larry bird college stats

19 Minnesota showed the teams potential. A brutal sucker punch in the OVC tournament stopped the game in its tracks. Imagine what he wouldve done with a Hall-of-Fame head coach and future NBA players as teammates! six players on the first team and . 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. Even if we dont rewrite Mays season-ending injury in this post, could Larry Bird have gone from being snubbed by the 15-player AP All-State Team one spring to a March Madness hero the next? Become an Annual VIP member today and get access to VIP content, ad-free forums & more. Far from it. How does Larry Bird compare with other great NBA players? Career Stats Game Log Splits. When I started here, I wanted to see the high school, college and professional basketball worlds come together, and Bird symbolizes that. Does the most recognized team in Hoosier history double or even, gasp, triple, its national championship haul with Bird in Bloomington in the mid-to-late 70s? Students skipped class to line up for tickets eight hours before tipoff. 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.. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. 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. 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. But Bird finally came to Boston for the 1979-80 campaign and sparked one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in NBA history. 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. His Mom and Dad divorced while Bird was in HS, His dad shot and killed himself a year later. He won the Rookie of the Year award, 3 MVP awards, 2 Finals MVP awards and 3 NBA championships. 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 played 13 seasons for the Celtics. That came in spite of Bird playing with a fracture in his left thumb in the Final Four after getting hurt against Arkansas. 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. 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. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, former coach and former executive. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Dinah likes to keep a low profile, making rare public appearances with her husband at basketball games. 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. Birds 19 points in the 1982 NBA All-Star Game, including 12 of the Easts last 15, earned him the games MVP trophy. The Cavaliers won in seven games; Boston lost three of the four games couldnt play because of his back. 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. 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". Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 6:03AM. 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. Bird did a fine job in his three seasons on the bench. 1 ranking. But none of those things kept him in Bloomington, as he was gone before homecoming his freshman year. Larry Bird then married Dinah Mattingly on September 30, 1989, who he met while studying at the Indiana State University. Larry Bird redshirted (sat out) his freshman year, and therefore, like Maravich, Robertson, and Hayes, his totals were also achieved in only three . 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. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. By that time Birds scoring average had reached the mid-20s, and he was averaging upwards of seven assists. He was also called Kodak by his first NBA coach, Bill Fitch, . 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? Bobby said at this same time he (Knight) made a very huge mistake with having Bird room with an exceptional sophistcated player, with a very vibrant personalitythe complete opposite of Bird ..it was a very bad match-up..and Bird left school even before pre-season practice had started..He hitchiked home.and stayed! He's an impressive figure with incredible rivalries, but there are still tons of things that younger NBA fans should know about Larry Legend. 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). Carreira Basquete universitrio. Jobbade sedan i Celtics frn 1992 till 1997 och coachade sedan Indiana Pacers frn 1997 till 2000. Russell Westbrook is being left wide open on offense, and hes still hurting the Clippers. And then there is a lesser known Bird, the college baseball . Bird was named the 1978-79 College Player of the Year and left Indiana State as the fifth-highest scorer in NCAA history. Do you have a blog? (If youre looking for a new throwback jersey to wear at darties whenever all this is over, get your hands on a Larry Bird Northwood jersey. Or write about sports? Fans were filling not only Boston Garden, which sold out the final 541 games of Birds career, but arenas all over the country to witness Birds exploits. What if Sam Wyche didnt leave IU after only 1 season? 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.. 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. Do you have a sports website? He was a superstar in college basketball, in essence. Started collecting garbage upon his return to French Lick. 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. As the NBA celebrates it's 75th Anniversary Season, get to know dozens of star players who helped make the NBA what it is today. He has tallied 1,556 steals, as well as 755 blocks and 5,695 dimes. The Hoosiers went 14-13 in 1977, later having their record adjusted to 16-11 after Minnesota was forced to forfeit two wins. If the answer was yes, then theres a chance there would be national championship banners from 1975 and 1976 hanging inside Assembly Hall right now. Other notable performances by Bird include his career-high 49 points against Wichita State in February 1979, scoring 29 points in the first half against Butler in December 1978, just 10 months after he dropped 47 on the Bulldogs on the road. Bird helped rebuild a Celtics franchise that had been suffering from sub-standard play and poor attendance in the late 1970s. His Mom and Dad divorced while Bird was in HS, His dad shot and killed himself a year later. A disk was removed from his back after the season, but it didnt help all that much. No other player in his era was as good or as consistent a shooter as Bird. Take an inside look at Larry Birds iconic steal from Isiah Thomas during Game 5 of the 1987 Eastern Conference finals. 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. Real men play with balls this size, Warn said, glaring at Bird. This guy is the epitome of everything Ive tried to do here, then-Pacers president Donnie Walsh said of Bird. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. View Comments. Editors note: This is part of a series of stories revisiting the biggest what-ifs in IU history. Complete NBA coaching record for Larry Bird, including regular season and postseason games. Larry Bird ranks as one of the all-time top players of the NBA. That was excellent. RotoWire considers the best player values in Yahoo fantasy leagues for Friday's 10-game slate. Bird also cites an instance during an off season open gym, soon after he arrived on campus, during a period of "no contact" between the players and coaches. Do you have a sports website? His career averages were 24.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 6.3 assists in 897 regular season games. 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. UCLA beat Montana by just three points in its second tournament game, proving the Bruins were a resilient, but mortal, champion. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998. Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Martin Fennelly Former Sports columnist. 'Coach, I'm dead,' moaned Bird. 1 in Birds senior year that is, until a Michigan State team featuring a 6-foot-9 guard named Earvin Magic Johnson knocked them off in the 1979 NCAA Championship Game, one of the most widely watched showdowns in basketball history. 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. Birds legend was born in the tiny town of French Lick, snuggled in Indianas corn country, where his family led a spartan life. Not just some guy. Bird scored a team-high 19 points for the Sycamores in the 1979 national championship game but it wasn't his most efficient performance as he was just 7-of-21 from the field and 5-for-8 from the free-throw line. 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. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. Bird finished with 49 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists and four steals. The Sycamores went undefeated and reached No. 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. On February 6, 1988, Larry Bird won his 3rd consecutive 3-point Contest while still wearing his warm-up jacket. 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. 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 Celtics, however, fell to the Pistons in the conference finals. 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. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Birth City: West Baden Springs. 2022-23 Season Schedule; He was out to embarrass him from the beginning buzzer to the end buzzer of every meeting. He has compiled 1,556 steals, in addition to 755 blocks and 5,695 assists. I just think when a man is open, he should get the ball whether it's 30 feet out on the wing or underneath. In order to finish his college degree, Larry Bird was working at Ballinger's school as a physical education student-teacher just weeks before becoming an . Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. He's a 3-time NBA Champion, a 12-time all-star, and he was named to countless NBA teams during his roughly 13 years on the Celtics. There is the Larry Bird people know, the Boston Celtics legend, the hick from French Lick, the Indiana State University basketball king. His coaching career was shot out of a Larry Bird-sized cannon with the Sycamores going 33-1 and posting a .971 winning percentage in his rookie campaign. In the last 7 years, I've been covering everything related to the career and job seeking world. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Play Index. He did some commercials and appeared in a few films, including Michael JordansSpace Jam. Boston won, 152-148, in double overtime. Not at the same time. Bird once again led the team in points (21.2 ppg), rebounds (10.9 rpg), steals (161), and minutes (3,239). Larry used BB to escape from his family problems! But there were plenty more heroics yet to come. Gambling problem? He earned the Rookie of the Year honours and also led a mediocre team . 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. Learn more and register, College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Looks like Bradley's coach on 2/10/79 tried to give Bird the same treatment . Best Known For: Basketball icon . 10 Bird Was A Part Of The Most Watched College Game Ever Join us for a March Madness Webinar on Tuesday, March 7 at 8pm ET. When Bird enrolled in Bloomington, he joined the reigning Big Ten champions, an IU team that had gone 23-5 and missed the NCAA tournament after a loss to Michigan but won the Collegiate Commissioners Association Tournament to close out its 1973-74 campaign. Subscribe to Stathead Basketball: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Basketball Reference Database. Larry Bird's college stats were as incredible as his mustache he averaged more than 30 points and 13 rebounds in his collegiate career. There is no question about his eligibility.. IU had three . Even though he had never coached a game in his life, the Pacers had no qualms about turning over the reins to 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. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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. 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 . 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 Mike Hayes, a Kentucky Wesleyan player, recounted the game, vividly remembering Birds bizarre, ungainly swing. Drafted into the NBA by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in . 'Can I stay in bed?' May 16, 2022. 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. Find out more. Indiana womens basketball Q&A: HooplaWyatt on the Big Ten Tournament. Andy Wittry has written for Stadium, SI.com, Sporting News, the Indianapolis Star, Louisville Courier-Journal and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Year Event GP MIN PTS FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3PT% FTM FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF Place; 1992: Olympic Games . Published Jan. 28 . Only a few photos exist from the game, but seeing it live would have been legendary.

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