Those would be my first two." When asked if personal statistics matter, he responded: "Yes, it is about numbers. In a nationally televised game against Portland in March, Bird pulled off one final miracle performance he scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, including the Celtics last nine points and a game-tying 3-pointer with two seconds left. Bird would typically start offensive possessions on the right block, where he would utilize the right corner of the floor, the fre-throw line extended and the opposite wing. Magic Johnson was in the class of 1977. Find out more. Larry used BB to escape from his family problems! * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). There is no question about his eligibility.. That was excellent. The former NBA player met his second wife, Dinah Mattingly, at Indiana State. Larry Bird's Wife Keeps a Low Profile - FanBuzz The Boston Celtics had selected him in the 1978 NBA Draft, hoping that Bird, who had become eligible for the NBA after his junior year, might forgo his senior season-but knowing he was worth the wait even if he didnt. Birth City: West Baden Springs. Bird helped rebuild a Celtics franchise that had been suffering from sub-standard play and poor attendance in the late 1970s. The internet said that Bird's mother worked 2 jobs to care for Larry and his 5 siblings. But even though one might expect that he, a superstar, would live a high life of splashing cash every day, that wasn't at all the case with Larry. His Mom and Dad divorced while Bird was in HS, His dad shot and killed himself a year later. Looking at his stats alone, he is known as one of the greatest pure shooters in . An obsessive perfectionist, Bird was idolized by Celtic fans and basketball purists of all allegiances. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. They both finished their college playing careers in the spring of 1979. Bird returned home to become the head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 1997 and led them to the conference finals. Maybe Bird wouldve spent the summer of 1975 celebrating the first of back-to-back national titles at IU, rather than playing for Hancock Construction, a state-champion AAU team sponsored by the mayor of Mitchell, Indiana, which was the only team capable of knocking off the mighty Indiana All-Stars in an exhibition. The Celtics' legendary playmaker is the only person in NBA history to win MVP, Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year in a career. He was also called Kodak by his first NBA coach, Bill Fitch, . Do you have a sports website? 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. Larry Bird was 1 of the NBA's most clutch players ever, amassing 3 MVPs while leading the Celtics to 5 Finals and 3 titles in the 1980s. Larry Joe Bird (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope) Position: Small Forward and Power Forward Shoots: Right 6-9, 220lb (206cm, 99kg) . 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? Learn more and register, International Stats at Basketball-Reference.com, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Larry Bird began his college career at Indiana alongside Bob Knight 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). The only thing that wouldve been more painful for some IU fans than briefly landing Bird, only to see him become a folk hero up the road, would have been losing him to Kentucky. Hodges said of Bird, "His only personal goal this year was to lead the nation in rebounds. Cathie. Best Known For: Basketball icon . Larry Bird drafted by Red Auerbach | RetroSeasons Bobby would have won another NC with Bird. Known as 'Chief', Parish played 21 seasons in the NBA and was one of the mainstays in Boston during the '80s, leading the Celtics to three titles. Born: Dec 7, 1956 (66 years old) . Like Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Dave Cowens, the low-key Bird never forced the spotlight upon himself, but rather was a player who brought out the best in the players around him. OT: Larry Bird College Statistics - RealGM Bird finished with 49 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals. A pioneering sixth man, Kevin McHale won three titles with the Celtics in the 1980s. The next season, 1974-75, is where two of the greatest What ifs in IU basketball collide: What if Bird had stayed and what if Scott May, the teams second-leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, hadnt broken his arm against Purdue in late February? Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. six players on the first team and . What if former IU football coach Clyde Smith hadnt resigned after an open and undercover campaign to oust him? It wasnt just that Bird played; he stunned everyone watching that day. 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. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. He even plays defense, although that's not what's causing the NBA Boston Celtics to salivate over him.". Gambling problem? But even those legendary players didnt fill Boston Garden, wowing fans and dominating games as Bird did. 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. He once saw to it that McHale went for 40+ against Benson, ordering the guys to just feed the ball into Mchale every time down the floor. Larry Bird - Stats, Age & Height - Biography 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.. Carreira Basquete universitrio. The guy had absolutely nothing. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. It was interesting to me a I never knew that Larry Bird had signed to play for Indiana, and the story of how he ended up at Indiana Stateinteresting stuff! 1 pick in the 1977 NBA Draft, and Woodson. Having grabbed 7,217 defensive rebounds and 1,757 offensive, Bird has accumulated 8,974 total rebounds during his NBA career. The Hoosiers beat Furman by one in the first round of the NCAA tournament, before losing by one to Villanova. The .500 batting average still exists in Indiana State history books as one of the highest ever recorded by a player for the team. Larry used BB tThe internet said that Bird's mother worked 2 jobs to care for Larry and his 5 siblings. 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. Bob Knights worst team at IU, by record, was the 1977, post-title team. Despite joking that he hoped he could get the Xs and Os right in the huddle, and that he didnt draw up any plays with himself in them, Bird approached his new role with typical aww-shucks aplomb. 11 in the AP poll that season and finished the year ranked No. Legends profile: Larry Bird | NBA.com Larry Bird is recognized as one of the greatest NBA players of all time. What if Larry Bird hadnt transferred from IU? Bird was so self-confident that he was known to waltz up to the opponents bench before tipoff and predict a 40-point performance for himself. Larry Legend: The story of Larry Bird Vs. Magic Johnson Bird missed 22 games in 1990-91 because of a compressed nerve root in his back, a condition that eventually forced his retirement. games played = 41.4 ppg This is going off of their college career . Attended Indiana University for only 24 days. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). When Bird elected to return to Indiana State for one more year, the Celtics dipped to 29-53. Hes very intense. Bird returned to his role with the Pacers in 2013 before stepping down in 2017 to assume an advisory role for the franchise. the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. The 75 Hoosiers were loaded. So, what will Larry Bird's age, height, and weight be in 2021? Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. This guy is the epitome of everything Ive tried to do here, then-Pacers president Donnie Walsh said of Bird. Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. (. 1988 Men's NCAA, 2019 Women's NCAA, 1940 Men's NCAA, 2006 Women's NCAA, 1981 Men's NCAA. As the 1992-93 NBA season approached, Bird decided he could not continue. 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. 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. Larry Bird's career filled with amazing accomplishments But everyone knows why Indiana State is where it is. Once every generation or so, a player comes along who can truly be called a superstar. Boston won, 152-148, in double overtime. He averaged better than 30 points and 10 rebounds for the Sycamores during his first campaign. So it is a moot point. As it turned out it created one of the greatest rivalries in sports between Magic and Bird. Isiah Thomas was in the high school class of 1979. He has compiled 1,556 steals, in addition to 755 blocks and 5,695 assists. Play Index. Larry Bird's College Career: Overlooked? | News, Scores, Highlights Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Dinah likes to keep a low profile, making rare public appearances with her husband at basketball games. But Los Angeles won the series in six games. How does Larry Bird compare with other great NBA players? Their coach, Bill Hodges, is in his first year, the first rookie ever to take an undefeated team to the tournament final. Cedric 'Cornbread' Maxwell speaks out on GOAT, today's NBA, Larry Bird Larry Bird - BR Bullpen - Baseball-Reference.com The highlight of Bird's three-year collegiate career came in 1979, when he led the Sycamores to a 33-0 record and their first NCAA Tournament berth in the program's history. Durant, a four-time scoring champion, now sets his sights on Hakeem Olajuwon in 12th place. What if IU hired Jerry Tarkanian instead of Bob Knight, What if IU had solved Syracuses zone in 2013. Birth Year: 1956. Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins battled each other during a classic Game 7 in 1988. Wins over No. I could play baseball, Bird responded, taking the coach by surprise. On the day after his uniform was retired in basketball, Larry Bird took the field for both games of a doubleheader in baseball for the Indiana State Sycamores. College Basketball Scores. IU would have definitely won 1 or 2 more titles had Bird stuck around and become the player he eventually did. In a first-round series that year, Bird badly bruised his face in a second-quarter fall in Game 5 against Indiana. Only a few photos exist from the game, but seeing it live would have been legendary. Both Dinah and Larry studied at Indiana State University. He earned the Rookie of the Year honours and also led a mediocre team . Bird had actually nailed the jumper from the corner. He just hammered him for being lackadaisical off of the screen and made him leave the open gym session. Birds legend was born in the tiny town of French Lick, snuggled in Indianas corn country, where his family led a spartan life. 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. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Bird earned an assortment of accolades during his time at Indiana State. But there were plenty more heroics yet to come. Nearly 30 years ago, then-college basketball star Jamal Mashburn saw Larry Bird in a hotel prior to a week of scrimmages between The Dream Team and some of the country's top college players. 2 Notre Dame, No. Do you have a blog? 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. Larry Bird Overview | StatMuse Benson, of course, was a God in Indiana. They teamed with Bird and veteran Cedric Maxwell in a frontcourt that carried the Celtics to the championship in 1981. We present them here for purely educational purposes.