The following story appeared in the game program as a tribute to Larry Bird’s last regular season game at Hulman Center.
There was a time, though, few people can remember it, when Larry Bird was an unknown “redshirt” practicing every day with the Indiana State University basketball team. Rumor had it that he was good-exceptionally good, in fact. Seasons of mediocrity had soured Indiana State fans, however, and even the few thousand fans who showed up for Sycamore games cynically ignored promises of a superstar.
Halley’s comet appears once, every 76 years-and fortunate persons may see it during their lifetime. Yet they see an astronomical wonder like the comet only once so that when it comes there is a tendency to savor and thrill in it.
Thus has been the career of Larry Bird. His rise to fame has been equally astronomical. And with his fortunes of attention and game, the Sycamore basketball program left the murky waters of “the rest of the pack” and rose to singular prominence on the national scene.
It’s not an everyday story, but it’s a pleasant one to tell. It’s a new variation on that old “rags to riches” story. Once obscure, Indiana State now rides in equal glory with the once-heralded “big three”- Indiana, Purdue and Notre Dame. Larry Bird led the parade.
Born in French Lick, Indiana on December 7, 1956, Bird’s first basketball experience was in throwing wads of paper into coffee cans. As he grew and matured, he developed a game with a real ball on a real court aiming at a real basket. Hours of quiet practice began to pay off.
As a senior at Springs Valley High School, Bird appeared to reach his peak. He earned a place on the Indiana All-Star team that season and signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Indiana University, however, Bird chose not to stay at Indiana-basketball was not the cause, but his personal incompatibility with the large campus. He returned to French Lick and may have thought then he would never play major college basketball.
Coaches Bob King and Bill Hodges were determined to change Bird’s mind and succeeded. Bird was perhaps tired of playing ball in the amateur leagues where his talents clearly exceeded everyone else’s.
That “redshirt” year was an important one for ISU Basketball. Coaches began to know both they and Bird had made sound decisions. He wasn’t just good...he was great! Finishing 13-12 that season, King must have wondered what it would have been like with Bird in a game, not just practice.
Patience won out, though. The first night Bird played in Hulman Center was Nov. 27, 1976, against Chicago State. The Sycamores won 81-60. Only 3,000 persons had seen Bird score 31 points. Corrective may claim to have been there that night. In fact, a dropping pin might have raised the only din.
Changes occurred gradually. Bird was pumping in points like Terre Haute fans had not seen in a long time. The attendance grew-not by hundreds, but by thousands. Suddenly, everyone was caught up in “Bird Watching.” In 28 games that year Bird averaged 32.8 points per game and shot 54 percent from the field. The season ended with a heartbreaking loss to the University of Houston in a National Invitation Tournament regional game, 83-82.
In ?77-78, anticipation was high. Bird was pictured on the cover of “Sports Illustrated’s” college basketball issue. The rest of America was learning about Bird’s legendary performances for Indiana State. It was a year of cover stories and national attention for the 6-9 forward. “The Sporting News” followed suit. So did “Basketball Weekly.” At the season’s end, Bird had repeated his 30-point performances consistently and was named to every conceivable All-America team.
Bird had already been recognized by the media and the professional basketball world. Drafted sixth in the first round of the NBA draft, Bird politely told the Boston Celtics he wanted to finish his degree at Indiana State and play a final season for the Sycamores. The pros respected Bird’s intent and the Celtics watched Bird through the year savoring the thought of him wearing a green uniform.
Bird was a player with marvelous skills. Amazingly, scoring was only one of his talents. Perhaps Bird takes more pride in rebounding, playing hard-nosed defense... or maybe in delivering those bullet, I’m-looking-the-other-way-but-you-better-catch-it passes to a teammate for an easy hoop. If anything, his assists became more glorious then any dunk or steal or blocked shot ever could be. He was sharing glory with everyone else. It was characteristic of Bird’s basketball style.
It all is nearing an end. Those passes, those shots, that defense-the electrifying play of a rare basketball player is ending. College basketball’s Halley’s Comet is ending its flight. Soon it will fade; those who saw it will tell the stories. Larry Bird is a legend in Indiana State athletic history. It was fun for everyone who saw it. On February 28, 2004, Larry Bird’s jersey (along with Duane Klueh’s jersey) was retired in a ceremony at the Hulman Center. |
