; School Indiana State University; Born December 7, 1956 in West Baden, IN USA; Biographical Information []. Bird also won his third consecutive 3-point shootout title, a feat later matched by Chicago Bulls Craig Hodges from 1990-92. Warn noted that Bird played baseball with the same energy he brought to the court: He plays the game just as he does basketball, with every ounce he has. He became only the third player (and the first non-center) to win three consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player Awards. Larry Bird - Wikipedia 10 Things Younger NBA Fans Should Know About Larry Bird - TheSportster Bird, now 30 years old and with worsening back condition and foot problems as well, would not win a fourth championship ring. He has tallied 1,556 steals, as well as 755 blocks and 5,695 dimes. He was a 12-time All-Star, a two-time NBA Finals MVP and a nine-time member of the All-NBA First Team. . 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. Larry Bird once played college baseball as a dare, and he was actually 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 Bird's release. Tiago Splitter solid in NBA playoff debut Beginning with favorable, Pagns TIME is normally 2 . IU had three . OT: Larry Bird College Statistics. The couple has two adopted children named Conner Mariah.. Family. That was excellent. 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. I'm going to assume this is legit because he lists about 20 million sources at the end of it. As it turned out it created one of the greatest rivalries in sports between Magic and Bird. 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. '", 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. He initially enrolled at Indiana University in 1974 but dropped out before the season began. Indiana womens basketball Q&A: HooplaWyatt on the Big Ten Tournament. 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). Larry Bird is an Indiana basketball legend, starting at Springs Valley High School and running through his playing days at Indiana State . Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. In 1975, John Woodens last season, UCLA won its 10th national championship to cap off an NCAA tournament run in which it needed overtime to beat Michigan in the opening round and Louisville in the Final Four. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Larry Bird | Boston Celtics | NBA.com Bird passed Otis Birdsong to become the NCAA's fifth-leading scorer of all-timewith a free throw early in the championship game. Do you have a sports website? Larry Bird Rookie Year Stats. For reference, the 2019 national championship game drew a 22 percent share. One basketball coach, however, apparently missed the memo. 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. 5 ranking than their final record that was just one game above .500, having not cracked the AP poll after December 20. Larry Bird Had 1 Requirement When He Returned to Indiana State for His I could play baseball, Bird responded, taking the coach by surprise. If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. NAISMITH AWARDS: Player of the Year | Coach of the Year | Defensive Player of the Year, While Bird was most known for his scoring, he had a well-rounded game that included double-digit rebound totals and unselfish passing. Scott Horner. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? See our ethics statement. Bird soon realized that it was actually HE who was the target of Knight's ridicule--because of the way he had come off of a screen in a pick up game. Larry Bird. He was unflappable and virtually unstoppable. Larry Joe Bird The Celtics won the physical, bitter series in seven games and advanced to the NBA Finals for the fourth consecutive year, meeting the Lakers for the third time. 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. The experience shook Bird. Bird played with a total of eight Hall of Fame players, though a couple played only a few games alongside him. Find out more. We had guys last year who didn't care about passing. By. 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. He was there to prove a point. Larry Bird: College basketball stats, best moments, quotes Larry Bird's career filled with amazing accomplishments Three Things: Indiana womens basketball defeats Michigan State 94-85. While he wouldve competed for playing time with 6-7 forwards Steve Green (16.6 ppg), May (16.3 ppg) and Tom Abernethy to start the year, Bird grew taller than May at 6-9, 220 pounds, making him a viable replacement once May went down with his injury. Mark Bird's college team, where he became one of the school's best all-time players. 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. That may have been to his detriment when he was a senior in high school. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Larry Bird Overview | StatMuse Wins over No. Even the mild mannered Kareem Abdul Jabbar once decked Benson square in the jaw during a pro game, after being delivered one too mant rib shots by him. I have all the confidence in the world that Ill be able to handle these guys and do the things that are necessary to win games.. Bird was too insecure for the atmosphere there and Magic hated how Knight yelled and screamed and bullied players so he went to Mich State. There may not be a folding chair in the state that would be left un-flung. At Indiana State here is what Bird did: 1976-77..aveged 32.8 ppg, 1977-78..averaged 30 ppg and 1978-79 ..28.6 ppggiving him a 3 years career average at indiana State of 30.3 ppg. Join our linker program. The 1977 Hoosiers were led by senior center Benson (19.8 ppg, 10.5 rpg) and freshman guard Mike Woodson (18.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg), while just up the road, Bird was averaging 32.8 points on 54 percent shooting, along with 13.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.8 steals per night in his first season with Indiana State. I also really believe he can be a heck of a coach. ", Indiana State teammate Carl Nicks: "It's a tremendous feeling to play with him he brings out the best in everybody. IU had three one-possession losses in the 1976-77 season and three defeats by two possessions. In 1975, he enrolled at Indiana State. But Bird, ever the competitor, wanted to prove a point.
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