Having collected 7,217 defensive boards and 1,757 on the offensive end, Bird has accounted for 8,974 rebounds in total in his career. Regarding per game stats, Bird is averaging 6.8 dimes and 9.6 rebounds. Larry Bird was originally in the recruiting class of 1974. 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. There may not be a folding chair in the state that would be left un-flung. 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. What if Phil Dickens and IU football hadnt gotten the whole dang department sanctioned? Maybe the UCLA dynasty, which featured 10 national titles in 12 years under John Wooden, the last coming in 1975, would have passed the torch to a burgeoning era of IU basketball under Bob Knight. His career averages were 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in 897 regular season games. His Mom and Dad divorced while Bird was in HS, His dad shot and killed himself a year later. 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.. Odds & lines subject to change. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. It's because of Bird. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. No shit! Two months later, he signed his NBA contract with the Boston Celtics. Here are some of Larry Bird's notable career achievements and statistics: Three-time NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986) Two-time NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986) . Larry Bird's book is incredible. Not at the same time. The couple has two adopted children named Conner Mariah.. Family. What if IU hired Jerry Tarkanian instead of Bob Knight, What if IU had solved Syracuses zone in 2013. In 1981-82, Bird made the first of his three consecutive appearances on the NBA All-Defensive Second Team even though he was relatively slow and not the greatest one-on-one defender, his anticipation and court sense made him peerless as a team defender. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 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! If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. 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. Thanks Lincoln- nice post and pretty much confirms what my book about Knight, and how he thought Benson could "do no wrong" while at Indiana. 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. 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 has compiled 1,556 steals, in addition to 755 blocks and 5,695 assists. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Enter your information to receive emails about offers, promotions from NCAA.com and our partners. You wont find much on Larry Birds short-lived baseball career, but those who were there wont soon forget. It wasnt just that Bird played; he stunned everyone watching that day. 0%, great for twelfth throughout MLB between eligible remedies. He was out to embarrass him from the beginning buzzer to the end buzzer of every meeting. The internet said that Bird's mother worked 2 jobs to care for Larry and his 5 siblings. Bird was raised in French Lick, Indiana, and attended Indiana State University, where he helped revive . Imagine what he wouldve done with a Hall-of-Fame head coach and future NBA players as teammates! Larry Bird was a co-star of one of the greatest college basketball national championship games ever Bird vs. Magic, when the undefeated Indiana State Sycamores took on the co-Big Ten champion Michigan State Spartans in the 1979 championship. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. 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? Then, however, a loud voice suddenly halted play. As a senior, Bird became the schools all-time scoring champion and about 4,000 people attended his final home game. In the last 7 years, I've been covering everything related to the career and job seeking world. Playing in all 82 contests, Bird led the team in scoring (21.3 ppg), rebounding (10.4 rpg), steals (143), and minutes played (2,955) and was second in assists (4.5 apg) and 3-pointers (58). 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. IU peaked at No. The high school senior was drawing interest from top programs across the country, especially after he added six inches and 50 pounds in roughly two years, but he was focused on the in-state schools recruiting him. Bird always held a chip on his shoulder over that, even decades later. They thought scoring was more important, but passing is important.". The following year was Birds last. Attended Indiana University for only 24 days. Birth date: December 7, 1956. The Orlando forward played only 11 games this season after missing two years with a torn ACL. Bird missed 22 games in 1990-91 because of a compressed nerve root in his back, a condition that eventually forced his retirement. 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 . The Sycamores went undefeated and reached No. Find out more. 1 pick in the 1977 NBA Draft, and Woodson. This was easy to see when you noticed Bird's basketball stats. 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. 0:05. A pioneering sixth man, Kevin McHale won three titles with the Celtics in the 1980s. Net Worth, Salary & Earnings of Larry Bird in 2023. 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. He won the Rookie of the Year award, 3 MVP awards, 2 Finals MVP awards and 3 NBA championships. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Then one day, Warn called Bird a wuss for his seemingly endless postgame recovery and threw down the gauntlet when he picked up a baseball. College: University of Hoosiers: Religion: Christian: Nationality: American: Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius: Gender: Male: Sexual Orientation: Straight: Marital Status: Married: . 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. Larry Bird redshirted (sat out) his freshman year, and therefore, like Maravich, Robertson, and Hayes, his totals were also achieved in only three . Larry Bird SF #33. Join our linker program. . Larry Bird's best teammates included Robert Parish, Kevin McHale and Dennis Johnson. Having grabbed 7,217 defensive rebounds and 1,757 offensive, Bird has accumulated 8,974 total rebounds during his NBA career. The following season . 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. 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. His focus was on the court. Started collecting garbage upon his return to French Lick. On February 6, 1988, Larry Bird won his 3rd consecutive 3-point Contest while still wearing his warm-up jacket. This guy is the epitome of everything Ive tried to do here, then-Pacers president Donnie Walsh said of Bird. Do you have a sports website? In reality, he spent most of the next five years in Florida, playing golf and taking it easy. 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. I heard this story once and I believe it is true. In a first-round series that year, Bird badly bruised his face in a second-quarter fall in Game 5 against Indiana. The experience shook Bird. Larry Joe Bird (Larry Legend, The Hick from French Lick) Bats Left, Throws Left; Height 6' 9", Weight 220 lb. Larry Bird's wife, Dinah Mattingly, is his high school sweetheart who got engaged and married the former NBA legend in 1989. 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. But none of those things kept him in Bloomington, as he was gone before homecoming his freshman year. The Sycamores went 81-13 during Bird's three-year career. 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. Benson, of course, was a God in Indiana. 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.. In Game 7 of the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals against Atlanta, Bird engaged in a memorable fourth-quarter shootout with the Hawks Dominique Wilkins. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. When Walsh moved on to a similar role with the Knicks before the 2008-09 season, Bird gained complete control of the teams basketball operations and helped the Pacers end a four-year playoff drought in 2010-11. The internet said that Bird's mother worked 2 jobs to care for Larry and his 5 siblings. The .500 batting average still exists in Indiana State history books as one of the highest ever recorded by a player for the team. 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. 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! Complete NBA coaching record for Larry Bird, including regular season and postseason games. He did some commercials and appeared in a few films, including Michael JordansSpace Jam. I could do that. When the doubleheader was over, hed finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs while recording nine putouts from first base in the second game. Learn more and register, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. He initially enrolled at Indiana University in 1974 but dropped out before the season began. Larry Legend dragged a coach to the national championship game who later had a five-win season and a three-win season in something called the Trans America Athletic Conference while coaching Mercer. The Hoosiers beat Furman by one in the first round of the NCAA tournament, before losing by one to Villanova. Mike Hayes, a Kentucky Wesleyan player, recounted the game, vividly remembering Birds bizarre, ungainly swing. 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. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). Larry Bird's accomplishments and stats make him one of the greatest pure shooters of all time. The Hoosiers went 14-13 in 1977, later having their record adjusted to 16-11 after Minnesota was forced to forfeit two wins. He started his college career in the fall of 1979. Both Dinah and Larry studied at Indiana State University. While Indiana State coach Bill Hodges was frustrated with the style of defense, according to the Philadelphia Daily News, Bird wasn't concerned about his lack of shots. 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. The Celtics beat the Houston Rockets in '81 with Maxwell and Larry Bird leading the way and defeated the Los Angeles Lakers in 1984 when Maxwell confidently told his teammates "to get on my back, boys" in the decisive . I could play baseball, Bird responded, taking the coach by surprise. . Larry Bird. We talked Hoosiers with our buddy at Hoopla. I think they may even have been on the floor together. 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. 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. They battled against Earvin "Magic" Johnson -- Bird's rival throughout his professional career -- and Michigan State in the championship game, falling 75-64. Benson was an all time great college player, but really just a servicable pro. He starred in college at Indiana State, taking them to the NCAA final game in 1979, virtually as a one-man team. 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. They teamed with Bird and veteran Cedric Maxwell in a frontcourt that carried the Celtics to the championship in 1981. Join our linker program. 0:49. For 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, from 1979-80 through 1991-92, Bird personified hustle, consistency and excellence in all areas of play as a scorer, a passer, a rebounder, a defender, a team player, and, perhaps above all, as a clutch performer. Odds & lines subject to change. So he cut the ties and went home. Wore the number 33 on his basketball jersey in high school, college and with the Boston Celtics. A disk was removed from his back after the season, but it didnt help all that much. He was such a deadly shooter that he sometimes practiced 3-pointers with his eyes closed. We present them here for purely educational purposes. RotoWire considers the best player values in Yahoo fantasy leagues for Friday's 10-game slate. Hoosiers survive Big Ten tournament quarterfinal test. Larry Bird is an Indiana basketball legend, starting at Springs Valley High School and running through his playing days at Indiana State . 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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. 'Coach, I'm dead,' moaned Bird. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, former coach and former executive. Bird was nicknamed Larry Legend and The Hick from French Lick, after his hometown in Indiana. Larry Bird's career NBA stats. Bird helped rebuild a Celtics franchise that had been suffering from sub-standard play and poor attendance in the late 1970s. Bird's Pacers fell in the East finals in '98 and '99, then came up short in the NBA Finals in 2000 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Bird returned home to become the head coach of the Indiana Pacers in 1997 and led them to the conference finals. If I could, I'd like to play with him forever.". "By noon, Bird appeared at a press conference, a rarity in his scheme of things. I'm going to assume this is legit because he lists about 20 million sources at the end of it. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is a former American professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Take an inside look at Larry Birds iconic steal from Isiah Thomas during Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals. 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. But mostly he was bored. 1 ranking. He just hammered him for being lackadaisical off of the screen and made him leave the open gym session. Larry Joe Bird ", The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton: "At the beginning of the season, Indiana State was picked third or fourth in its own conference. What if Larry Bird hadnt transferred from IU? By. 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. Navigation Toggle NBA. Larry Bird Comparisons: ( players sorted by last name ) - A-Larry Bird vs Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Larry Bird's Wife Dinah Mattingly. 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. He and owner Herb Simon had discussed his eventual departure for a few years. Students skipped class to line up for tickets eight hours before tipoff. "Larry Bird finishes things," said Dick Ballinger, the varsity head baseball coach at West Vigo High School in West Terre Haute, Indiana during the spring of 1979. Russell Westbrook is being left wide open on offense, and hes still hurting the Clippers. They both finished their college playing careers in the spring of 1979. ; School Indiana State University; Born December 7, 1956 in West Baden, IN USA; Biographical Information []. Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:03AM. This type of behavior was par for the course with Knight, but a new experience alltogether for Bird. He pulls people together. He earned the Rookie of the Year honours and also led a mediocre team . Published Jan. 28 . Birth Country: United States. ---------------------------------------------------- Birds 19 points in the 1982 NBA All-Star Game, including 12 of the Easts last 15, earned him the games MVP trophy. 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. 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? Knight said.." I first saw him play for Spring Valley HS, about 60 miles south of Bloomington physically he wasn't the Larry Bird everybody remembers..as a HS senior he was about 6-'6" and around 180lbs. What if Larry Bird hadnt transferred from IU. Under the leadership of Hodges, Bird and Co. went undefeated during the 1978-79 season and advanced to face Magic and his Spartans. 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. Indiana State coach Bill Hodges, by the way, wasnt just in his first year as Indiana States head coach. When he talks, you come into his world. 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? The guy had absolutely nothing. 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. And Warn, firm in his belief Bird would look foolish on a baseball field, was willing to give him the chance to embarrass himself. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Larry Bird's journey began in the small rural community of French Lick, Indiana. 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). To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. 18 Alabama and No. ", 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. 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. Bird had a double-double in all five NCAA tournament games he played in that year. Gambling problem? But everyone knows why Indiana State is where it is. Do you have a blog? . The story behind the 1978 NBA draft, often known as the Larry Bird draft, is one of the most important in league history. Indianapolis Star. 10 attempts), Indiana State-record 83.3 free throw percentage in an NCAA tournament game (min. 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. 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. Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. What if Knute Rockne came to Bloomington in 1914 and changed the trajectory of IU football? When the Celtics named Rick Pitino as the franchises new president and coach, Bird knew any role for him in Boston would be a limited one. He was a superstar in college basketball, in essence. "'You appear to be enjoying this,' one reporter commented. Bobby would have won another NC with Bird. 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. French Lick had a population of 2,059, most of whom came out to watch Springs Valley High Schools home games in a state that takes its schoolboy basketball very seriously. Do you have a blog? Bird found the transition to college life difficult. He also owns Larry Birds Boston Connection, a hotel/restaurant in Terre Haute that also serves as a museum for many of his trophies and awards. Once every generation or so, a player comes along who can truly be called a superstar. It determined the balance of power in the NBA throughout the 1980s, arguably the most important era in NBA history, helping to reestablish the Celtics as the best team in the Eastern Conference during this time. Do you have a sports website? 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. Larry Bird was originally in the recruiting class of 1974. An offseason trade with Golden State which that many consider the most lopsided in NBA history brought center Robert Parish and a future first-round pick (which became Kevin McHale) to Boston. Thats what a coach has to do.. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. One basketball coach, however, apparently missed the memo. The 75 Hoosiers were loaded. He averaged better than 30 points and 10 rebounds for the Sycamores during his first campaign. A crafty defensive player, Birds most famous steal came in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit. Larry Bird stats. 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.! The team didnt have equipment big enough to accommodate Birds 69 frame, so they stretched out the longest pair of pants they could find, procured the largest hat on campus, and trotted out onto the field one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Birds status as an Indiana sports legend was cemented by the spring of 1979. But he has said many times over the years that he would have never been able to play for Bob Knight.
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