Larry Bird: The Sycamore Legend Forged in College

Larry Bird, nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend," is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Before his legendary NBA career, Bird established himself as a dominant force in college basketball, leaving an indelible mark on the Indiana State University Sycamores.

Early Days and Rise to Prominence

Larry Joe Bird was born in 1956 in West Baden Springs, Indiana. Growing up in French Lick, Indiana, Bird was a local basketball star. After a brief stint at Indiana University, he joined the Indiana State Sycamores, where he quickly made a name for himself. At the beginning of the season, Indiana State was picked third or fourth in its own conference. However, Indiana State went 81-13 during the three seasons in which Larry Bird played for the Sycamores. Now the Sycamores are 33-0, they are ranked No. 1 in the country, and they are one win from the title.

Indiana State Sycamores Stardom

Bird's arrival at Indiana State signaled a new era for the program. He led Indiana State to the 1979 NCAA national championship game, a watershed moment in basketball history. He averaged 30.3 points per game in his three years at Indiana State and left the school as the fifth-leading scorer in NCAA history. Larry graduated with virtually every ISU season and career scoring, rebounding and steals record and most single game marks in several categories. He was named the Sporting News, AP, UPI, USBWA and Basketball Weekly College Player of the Year in 1979 and received both the Naismith Award and the John Wooden Award.

Bird's well-rounded game and unselfishness were hallmarks of his play. While Bird was most known for his scoring, he had a well-rounded game that included double-digit rebound totals and unselfish passing. "He's 6-9, was the nation's second leading scorer and that's not all," wrote The Evening Sun's Bill Tanton. "He's a great passer and an excellent rebounder." Indiana State teammate Carl Nicks said, "It's a tremendous feeling to play with him … he brings out the best in everybody."

The "Bird's Nest Defense"

In an effort to stop Bird, Bradley coach Dick Versace installed what was referred to as the "Bird's Nest Defense," where two defenders would guard Bird and the other three defenders would cover the four other Sycamores. 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. 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. I just think when a man is open, he should get the ball whether it's 30 feet out on the wing or underneath. We had guys last year who didn't care about passing."

1979 NCAA Tournament Run and Championship Game

Larry Bird played in the NCAA tournament just once, in 1979, but he made the most of it. He scored 136 points in five NCAA tournament games, leading the Sycamores to the national championship game, where they fell to the Michigan State Spartans. 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. Bird had a double-double in all five NCAA tournament games he played in that year. 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.

The Epic Clash with Magic Johnson

That season ended with a loss to Michigan State University in the NCAA championship game (1979), which was the first meeting of Bird and Magic Johnson, a rivalry that would become the centerpiece of the NBA’s popularization during the 1980s. Bird was often checked by Magic Johnson in Michigan State's 2-3 matchup zone in the epic clash of two all-time greats. This game achieved the highest-ever television rating for a college basketball game, in large part because of the matchup between Bird and Spartans' point guard Earvin "Magic" Johnson, a rivalry that lasted throughout their professional careers.

Statistics and Records

Bird set numerous records during his time at Indiana State, including:

Indiana State-record 84.2 shooting percentage in an NCAA tournament game (min.
Indiana State-record 83.3 free throw percentage in an NCAA tournament game (min.
15th all-time in career scoring average (min.
Single game school record for points (49 vs.

Draft and Decision

Selected by the Boston Celtics with the sixth overall pick in the 1978 NBA draft after his second year at Indiana State, Bird elected to stay in college and returned for the 1978-79 season. He then led his team to an undefeated regular season. Celtics general manager Red Auerbach publicly stated that he would not pay Bird more than any Celtic on the current roster, but Bird's agent Bob Woolf told Auerbach that Bird would reject any sub-market offers and simply enter the 1979 draft instead, where Boston's rights would expire when the draft began on June 25, and Bird would have been the likely top pick.

From College Star to NBA Legend

Bird was drafted by the Celtics after his junior year at Indiana State (1978) but did not play professionally until the 1979-80 season, when he won the Rookie of the Year award after contributing to one of the largest single-season turnarounds in NBA history (a 32-win improvement). Bird entered the NBA for the 1979-80 season, where he made an immediate impact, starting at power forward and leading the Celtics to a 32-win improvement over the previous season before being eliminated from the playoffs in the conference finals.

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A Symbol of Excellence

However, Bird was all business in spite of the awards he won and the fanfare he received. "At 9 o'clock yesterday [Bill] Hodges went to wake up Bird for a brunch at which he was to receive the Player of the Year Award. 'Coach, I'm dead,' moaned Bird. But everyone knows why Indiana State is where it is. Their coach, Bill Hodges, is in his first year, the first rookie ever to take an undefeated team to the tournament final.

Legacy at Indiana State University

There is a street named in Bird's honor on the campus of Indiana State University. In 2013, the university unveiled a bronze statue of Bird (wearing his Sycamores jersey, in mid-jump-shot pose) in front of the Hulman Center. In addition, Bird's former teammate Bob Heaton, then serving in the Indiana House of Representatives, read a proclamation from Indiana Gov. Mike Pence proclaiming Nov.

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