Statue will honor Bird at Indiana State
And the legend grows.
Larry Bird's legend will be on display this November when Indiana State unveils a statue in his honor.
The 15-foot statue of Bird will welcome fans outside the Hulman Center where Indiana State plays, CBSSports.com reports. The ceremony will take place on Nov. 9 when the Sycamores play Ball State. The school also will inaugurate the Larry Legend Scholarship, a fund that will help athletes from the state of Indiana.
The ceremony to honor the 56-year-old Bird has been six years in the making, according to the Indiana Statesman. Bird, who grew up in French Lick, Ind., led the Sycamores to the NCAA title game in 1979 where they lost to Michigan State and Earvin "Magic" Johnson.
The rivalry between the two carried on to the NBA with Bird playing for the Celtics and Johnson with the Lakers. And in the eyes of some, that rivalry continues today.
Bird's statue stands three feet taller than Johnson's statue, which is outside the Breslin Center on Michigan State's campus. The creator of Bird's statue, Bill Wolf said the height difference perpetuates the two players' famous rivalry.
"I've known the rivalry, and we had to make (Bird's) bigger," Wolfe told the Indiana Statesman earlier this year.
Bird is now president of the Indiana Pacers. He briefly attended the University of Indiana, where Bobby Knight was the coach, before opting to transfer to the Sycamores.
