Editing Larry Bird (section)

==College career==
Bird received a scholarship to play [[college basketball]] for the [[Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball|Indiana Hoosiers]] under head coach [[Bob Knight]] in 1974.<ref>{{cite news |last = Davis |first = Seth |title = When March Went Mad |url = http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/the_bonus/03/03/march.mad/index.html |access-date = May 17, 2012 |newspaper = Sports Illustrated |date = March 4, 2009 |url-status = bot: unknown |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130930045637/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/the_bonus/03/03/march.mad/index.html |archive-date = September 30, 2013 }}</ref> After less than a month on the [[Indiana University]] campus, Bird dropped out of school, finding the adjustment between his small hometown and the large student population of [[Bloomington, Indiana|Bloomington]] to be overwhelming.<ref name=Schwartz1 /> Bird returned to French Lick, enrolling at Northwood Institute (now [[Northwood University]]) in nearby West Baden, and working municipal jobs for a year before enrolling at [[Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball|Indiana State University]] in [[Terre Haute, Indiana|Terre Haute]] in 1975.<ref>Bird, Larry (1989), Drive: The Story of My Life. Doubleday, pp. 39–40. {{ISBN|0-385-24921-7}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2015/06/25/boston-celtics-draft-2015/ |title = Throwback Thursday: Celtics Draft Larry Bird Sixth Overall |website = Boston Magazine |access-date = December 31, 2015 |archive-date = January 2, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160102055556/http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2015/06/25/boston-celtics-draft-2015/ |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.celticsblog.com/2015/1/7/7507079/the-story-of-how-rookie-phenom-larry-bird-led-the-nbas-greatest |title = The story of how rookie phenom Larry Bird led the NBA's greatest turnaround season |author = Professor Parquet |date = January 7, 2015 |website = CelticsBlog |access-date = December 31, 2015 |archive-date = January 2, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160102055556/http://www.celticsblog.com/2015/1/7/7507079/the-story-of-how-rookie-phenom-larry-bird-led-the-nbas-greatest |url-status = live }}</ref> He had a successful three-year career with the Sycamores, helping them reach the [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA tournament]] for the first time in school history with a 33–0 record where they played the [[1979 NCAA Division I basketball championship game|1979 championship game]] against [[1978–79 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team|Michigan State]].<ref name="magicbird">''Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals''. [[HBO]], 2010.</ref><ref name=BirdBio>{{cite web |title = Larry Bird Bio |date = January 18, 2021 |url = https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/larry_bird_career_retrospective/s1__32934935#slide_5 |work = Yardbarker |access-date = April 6, 2021 |archive-date = April 10, 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210410165929/https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/larry_bird_career_retrospective/s1__32934935#slide_5 |url-status = live }}</ref> Indiana State lost the game 75–64, with Bird scoring 19 points but making only 7 of 21 shots.<ref name=Schwartz1/>

[[File:Larry Bird ISU.jpg|thumb|upright|right|alt=Bird in a basketball uniform, having just shot a ball|Bird warming up for Indiana State]]
The 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]] [[Magic Johnson|Earvin "Magic" Johnson]],<ref name=Schwartz2 /> a rivalry that lasted throughout their professional careers. Despite failing to win the championship, Bird earned numerous year-end awards and honors for his outstanding play, including the [[Naismith College Player of the Year]] Award.<ref name=BirdBio /> For his college career, Bird averaged 30.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game,<ref name="Larry Bird">{{cite web |url = https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/birdla01.html |title = Larry Bird NBA Stats |website = Basketball-Reference.com |access-date = May 13, 2015 |archive-date = May 12, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130512162618/http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/birdla01.html |url-status = live }}</ref> leading the Sycamores to an 81–13 record during his tenure.<ref name=BirdBio /> Bird also appeared in one game for the [[Indiana State Sycamores baseball|baseball team]], going 1-for-2 with 2 RBI.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2015/05/04/larry-birds-college-baseball-career-included-lofty-batting-average/26884387/ |title = Larry Bird's baseball career: A lofty .500 batting average |author = Dana Hunsinger |date = May 4, 2015 |publisher = Indianapolis Star |website = Indystar.com |access-date = December 8, 2016 |archive-date = May 21, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190521210731/https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nba/pacers/2015/05/04/larry-birds-college-baseball-career-included-lofty-batting-average/26884387/ |url-status = live }}</ref> He graduated in 1979 with a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[physical education]].<ref>{{cite book |last = May |first = Peter |date = 1994 |title = The Big Three |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=6owRYSf9llMC&pg=PA41 |location = New York, NY |publisher = Simon & Schuster |page = 41 |isbn = 978-1-4165-5207-9 |access-date = January 19, 2020 |archive-date = March 7, 2023 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230307083327/https://books.google.com/books?id=6owRYSf9llMC&pg=PA41 |url-status = live }}</ref>