Terre Haute had a front-row seat to hoop history
Being at the right place at the right time can be a wonderful thing for anyone in any profession. It’s really a plus in covering sports.
Being at the right place at the right time for more than 30 years has meant being able to cover such great people as Tommy John, Bruce Baumgartner, Kurt Thomas, David Wright, Amy Walker, Zane Smith, Holli Hyche, Dan Brandenburg, Tunch Ilkin, Cam Cameron, a host of great coaches, and many, many others.
One of the greatest, of course, has been Larry Bird. Being in Terre Haute for The Bird Years will be something that no one who was lucky enough to be here will forget. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Looking back on some of that period in commemoration of The Legend being inducted into The Basketball Hall of Fame:
n Some opposing players and some fans got a preview of what was to come during Bird’s redshirt year at ISU. He practiced with the team and played some games with The Hulman Stars, going against the Indiana All-Stars at least once.
A story that reported what happened in one of those games had a headline that denoted that ‘‘Byrd’’ led The Stars in The Terre Haute Star. It wasn’t the first time it happened, nor the last.
No one said much, except in a kidding way at ISU. Bird’s Uncle Amon noticed it and kidded me about it a few times about it.
n There was the time that Coach Bill Hodges and I went to Louisville to watch the U.S. team get ready to go overseas for the World University Games — Bird’s first experience in international competition.
Denny Crum was coach of the team, and Bird was one of the main players. Many members of the Bird family made the fairly short trip from the Springs Valley area to Louisville to watch a practice game the night before the team left for the Games.
The trip, of course, was the first time that Bird had been out of the U.S. And he made the most of it.
n Lots of games could be singled out in The Bird Years in Boston and Terre Haute. One has always stood out, simply because it might have been one of the best games ever played by these two teams.
The Sycamores defeated Bradley in the semifinals of the 1978 Missouri Valley Conference tournament 88-81. Neither team missed many shots in the contest played in Hulman Center.
Bird had 33 points in the game to match the number on his uniform. Roger Phegley had 30 for the Braves in defeat. It just was a great show by two great players and two teams that played great that night.
The victory earned ISU the right to play Creighton at Omaha, Neb., for the MVC championship and a spot in the NCAA tournament. The Bluejays rallied to beat the Sycamores 54-52.
n Another game that stands out was Indiana State’s first appearance in the NIT in 1977. The Sycamores’ 25-2 regular-season mark earned them a trip to Texas to play Houston.
A couple of players with similarities in their names who were destined to become regulars in the NBA were on the same court that night. Bird led the Sycamores and Otis Birdsong was the big gun for Houston.
LB tallied 44 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to outshine the home team star and nearly pulled out a victory for ISU with a shot that rimmed in and out at the finish as Houston hung on for an 83-82 victory.
n Much has been made about the fact that Bird declined to talk with the print media his senior season at ISU. Certain national journalists unfairly chastised Sycamore sports information director Ed McKee and his staff for allowing it to happen.
Of course, they were the same folks who wanted to get that one exclusive bit with the star whom they quick to criticize and put down in the same breath without watching the man in person or even trying to get to know him.
Reasons have been given for Bird and Hodges doing it. Indeed, a story that put the wrong slant on what Bird had to say at the Missouri Valley media day proceedings was a major factor. Nonetheless, the coach and the player were up front about it in a one-on-one session following practice for a game against the Russians.
Hodges said it was just something the Larry felt was necessary and would be good for the team. If it was to be, we just wanted him to be consistent in the policy.
That he was until the NCAA tournament. No special interviews were granted to our knowledge except for one that LB granted the game before setting the ISU scoring record.
Andy Amey and I collaborated on a special series about Bird and Thomas, featuring the two of them in a special photo. The fact that The AP later deemed it worthy of an award just made it more special.
In the NCAA, Bird gave one of the best news conferences ever on the eve of the Michigan State game. Hundreds of national journalists got their first taste of Bird’s wit and dry sense of humor.
n One of the milestones in Bird’s career at ISU came against Morris Harvey his senior year when he set the career scoring record.
The old mark had been held since 1968 by a pretty good player named Jerry Newsom. And the Columbus native was in the stands for the game.
After Bird broke the record, the game was halted and he was given the game ball. Without much hesitation, Bird walked over to the stands and gave it to Newsom.
Just a nice gesture.
n Terre Haute has had many big moments in connection with Larry Bird. One of the biggest caught the local media and, really, everyone by surprise in ceremonies following Boston’s victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1984 NBA playoffs.
The finals marked another matchup of Bird against Magic Johnson, who led Michigan State to its victory over ISU in the NCAA tournament. After the Celtics had won, LB said, ‘‘This one is for Terre Haute.’’
He said dedicating the championship would make up, in a way, for the ’79 loss to the Spartans. ‘‘In their eyes, at least, I had finally beaten Magic,’’ he noted.
The city honored Bird once again for his touching tribute. Hundreds of fans jammed Fairbanks Park to honor him and get a look at him.
n Another big night in Bird’s life took place in Boston after he’d retired from the Celtics. His aching back simply wouldn’t allow him to continue as a player.
His number was placed alongside other Boston greats in the upper reaches of The Garden during the official tribute to one of Beantown’s favorite sons. One of the most touching moments came when Bird’s mother, Georgia, was introduced to the crowd.
She and one of her sons got a great ovation from the fans as they stood arm in arm in the fabled old facility.
n One of the most famous games played by ISU and Bird during his three years with the Sycamores was the one that took place in Robertson Fieldhouse in Peoria, Ill. (It was not played in nearby Normal against Illinois State as one recent Bird book would have you believe.)
The Bradley Braves took on the undefeated Sycamores, with a mostly partisan crowd on hand, although a few ISU fans managed to get tickets. Dick Versace was the coach at Bradley that year. He later made a name for himself in television and in the NBA, coaching the Indiana Pacers for a time.
Ever the showman, he devised The Bird Cage Defense in an effort to stop Bird. He vowed he would do it and did it as LB scored just four points. The Sycamores won easily though, beating the Braves 91-72. Some of the other Sycamores had career nights as the team improved to 22-0.
The ISU-Bird Show played pretty well in Peoria that night.
n Bird had one of the top games in his college career in Des Moines, Iowa, in his junior year with 45 points against Drake in Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
The reason the totals were significant is that Bird broke the facility record that had been set by Oscar Robertson when Cincinnati played in the Valley. One Hoosier replaced another Hoosier in the record books that night.
n Everyone remembers and recalls the ISU matchup with Michigan State in the 1979 tournament.
The game that led to the championship contest was equally as important for the Sycamores. They had to beat DePaul in order to be in the finals.
The Blue Demons were coached by the legendary Ray Meyer and were led by Mark Aguirre. They battled ISU to the wire before the Sycamores prevailed 76-74.
Bird had 35 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists in the contest played in Utah. Next up were the Michigan State Spartans.
Tom Reck can be reached by telephone at 1-800-783-8742, Ext. 227, by e-mail at treck@mail.tribstar.com or by fax at (812) 231-4321.