The Hoosiers went 14-13 in 1977, later having their record adjusted to 16-11 after Minnesota was forced to forfeit two wins. Celtics Wire. 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. 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. ", Indiana State teammate Carl Nicks: "It's a tremendous feeling to play with him he brings out the best in everybody. 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Birds concentration and composure were unmatched. Indiana State nearly became the most recent undefeated national champion, reaching the 1979 national title game with a 33-0 record. 1988 Men's NCAA, 2019 Women's NCAA, 1940 Men's NCAA, 2006 Women's NCAA, 1981 Men's NCAA. College: University of Hoosiers: Religion: Christian: Nationality: American: Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius: Gender: Male: Sexual Orientation: Straight: Marital Status: Married: . I also really believe he can be a heck of a coach. A pioneering sixth man, Kevin McHale won three titles with the Celtics in the 1980s. When he talks, you come into his world. You can watch the full replay of the '79 title game below. IU would have definitely won 1 or 2 more titles had Bird stuck around and become the player he eventually did. As a senior at Springs Valley High School, Bird averaged nearly 31 points and 21 rebounds per game. Larry Bird then married Dinah Mattingly on September 30, 1989, who he met while studying at the Indiana State University. His Mom and Dad divorced while Bird was in HS, His dad shot and killed himself a year later. Season-ticket sales tripled. They both finished their college playing careers in the spring of 1979. Birth Year: 1956. At one time I believe Knight had Bird, Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas in for recruiting. Bird was 20, 21 and 22 years old when he eventually played college ball for Indiana State. 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. The Celtics, however, fell to the Pistons in the conference finals. 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. (. Larry Bird has helped define the way a generation of basketball fans has come to view and appreciate the NBA, said Commissioner David J. Stern when Bird retired due to a painful back condition in 1992, after capturing a gold medal with the original Dream Team at the Olympics in Barcelona. Finally, with the Celtics in a decline that hit bottom in 1996-97, Bird decided to take the plunge. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. What if former IU football coach Clyde Smith hadnt resigned after an open and undercover campaign to oust him? 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. It is amazing how extreme insecurity can drive a person. TV stations showed film clips of Bird instead of commercials. Like many great national championship teams, IU faced a rebuild or a reload or whatever you want to call it the next year. Attendance often reached 1,600 and they were all there to watch the blond-haired shooting whiz with a funny smile named Larry Joe Bird. 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. A crafty defensive player, Birds most famous steal came in Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference Finals against Detroit. He and owner Herb Simon had discussed his eventual departure for a few years. Odds & lines subject to change. Larry Bird's Wife Dinah Mattingly. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). 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. 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. 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. UCLA beat Montana by just three points in its second tournament game, proving the Bruins were a resilient, but mortal, champion. 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. Is there room for eight banners on the south wall of Assembly Hall? 18 Alabama and No. Two months later, he signed his NBA contract with the Boston Celtics. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. But his arrogant attitude is hardly a big surprise to those who know about Benson. Note: at Spring Valley HS in his senior year., Bird averaged 31 ppg, 21rebounds per game and 4 assists). Larry Bledsoe, the schools basketball coach, remarked how he was extremely pleased to get a player of Birds caliber, according to the Mitchell Tribune. 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). Do you have a blog? He was also called Kodak by his first NBA coach, Bill Fitch, . Attended Indiana University for only 24 days. We had guys last year who didn't care about passing. 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. 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. Lets pick a winner in every mens college basketball conference tournament. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. 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). Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. Learn more and register, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. All rights reserved. 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. "'You appear to be enjoying this,' one reporter commented. Bird, now 30 years old and with worsening back condition and foot problems as well, would not win a fourth championship ring. Birds status as an Indiana sports legend was cemented by the spring of 1979. In reality, he spent most of the next five years in Florida, playing golf and taking it easy. 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) . Only a few photos exist from the game, but seeing it live would have been legendary. Bird did a fine job in his three seasons on the bench. With five seconds remaining and the Celtics trailing 107-106, Bird stole an Isiah Thomas inbounds pass and fed Dennis Johnson, whose layup gave Boston the win. Best Known For: Basketball icon . Larry Bird. They teamed with Bird and veteran Cedric Maxwell in a frontcourt that carried the Celtics to the championship in 1981. 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. When talking about per game stats, Bird sports an average of 6.8 assists as well as 9.6 boards. The first inkling to Bobby Knight that things had changed wiht Larry Bird was from a former player who called Knight, and said" he had just seen Bird playing in an outdoor tournment in Lebanon, and he was a "beast" at 6'-9' and around 225#and by that time Bird was al set at Indiana State. Larry Bird - Stats, Game Logs, Splits, and much more . Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins battled each other during a classic Game 7 in 1988. Join our linker program. Their coach, Bill Hodges, is in his first year, the first rookie ever to take an undefeated team to the tournament final. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Larry Bird goes to the basket against DePaul in the 1979 Final Four. 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). By that time Birds scoring average had reached the mid-20s, and he was averaging upwards of seven assists. Do you have a blog? Bird, the Coach of the Year in 1997-98, resigned as Pacers coach after Indianas Finals appearance. 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. Cathie. The SPORTS REFERENCE and STATHEAD trademarks are owned exclusively by Sports Reference LLC. Bird was often checked by Magic Johnson in Michigan State's 2-3 matchup zone in theepic clash of two all-time greats. 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. six players on the first team and . Year Event GP MIN PTS FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3PT% FTM FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF Place; 1992: Olympic Games . when they were picking teams! The end of Birds career was at hand, but not before one last achievement: a gold medal with the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team, which dominated the competition at Barcelona and won millions of fans for the sport with its brilliance. Play Index. It was Bird's first experience with Knight in a gym setting. Among Birds contemporaries, perhaps only Earvin Magic Johnson was considered a better passer and was a player who he would inextricably be linked with forever. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. Larry Bird was a standout in Boston and one of the NBAs most iconic players ever. From his killer jump shot to his famous trash-talking, Bird could seemingly do it . 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. IU had three . Do you have a blog? Bird missed 22 games in 1990-91 because of a compressed nerve root in his back, a condition that eventually forced his retirement. But there were plenty more heroics yet to come. Hardly a change of clothes each day. Larry Bird's career NBA stats. 'Can I stay in bed?' The Hoosiers beat Furman by one in the first round of the NCAA tournament, before losing by one to Villanova. What if IU hired Jerry Tarkanian instead of Bob Knight, What if IU had solved Syracuses zone in 2013.