Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick, Kodak, The Great White Hope), Born: December 7, 1956 in West Baden, Indiana, High School: Only a few photos exist from the game, but seeing it live would have been legendary. Indiana womens basketball Q&A: HooplaWyatt on the Big Ten Tournament. The following year Bird posted the third-longest free-throw streak in NBA history, hitting 71 consecutive attempts. 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". 31.8 - HOF Larry Bird - Indiana State - 30.3 . He averaged a career-high 29.9 points that year, falling just five points short of averaging 30 per contest. 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Larry Bird's Wife Dinah Mattingly. The hours he had spent working on his shot as a youngster paid big dividends in the NBA. Bird was 20, 21 and 22 years old when he eventually played college ball for Indiana State. Would an 18-year-old Bird have been ready to take a complementary, if not starring, role as a freshman in the second or third weekend of the NCAA tournament? Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. College at Indiana State. Both Dinah and Larry studied at Indiana State University. Larry Bird was such a player. Larry Bird - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more . Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In regard to per game stats, Bird averages 6.8 assists and 9.6 rebounds. 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. Body Measurement Of Larry Bird. Boston won, 152-148, in double overtime. ", The New York Times' Dave Anderson: "[Bill] Hodges likes to say that his primary contribution to the Sycamores this season has been 'not messing up Larry Bird. But there were plenty more heroics yet to come. Season-ticket sales tripled. Maybe in ways that we cant totally appreciate, measure or describe, the NCAA tournament might just be five percent less today if Bird never winds up in Terre Haute. . Bird, the Coach of the Year in 1997-98, resigned as Pacers coach after Indianas Finals appearance. 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. 'Coach, I'm dead,' moaned Bird. Note: at Spring Valley HS in his senior year., Bird averaged 31 ppg, 21rebounds per game and 4 assists). Birth Country: United States. 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. Forward Larry Bird played 13 seasons for the Celtics. By. In his first season, the Pacers with Reggie Miller as their main weapon were defeated by the defending-champion Chicago Bulls and Jordan in a tough seven-game conference finals series. Join our linker program. He was also called Kodak by his first NBA coach, Bill Fitch, . Bird had actually nailed the jumper from the corner. Here are some of the records and historical rankings that Larry Bird achieved at Indiana State: Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote after watching him in the Final Four: "I could not believe The Bird. . 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 was a standout in Boston and one of the NBAs most iconic players ever. Magic Johnson was in the class of 1977. No other player in his era was as good or as consistent a shooter as Bird. The couple has two adopted children named Conner Mariah.. Family. View Comments. When Bird elected to return to Indiana State for one more year, the Celtics dipped to 29-53. Bird finished with 49 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals. There may not be a folding chair in the state that would be left un-flung. 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. He missed 37 games because of the continuing back problems. They battled against Earvin "Magic" Johnson -- Bird's rival throughout his professional career -- and Michigan State in the championship game, falling 75-64. No shit! Adding Bird to that IU team is almost an embarrassment of riches, giving the sports last undefeated champion a player who was named one of the top 15 players ever in the NCAA tournament during the 75 Years of March Madness Celebration in 2013. But none of those things kept him in Bloomington, as he was gone before homecoming his freshman year. 1988 Men's NCAA, 2019 Women's NCAA, 1940 Men's NCAA, 2006 Women's NCAA, 1981 Men's NCAA. Player Season Finder . Those would be my first two." When asked if personal statistics matter, he responded: "Yes, it is about numbers. Springs Valley went 19-2 and young Larry became a local celebrity. 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. 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). He has accounted for 1,556 steals, as well as 755 blocks and 5,695 assists. According to a warrant for Morrow's arrest, he's facing charges of assault by strangulation, second-degree kidnapping and communicating threats. (. Larry Bird's college career. Larry used BB to escape from his family problems! He did some commercials and appeared in a few films, including Michael JordansSpace Jam. In addition to his three championship rings, Bird piled up an awesome collection of personal achievements. 'Can I stay in bed?' Complete NBA coaching record for Larry Bird, including regular season and postseason games. He left campus not long after that and literally hithhiked home. Birds concentration and composure were unmatched. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. All rights reserved. Magic Johnson was in the class of 1977. He was brilliant against the Razorbacks with a a 31-point, 10-rebound game in the regional finals. But mostly he was bored. So it is a moot point. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Larry Bird stats. The Celtics, however, fell to the Pistons in the conference finals. The Sycamores went 81-13 during Bird's three-year career. 10 attempts), Indiana State-record 83.3 free throw percentage in an NCAA tournament game (min. If Larry Bird hasnt transferred from IU because of whatever propelled him from Bloomington the school being too big, homesickness, his courseload, Jim Wismans wardrobe, whatever he potentially provides IU an insurance policy to Mays crippling arm injury in 1975, leading to another Final Four berth if not another title; another headliner to IUs best team ever in 1976; enough singular talent to avoid a post-championship drop-off and Bob Knights worst season at IU in 1977; and, likely, turns IU into another national title favorite in 1978. 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. Everyone knew Bird was destined for greatness in the NBA, but that didnt stop Indiana State baseball coach Bob Warn from roasting him. Larry Bird was originally in the recruiting class of 1974. Find out more. He was seemingly able to get almost any shot he wanted whether it was 30 seconds after the tip or with as much time left on the clock . Hodges said of Bird, "His only personal goal this year was to lead the nation in rebounds. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Larry Bird. Bird found the transition to college life difficult. He earned the Rookie of the Year honours and also led a mediocre team . 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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. Then he left the local junior college, Northwood Institute. Bird was named the 1978-79 College Player of the Year and left Indiana State as the fifth-highest scorer in NCAA history. 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) . We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 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. The avid outdoorsman who also has a passion for country music, auto racing, golf and the St. Louis Cardinals has many interests. Indiana State nearly became the most recent undefeated national champion, reaching the 1979 national title game with a 33-0 record. 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. 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 . Jobbade sedan i Celtics frn 1992 till 1997 och coachade sedan Indiana Pacers frn 1997 till 2000. They thought scoring was more important, but passing is important.". Learn more and register, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. He was particularly hard on freshmen players, such as a young Larry Bird. Few played tougher than Bird, who would leap into crowds and over press tables for loose balls. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 4:50AM. Bird returned to his role with the Pacers in 2013 before stepping down in 2017 to assume an advisory role for the franchise. Three Things: Indiana womens basketball defeats Michigan State 94-85. At Springs Valley High, Bird scored 1,125 career points, averaged 30.6 points and 20.5 rebounds," Dana Hunsinger Benbow recounted in the Indianapolis Star. Imagine Thomas, Bird and Magic on the same team. No-Trouble Returns upon All orders. Hes very intense. Larry Bird redshirted (sat out) his freshman year, and therefore, like Maravich, Robertson, and Hayes, his totals were also achieved in only three . 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. UCLA beat Montana by just three points in its second tournament game, proving the Bruins were a resilient, but mortal, champion. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. 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When the doubleheader was over, hed finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs while recording nine putouts from first base in the second game. His NBA years : from 1980 to 1992 Larry Bird NBA Stats Summary : At one point, Kentucky was the first school to do the heavy recruiting, according to The Heralds Jerry Birge. At different times, Bird has been quoted saying either Dennis Johnson or M.L. Here are some of the awards Larry Bird won in college: However, Bird was all business in spite of the awards he won and the fanfare he received. Like many great national championship teams, IU faced a rebuild or a reload or whatever you want to call it the next year. Bird missed 22 games in 1990-91 because of a compressed nerve root in his back, a condition that eventually forced his retirement. A crafty defensive player, Birds most famous steal came in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit. But everyone knows why Indiana State is where it is. Larry Bird was born on 7 December 1956, making him 64 years old as of today, 2 August 2021. Larry Bird's journey began in the small rural community of French Lick, Indiana. 1 ranking. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. I didn't say that Bird was the best college basketball player of all time. Drafted into the NBA by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in . the official stats partner of the NBA, NHL and MLB. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 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) College: Indiana State. In 1987-88, Bird was the first Celtic ever to record a 40-20 game, with a 42-point, 20-rebound effort against Indiana.