Larry Bird was born on December 7, 1956. He was the fourth child of Joe and Georgia Bird. He started playing basketball as a sophomore and played the position of guard his sophomore and junior year. He got a lot better in the game during his senior year. During his senior year, he average 30.6 points and 20 rebounds per game. Colleges in the country started to scout him. Bird decided to play for Indiana University, but on his arrival he felt overwhelmed with the size of the campus and he left after only 24 days. He went back to his hometown of French Lick, Indiana and entered Northwood Institute for a short time. He finally then changed his mind back to original though, and headed back to Indiana University. He had to sit out for his first season there since he came back mid-season. He began his first season playing career with the Sycamores in 1976 and emerged a national collegiate start soon after. (Michael Goodman, pg 21-25)

Bird then began talking to people in his old team’s office, the Indiana Pacers, about a head coaching position. Bird was quoted as saying “The only team I would ever coach for is the Indiana Pacers.” When asked about it, Bird said he was being completely truthful due to the fact that he liked the owner and knew that he was trustworthy (Larry Bird, pg 72-74). After negotiations began for Bird to become the head coach of the Indiana Pacers, he made the point that he would only coach if he could have his old friend Rich Carlisle, Bird’s former coach, come and be his assistant. Bird had no coaching experience and realized he needed a very intelligent and experienced man by his side (Camden Young, pg 3).

In the 2000 season, Bird led his team to the NBA Finals but loss a long battle. It was the first time he got to the Finals as a coach and was a very exciting thing for Bird and his players. He then lived up to another promise he made to himself and to all basketball followers, to retire yet again after coaching for three years (Ralph Hickok, pg 26-27). Bird has been quoted as saying that even though he did not win a championship one time during his coaching career, it was one of the best times he had ever taken place in that has been associated with basketball. He regrets nothing in his career, and does not know what the future holds for him (Steven Huttman, pg 38-40).

Bird has said from the beginning of considering coaching as a job that he did not want to be a commercial for selling tickets. He stuck to his promise to himself and has never once accepted a big time endorsement offer. Bird has done very well as a coach, he was named NBA Coach Of The Year after the 1998 season. He also coached the East All Stars to a win that year, and in the same year was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. His team was very well disciplined due to Bird’s strict coaching methods. If someone on his team was one second late for a game, they better be finding a way to make it to the place they are going because Bird doesn’t wait for anyone or anything, not even Reggie Miller, who he said he has left over 5 times (Larry Bird, pg 150-159).

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