Greatest Basketball Players - Larry Bird - Indiana State Sycamores

March 24, 2008

Greatest NCAA College Basketball Careers of All Time: Larry Bird Larry Bird was born on December 7, 1956, and grew up in Indiana. In a small town called French Lick, Bird’s picture still hangs at the high school where he left as the all-time leading scorer, on a street that is now called Larry Bird Boulevard. In 1974, Bird received a scholarship at Indiana University, one of the premier college basketball programs in the country. Under coach Bobby Knight, Bird was at first overwhelmed by the University scene and quickly dropped out to head back home. Shortly after he would enroll at Indiana State. At Indiana State in 1979, Bird would lead the Sycamores to a 33 and 1 record, at the same time individually winning the USBWA College Player of the Year, the Naismith and the Wooden awards. When he left Indiana State for what would be a Hall of Fame NBA career, Bird was the fifth highest scorer in NCAA history. He averaged 30.3 points over the three-year span of his collegiate career.