Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
Name	National Collegiate Athletic Association
Size	180px
Mcaption	Basketball
Abbreviation	NCAA
Formation	(IAAUS)1910 (NCAA)
Status	Association
Headquarters	Indianapolis, Indiana
Region served	United States of America, Canada
Membership	1,281 (schools, conferences or other associations)
Leader title	President
Leader name	Mark Emmert
Main organ	Executive Committee
Budget	$5.64 billion (2007–08 budget)
Website	ncaa.org (administrative)ncaa.com (sports)
Remarks	}}

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana.

In August 1973, the current three-division setup of Division I, Division II, and Division III was adopted by the NCAA membership in a special convention. Under NCAA rules, Division I and Division II schools can offer scholarships to athletes for playing a sport. Division III schools may not offer any athletic scholarships. Generally, larger schools compete in Division I and smaller schools in II and III. Division I football was further divided into I-A and I-AA in 1978. Subsequently the term "Division I-AAA" was briefly added to delineate Division I schools which do not field a football program at all, but that term is no longer officially used by the NCAA. In 2006, Divisions I-A and I-AA were respectively renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

History

The NCAA dates its formation to two White House conferences convened by President Theodore Roosevelt to "encourage reforms" to college football practices in the early 20th century, which had resulted in repeated injuries and deaths and "prompted many college and universities to discontinue the sport."

Following those White House meetings, Chancellor Henry MacCracken of New York University organized a meeting of 13 colleges and universities to initiate changes; at a follow-on meeting, 62 institutions became charter members of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). The IAAUS was officially established on March 31, 1906, and took its present name, the NCAA, in 1910.

Until the 1980s, the association did not offer women's athletics. Instead an organization named the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) governed women's collegiate sports in the United States. By 1982, however, all divisions of the NCAA offered national championship events for women's athletics and most members of the AIAW joined the NCAA.

In 2009, Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada became the NCAA's first non-US member institution.

Structure

The NCAA's legislative structure is broken down into cabinets and committees, consisting of various representatives of its member schools. These may be broken down further into sub-committees. Legislation is then passed on to the Management Council, which oversees all the cabinets and committees, and also includes representatives from the schools, such as athletic directors and faculty advisors. Management Council legislation goes on to the Board of Directors, which consists of school presidents, for final approval. The NCAA staff provides support, acting as guides, liaison, research and public and media relations.

Sports sanctioned by the NCAA include the following: basketball, baseball (men), softball (women), football (men), cross country, field hockey (women), bowling (women), golf, fencing (coeducational), lacrosse, soccer, gymnastics, rowing (women only), volleyball, ice hockey, water polo, rifle (coeducational), tennis, skiing (coeducational), track and field, swimming and diving, and wrestling (men).

Presidents of NCAA

The NCAA had no full-time administrator until 1951, when Walter Byers was appointed executive director. In 1998, the title was changed to President.

Walter Byers 1951–1988

Dick Schultz 1988–1993

Cedric Dempsey 1994–2002 Myles Brand 2003–2009 Jim Isch (interim) 2009–2010

Mark A. Emmert 2010–present

Division history

! Years	! Division
1906–1955	None
1956–1972	NCAA University Division (Major College), College Division (Small College)
1973–present	NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III
1978–2006	NCAA Division I-A, NCAA Division I-AA (Division I football only), Division II, Division III
2006–present	NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Division I Football Championship Subdivision (Division I football only), Division II, Division III

Championships

All sports

The NCAA awards championships in in the following sports:

Baseball *Division I *Division II *Division III Basketball *Men's **Division I **Division II **Division III *Women's **Division I **Division II **Division III Bowling (women's only) Boxing (discontinued) Cross Country *Men's *Women's Fencing Field Hockey Football *Division I (FCS) *Division II *Division III

Golf *Men's **Division I **Division II **Division III *Women's Gymnastics *Men's *Women's Ice Hockey *Men's *Women's Indoor Track and Field *Men's *Women's Lacrosse *Men's *Women's Outdoor Track and Field *Men's *Women's Rifle Rowing (women's only)

Skiing Soccer *Men's *Women's Softball *Division I *Division II *Division III Swimming and Diving *Men's *Women's Tennis *Men's *Women's Volleyball *Men's *Women's Water Polo *Men's *Women's Wrestling

The NCAA has never sanctioned an official championship in the highest level of football, now known as Division I FBS. Instead, several outside bodies award their own titles; see below.

As of 2010, UCLA, Stanford and Southern California have the most NCAA championships; UCLA holds the most, winning a combined 107 team championships in men's and women's sports, with Stanford second, with 100, Southern California third with 93, Oklahoma State with 50, followed by Texas with 48.

During the 2008-09 school year, the Pac-10 conference captured 11 NCAA titles, outperforming any other conference. It was followed by the ACC and Big Ten with five championships, and by the Big 12 and SEC conferences with four each.

The NCAA currently awards 87 national championships yearly; 44 women's, 40 men's, and coed championships for fencing, rifle, and skiing. For every NCAA sanctioned sport other than Division I FBS football, the NCAA awards trophies with gold, silver, and bronze plating for the first, second, and third place teams respectively. In the case of the NCAA basketball tournaments, both semifinalists who did not make the championship game receive bronze plated trophies for third place (prior to 1982 the teams played a "consolation" game to determine third place). Similar trophies are awarded to both semifinalists in the NCAA football tournaments (which are conducted in Division I FCS and both lower divisions), which have never had a third-place game. Winning teams maintain permanent possession of these trophies unless it is later found that they were won via serious rules violations.

Starting with the 2001 season, and again in 2008, the trophies were changed. Starting in the 2007 basketball season, teams that make the Final Four in the Division I tournament receive bronze plated "regional championship" trophies upon winning their Regional Championship. The teams that make the National Championship game receive an additional trophy that is gold plated for the winner and silver plated for the runner-up. Starting in the mid-1990s, the National Champions in men's and women's basketball receive a very elaborate trophy sponsored by Siemens with a black marble base and crystal "neck" with a removable crystal basketball following the presentation of the standard NCAA Championship trophy.

Football Bowl Subdivision

The NCAA does not hold a championship tournament for Division I FBS football. In the past, the "national championship" went to teams that placed first in any of a number of season-ending media polls, most notable the AP Poll of writers and the Coaches Poll. Currently, the Bowl Championship Series—an association of the conferences and independent schools that compete in Division I FBS and four bowl games—has arranged to place the top two teams (based on a formula blending human polls and computer rankings) into a national title game. The winner of the BCS title game must be ranked first in the final Coaches' Poll and receives the AFCA Coaches' Trophy (presently sponsored by Dr Pepper); since the NCAA awards no national championship for Division I FBS football, this trophy does not say ''NCAA'' as other NCAA college sports national championship trophies do. The AP and other organizations are still free to name as national champions other teams than the one that won the BCS championship, although all conferences (and by extension their teams) are contractually agreed to the BCS formula and champion the USA Today Coaches' poll is required to vote the winner of the “BCS National Championship Game” the #1 team in the nation in the final poll. All conferences have sanctioned this practice and championship (with various changes to the present form seen today) for the several contractual periods since 1998.

Hall of Champions

Awards

:''See also: Academic All-America, Best Female College Athlete ESPY Award, Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award, Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, Honda Sports Award, College baseball awards, and Sports Illustrated 2009 all-decade honors (college basketball & football)'' The NCAA presents a number of different individual awards, including:

NCAA Award of Valor (not given every year); selection is based on heroic action occurring in the academic year.

NCAA Gerald R. Ford Award, honoring an individual who has provided significant leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics.

NCAA Inspiration Award (not given every year); selection is based on inspirational action.

NCAA Sportsmanship Award, honoring student-athletes who have demonstrated one or more of the ideals of sportsmanship.

NCAA Theodore Roosevelt Award, the highest honor that the NCAA confers on an individual.

NCAA Woman of the Year Award, honoring a senior student-athlete who has distinguished herself throughout her collegiate career in academics, athletics, service and leadership.

Elite 88 Award, honoring the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA who has reached the competition at the finals site for each of the NCAA's 88 men's and women's championships (in Divisions I, II, and III).

Silver Anniversary Awards, honoring six distinguished former student-athletes on the 25th anniversary of their college graduation.

The Flying Wedge Award, one of the NCAA’s highest honors exemplifying outstanding leadership and service to the NCAA.

Today's Top VIII Award, honoring eight outstanding senior student-athletes.

Walter Byers Scholarship, honoring the top male and female scholar-athletes.

Conferences

:''See also: List of NCAA conferences and List of non-NCAA conferences''

Division I conferences

:''Note: Conferences with automatic entry to the Bowl Championship Series are denoted with an asterisk (*).'' :''Note: Conferences within the Football Bowl Subdivision but not the BCS are denoted with a pound sign (#).''

America East Conference

Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)*

Atlantic Sun Conference

Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10)

Big East Conference*

Big Sky Conference

Big South Conference

Big Ten Conference (Big Ten) *

Big 12 Conference (Big 12) *

Big West Conference

Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)

Conference USA (C-USA) #

Great West Conference

Horizon League

NCAA Independents

Ivy League

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC)

Mid-American Conference (MAC) #

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC)

Missouri Valley Conference (MVC or The Valley)

Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF)

Mountain West Conference (MWC) #

Northeast Conference (NEC)

Ohio Valley Conference (OVC)

Pacific-12 Conference (Pac-12)*

Patriot League

Southeastern Conference (SEC)*

Southern Conference (SoCon)

Southland Conference

Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC)

The Summit League (The Summit) (formerly the Mid-Continent Conference)

Sun Belt Conference (SBC) #

West Coast Conference (WCC)

Western Athletic Conference (WAC) #

Division I FCS football-only conferences

Missouri Valley Football Conference

Pioneer Football League

Division I hockey-only conferences

Atlantic Hockey

Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA)

College Hockey America

ECAC Hockey

Hockey East

Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA)

Division II conferences

:''See: List of NCAA conferences#Division II''

Division III conferences

:''See: List of NCAA conferences#Division III''

Media

The NCAA has current media rights contracts with CBS Sports, CBS College Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN Plus, and Turner Sports for coverage of its 88 championships. According to the official NCAA website, ESPN and its associated networks have rights to 21 championships, CBS to 67, and Turner Sports to one. The following are the most prominent championships and rightsholders:

CBS: Men's basketball (NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, with Turner Sports, and NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament), track and field, ice hockey (women's division I)

ESPN: Women's basketball (all divisions), baseball, softball, ice hockey (men's division I), football (all divisions including Div. I FCS), soccer (division I for both sexes)

Turner Sports: NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament with CBS

Westwood One has exclusive radio rights to the men's and women's basketball Final Fours to the men's College World Series (baseball). DirecTV has an exclusive package expanding CBS' coverage of the men's basketball tournament.

Video games based on popular NCAA sports such as football and basketball are licensed by Electronic Arts.

Football television controversy

In the late 1940s there were only two colleges in the country with a national TV contract, a considerable source of revenue. As a reaction, the NCAA voted to prohibit any live TV broadcast of college football games during the 1951 season. No sooner had the NCAA voted to ban television than public outcry forced it to retreat. Instead, the NCAA voted to restrict the number of televised games for each team to stop the slide in gate attendance. Harold Stassen, president of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn), defied the monopoly and signed a $200,000 contract with ABC. Eventually, Penn was forced to back down when the NCAA threatened to expel the Quakers from the association.

By the 1980s, televised college football had become a much larger source of income for the NCAA. If the television contracts the NCAA had with ABC, CBS, and ESPN had remained in effect for the 1984 season, they would have generated US$73.6 million for the Association and its members. In September 1981, the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma and the University of Georgia Athletic Association filed suit against the NCAA in district court in Oklahoma. The plaintiffs stated that the NCAA's football television plan constituted price fixing, output restraints, boycott, and monopolizing, all of which were illegal under the Sherman Act. The NCAA argued that its pro-competitive and non-commercial justifications for the plan—-protection of live gate, maintenance of competitive balance among NCAA member institutions and creation of a more attractive "product" to compete with other forms of entertainment—-combined to make the plan reasonable.

In September 1982, the district court found in favor of the plaintiffs, ruling that the plan violated antitrust laws. It enjoined the Association from enforcing the contract. The NCAA appealed all the way to the United States Supreme Court, but lost in 1984 in the 7-2 ruling NCAA v. Board of Regents of Univ. of Oklahoma.

Eligibility

To participate in college athletics in the freshmen year the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) states that students must meet three requirements; graduate from high school, complete the minimum required academic courses, and have qualifying grade-point average (GPA) and SAT or ACT scores.

The 16 academic credits are four courses in English, two courses in math, two classes in social science, two in natural or physical science, and one additional course in English, math, natural or physical science, or another academic course such as foreign language.

To meet the requirements for grade point average and SAT scores students the lowest possible GPA a student may be eligible with is a 1.700 with an SAT score of 1400. The lowest SAT score a student may be eligible with is 700 with a GPA of 2.500.

As of 2011, a high school student may sign a letter of intent to enter and play football for a college only after the first Wednesday in February. In August 2011, the NCAA announced plans to raise academic requirements for postseason competition, including its two most prominent competitions, football's Bowl Championship Series and the Men's Division I Basketball Championship; the new requirement, which are based on an "academic progress rate" that measures retention and graduation rates, and is calculated on a four-year, rolling basis. The changes raise the rate from 900 to 930, which represents a 50% graduation rate.

Rules violations

Member schools pledge to follow the rules promulgated by the NCAA. Creation of a mechanism to enforce the NCAA's legislation occurred in 1952 after careful consideration by the membership.

Allegations of rules violations are referred to the NCAA's investigative staff. A preliminary investigation is initiated to determine if an official inquiry is warranted and to categorize any resultant violations as secondary or major. If several violations are found, the NCAA may determine that the school as a whole has exhibited a "lack of institutional control." The institution involved is notified promptly and may appear in its own behalf before the NCAA Committee on Infractions.

Findings of the Committee on Infractions and the resultant sanctions in major cases are reported to the institution. Sanctions will generally include having the institution placed on "probation" for a period of time, in addition to other penalties. The institution may appeal the findings or sanctions to an appeals committee. After considering written reports and oral presentations by representatives of the Committee on Infractions and the institution, the committee acts on the appeal. Action may include accepting the infractions committee's findings and penalty, altering either, or making its own findings and imposing an appropriate penalty. The current longest running period of sanctions belongs to the University of Alabama (at Tuscaloosa). Sanctions at Alabama cover all major sports and will expire in June 2012 (extending the record for 17 years upon being penalized in 1995). The football team has been the most severely penalized program in the FBS (formerly Division I) over the past 25 years.

In cases of particularly egregious misconduct, the NCAA has the power to ban a school from participating in a particular sport, a penalty known as the "Death Penalty". Since 1985, any school that commits major violations during the probationary period can be banned from the sport involved for up to two years. However, when the NCAA opts not to issue a death penalty for a repeat violation, it must explain why it didn't do so. This penalty has only been imposed three times in its modern form, most notably when Southern Methodist University's football team had its 1987 season canceled due to massive rules violations dating back more than a decade. SMU opted not to field a team in 1988 as well due to the aftershocks from the sanctions, and the program has never recovered; it has only two winning seasons and one bowl appearance since then. The devastating effect the death penalty had on SMU has reportedly made the NCAA skittish about issuing another one. Since the SMU case, there are only three instances where the NCAA has seriously considered imposing it against a Division I school; it imposed it against Division II Morehouse College's men's soccer team in 2003 and Division III MacMurray College's men's tennis team in 2005.

Additionally, in particularly egregious cases of rules violations, coaches, athletic directors and athletic support staff can be barred from working for any NCAA member school without permission from the NCAA. This procedure is known as a "show-cause penalty" (not to be confused with an order to show cause in the legal sense). Theoretically, a school can hire someone with a "show cause" on their record during the time the show cause order is in effect only with permission from the NCAA Infractions Committee. The school assumes the risks and stigma of hiring such a person. It may then end up being sanctioned by the NCAA and the Infractions Committee for their choice, possibly losing athletic scholarships, revenue from schools who would not want to compete with that other school, and the ability for their games to be televised, along with restrictions on recruitment and practicing times. As a result, a show-cause order usually has the effect of blackballing individuals from being hired for the duration of the order.

Currently, Dave Bliss, former basketball coach at Baylor University, has the longest show cause order. As a result of his involvement in serious rules violations, Bliss is effectively banned from coaching at the major college level until the 2015-16 season.

Division I-FBS institutions on probation

The following Division I Football Bowl Subdivision institutions are currently on probation by the NCAA in one or more sports: >Alabama Crimson Tide footballUSC Trojans footballGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets

style="width:20%; text-align:left;"	Institution	Sport(s)	Expiry
FIU Golden Panthers	Florida International University	FIU Golden Panthers football>Football, Men's Basketball, Men's Cross Country, Men's Soccer, Men's Indoor & Outdoor Track, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Women's Softball, Women's Swimming, Women's Tennis, Women's Volleyball	5 May 2012
Florida State Seminoles	Florida State University	Baseball, Men's Basketball, Football, Men's Golf, Men's Swimming, Men's Indoor & Outdoor Track, Women's Basketball, Women's Cross Country, Women's Swimming, Women's Softball
University of Alabama	Football, Softball, Baseball, Women's Gymnastics, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Men's Golf, Women's Golf, Men's Swimming, Women's Swimming, Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis, Men's Indoor & Outdoor, Women's Indoor & Outdoor Track || 11 June 2012
UCF Knights	University of Central Florida	UCF Knights football>Football
Memphis Tigers	University of Memphis	Memphis Tigers men's basketball>Men's Basketball, Women's Golf
New Mexico Lobos	University of New Mexico	New Mexico Lobos football>Football
USC Trojans	University of Southern California	Football, Men's Basketball, Women's Tennis || 2014
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	Georgia Institute of Technology	Football, Men's Basketball || 13 July 2015

Division I-FCS institutions on probation

The following Division I-FCS institutions are currently on probation by the NCAA in one or more sports: >

style="width:20%; text-align:left;"	Institution	Sport(s)	Expiry
Alabama State University	Football	9 December 2011
Holy Cross Crusaders	College of the Holy Cross	Men's Soccer
Eastern Washington University	2009 Eastern Washington Eagles football team>Football
Georgetown Hoyas	Georgetown University	Baseball
Georgia Southern Eagles	Georgia Southern University	Men's Basketball
Prairie View A&M; University	Women's Basketball
Texas Southern University	Women's Softball, Men's Tennis, Women's Tennis
		Division I non-football institutions on probation	The following Division I non-football institutions are currently on probation by the NCAA in one or more sports:

>

style="width:20%; text-align:left;"	Institution	Sport(s)	Expiry
Texas A&M; University–Corpus Christi	Men's Tennis, Women's Volleyball	24 March 2013
South Alabama Jaguars	University of South Alabama	Men's Tennis

Division II institutions on probation

The following Division II institutions are currently on probation by the NCAA in one or more sports: >

style="width:20%; text-align:left;"	Institution	Sport(s)	Expiry
Brigham Young University–Hawaii	Women's Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Men's Basketball, Men's Soccer, Men's Tennis	25 August 2012
Lane College	Football, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
Miles College	Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Women's Volleyball, Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Baseball, Football, Women's Softball, Men's Indoor & Outdoor Track, Women's Indoor Track, Mixed Outdoor Track
Saint Leo University	Men's Cross Country
Salem International University	Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Baseball, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer
St. Augustine's College (Raleigh)	Men's Basketball, Football, Men's Indoor & Outdoor Track, Men's Volleyball, Women's Softball, Women's Volleyball, Women's Indoor & Outdoor Track, Men's Tennis
University of West Georgia	Men's Golf, Women's Golf, Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Football, Women's Volleyball, Baseball, Women's Softball, Women's Soccer
University of the District of Columbia	All Sports

Division III institutions on probation

The following Division III institutions are currently on probation by the NCAA in one or more sports: >

style="width:20%; text-align:left;"	Institution	Sport(s)	Expiry
Baruch College	Women's Basketball	Unknown
Buffalo State College	Women's Lacrosse, Women's Basketball, Men's Ice Hockey, Women's Ice Hockey
Fontbonne University	Football, Women's Basketball, Men's Lacrosse
Hobart and William Smith Colleges	Hobart College	Football
Southern Vermont College	Baseball, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer
State University of New York at Geneseo	Men's Ice Hockey
State University of New York at Potsdam	Men's Ice Hockey, Women's Ice Hockey, Men's Lacrosse, Women's Lacrosse, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball
Wesley College (Delaware)	Football

Subsidiaries

The NCAA runs the officiating software company ArbiterSports, based in Sandy, Utah, a joint venture between two subsidiaries of the NCAA, Arbiter LLC and eOfficials LLC. The NCAA has said their objective is for the venture to help improve the fairness, quality and consistency of officiating across amateur athletics.

Sponsors

>

style="width:30%; text-align:left;"	Company	Category	Since
AT&T; Mobility	AT&T;	Wireless services	2001
Coca-Cola	Non-alcoholic beverages
CapitalOne	Banking and credit cards
Nissan (Infiniti)	Car & parts
Enterprise Rent-A-Car	Car rental
The Hartford	Mutual funds and related financial services
Hershey's (Reese's)	Candy
LG	Electronics
Lowe's	Home improvement
Kraft Foods	Kraft (Planters)	Snack foods
Unilever	Personal-care products
United Parcel Service	UPS	Package delivery and logistics

AT&T;, Coca-Cola and CapitalOne are NCAA Corporate Champions. Other sponsors are NCAA Corporate Partners.

Criticisms

Numerous criticisms have been lodged against the NCAA. These include: Several people, notably including former ''Sports Illustrated'' columnist Rick Reilly, have criticized the NCAA for its inflexibility.

Former NCAA President Walter Byers in his book ''Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Exploiting College Athletes'' refers to the NCAA's operation by stating that "Today the NCAA Presidents Commission is preoccupied with tightening a few loose bolts in a worn machine, firmly committed to the neo-plantation belief that the enormous proceeds from college games belong to the overseers (administrators) and supervisors (coaches). The plantation workers performing in the arena may only receive those benefits authorized by the overseers."

Following losing the 1953 case ''The University of Denver v Nemeth'', where it was found that a student and athlete was owed workers' compensation, it has been argued that the NCAA created the term "student-athlete". This was done according to Andrew Zimbalist in his book ''Unpaid Professionals'' (1999) to prevent similar future litigation losses. In 2007, the case of White et al. v NCAA was brought by former NCAA student-athletes Jason White, Brian Pollack, Jovan Harris and Chris Craig as a class action lawsuit. They argued that the NCAA's current limits on a full scholarship or Grant in Aid was a violation of federal antitrust laws. Their reasoning was that in the absence of such a limit, NCAA member schools would be free to offer any financial aid packages they desired to recruit the student and athlete. The NCAA settled before a ruling by the court, by agreeing to set up the Former Student-Athlete Fund to "assist qualified candidates applying for receipt of career development expenses and/or reimbursement of educational expenses under the terms of the agreement with plaintiffs in a federal antitrust lawsuit." More information about this settlement is available at NCAA

The National Collegiate Players Association (NCPA) is a group started by former UCLA football players with the purpose of organizing student-athletes. Their goal is to change NCAA rules they view as unjust. Today this continues by:

#Raising the scholarship amount #Holding schools responsible for their players' sports-related medical injuries #Increasing graduation rates.

Other collegiate athletic organizations

The NCAA is the dominant, but not the only, collegiate athletic organization in the United States. Several other such organizations exist.

In the United States

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)

National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)

National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA)

United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA)

Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) – disbanded in 1982, after the NCAA began sponsoring championships in women's sports

Foreign intercollegiate/interuniversity equivalents

British Universities & Colleges Sport

Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS)

Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA)

National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines) (NCAA) and University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) for Philippines (among other leagues)

International governing body

International University Sports Federation (FISU) (Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire)

See also

Academic Progress Rate

College athletics

College rivalries

List of college athletic programs by U.S. state

List of college sports team nicknames

List of U.S. college mascots

Prime Time League

Higher education in the United States

Collegiate Club Sports

References

External links

NCAA official site

NCAA administrative website

NCAA student information website

* Category:Sports governing bodies of the United States Category:Organizations established in 1906 Category:Organizations based in Indianapolis, Indiana

ca:National Collegiate Athletic Association cs:National Collegiate Athletic Association de:National Collegiate Athletic Association es:National Collegiate Athletic Association eu:NCAA fr:National Collegiate Athletic Association gl:NCAA id:NCAA it:National Collegiate Athletic Association he:NCAA lv:Nacionālā koledžu sporta asociācija lt:NCAA nl:National Collegiate Athletic Association ja:全米大学体育協会 no:National Collegiate Athletic Association pl:National Collegiate Athletic Association pt:National Collegiate Athletic Association ru:Национальная ассоциация студенческого спорта simple:National Collegiate Athletic Association fi:NCAA sv:National Collegiate Athletic Association ta:என்.சி.ஏ.ஏ. th:NCAA tr:NCAA zh:全美大學體育協會

Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
position	Guard
height ft	6
height in	2
weight lb	195
nationality	American
birth date	February 25, 1989
birth place	Glens Falls, New York
highschool	Glens Falls
college	Brigham Young
draft round	1
draft pick	10
draft year	2011
draft team	Milwaukee Bucks
team	Sacramento Kings
number	7
highlights	}}

James Taft "Jimmer" Fredette (born February 25, 1989) is an American professional basketball player with the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association. He gained national fame during his collegiate career at Brigham Young University, where he was the leading scorer in all of NCAA Division I basketball during his senior season and earned every major National Player of the Year honor, including the Wooden Award, the Naismith Award, the Adolph Rupp Trophy, and the Oscar Robertson Trophy. Fredette is a native of Glens Falls, New York.

Early life

Fredette was born in Glens Falls, New York to parents Al and Kay Fredette, as the youngest of three children. Named James Taft Fredette, he later received the nickname "Jimmer" from his mother.

From his early childhood, he showed unusual dedication to athletics, his older brother TJ recalling, "He was the most determined, competitive four-year-old I had ever seen." TJ helped Jimmer train for his basketball career since before kindergarten. He regularly played with TJ, seven years older, and TJ's friends on the family's backyard court. Fredette was able to hit three-pointers at age 5, and developed moves to get around his larger opponents. TJ also remembered that his brother "willed himself to find ways to win, even if he was physically outmatched. From the time he was 10, I was telling everybody he was going to make the NBA."

Other family members assisted Fredette in his development. His father, a financial adviser, introduced Jimmer to schoolyard competition against adults at age 8. As Jimmer developed, his father took him on occasional road trips to Hartford and New York City for more intense competition, and also helped to coach his AAU teams. His mother allowed him to bounce basketballs throughout the house, and even built a dribbling studio for him in their basement. Her brother Lee Taft, a personal trainer who now operates a speed training school in Indianapolis, started him on running drills as a 5-year-old, and still works with Fredette.

Jimmer also has an older sister, Lindsay, Miss Teen New York 1998. Fredette's father became a Mormon at the age of 18 after meeting missionary Kimball Rogers—the father of Fredette's BYU teammate Stephen Rogers— While his mother is a Catholic. Fredette, along with his two older siblings, chose to become a Mormon after their parents allowed them to choose their religion.

High school career

Fredette was ranked among the nation's top 75 shooting guards by ESPN.com in high school. He is Section II's and Glens Falls High School's all-time leading scorer, ranking 6th on New York's all-time scoring list, with 2,404 points. Fredette was named first-team all-state by the New York State Sportswriters Association and the ''Times Union'' as a junior and senior. He had several memorable on court moments in his career at Glens Falls, including 12 different 40 point performances in his senior season, and a shot against Voorheesville High School in the season opener of his junior year in which he banked a three pointer off the glass and in with his opposite hand to force overtime at the end of regulation. In his senior season Fredette led his team to a 25–2 record and the Class A State Championship game which they lost to a Peekskill High School team led by current Syracuse University forward Mookie Jones. He played AAU for the Albany City Rocks alongside current Penn State University point guard Talor Battle. Fredette averaged 25 points per game to help the Rocks to a third-place win over the Minnesota Magic at the 2006 AAU National Championships. He also lit up the Sportsfest Tournament at Cedar Beach in Allentown, PA during a prestigious outdoor summer tournament. His performance included four three-pointers in the first half of the championship game fighting against 10–15 mph gusts of wind.

Despite his high school accolades, he went largely unnoticed by the traditional "basketball powers". He received offers from 12 schools and ultimately chose to attend BYU, which was sister Lindsay's alma mater and the flagship school of the LDS Church.

College career

Fredette played basketball collegiately at Brigham Young University from 2007-2011. He wore jersey number 32 and was an American Studies major in college.

Freshman year

Fredette played in all 35 games for the Cougars as a true freshman, helping BYU earn a 27–8 record and capture the Mountain West Conference Championship. He averaged 18.5 minutes, 7.0 points, 1.7 assists, 1.1 rebounds per game, and was the team's fifth-leading scorer. {|class="wikitable" |- !Year !Games Played !Minutes/Game !Points/Game !Rebounds/Game !Assists/Game |- |2007–08 Brigham Young Cougars men's basketball team|2007–2008 |35 |18.5 |7.0 |1.1 |1.7 |}

Sophomore year

Fredette played in all 33 games of his sophomore season starting 32 of them. He was second on the team in scoring (16.2), three-point shooting percentage (.382), three-point makes (52), and free throw percentage (.847), and first in steals (1.5) and assists (4.1). He scored in double figures 29 times and had 20-plus points 8 times. Fredette led the team in scoring 10 times, assists 19 times, and was named first team all Mountain West. Fredette became BYU's first point guard to earn first-team all-conference honors since Marty Haws in 1990. {|class="wikitable" |- !Year !Games Played !Minutes/Game !Points/Game !Rebounds/Game !Assists/Game |- |2008–09 Brigham Young Cougars men's basketball team|2008–2009 |33 |33.0 |16.2 |3.0 |4.1 |}

Junior year

On December 28, 2009, Jimmer Fredette scored 49 points against the Arizona Wildcats, setting a new BYU record and a new McKale Center record for points scored in a single game.

On March 11, 2010, Fredette scored 45 points, shooting 10-for-23 from the field, and making 23-of-24 free throws, in his team's 95–85 win over TCU. His scoring broke the Mountain West Conference tournament and tournament single-game records. His free throw shooting broke the MWC tournament record for free throws in a single game.

On March 18, 2010, Fredette helped secure BYU's first round win in the NCAA tournament. He went on to score 37 points and hit two 3-pointers in double-overtime to seal the Cougars' 99–92 win over 10th-seeded Florida, the first time they had reached the second round of the tournament in 17 years. In doing so, he tied a BYU record for most points scored in an NCAA tournament game. (Danny Ainge, 1981) .

Fredette considered foregoing his senior year and entering the draft after his junior year, and he was expected to be picked 25th to 30th, but in the end he decided to stay at BYU and play his senior year.

{|class="wikitable" |- !Year !Games Played !Minutes/Game !Points/Game !Rebounds/Game !Assists/Game |- |2009–10 Brigham Young Cougars men's basketball team|2009–2010 |34 |31.1 |22.1 |3.1 |4.7 |}

Senior year

Fredette was named co-captain of his team alongside Jackson Emery and Logan Magnusson. He was the top-ranked point guard in the nation according to Rivals.com and led the nation in points per game despite frequently being double- or triple-teamed, which allowed him to open up shots for his teammates.

Fredette scored a season-high 47 points in BYU's road victory over archrival Utah on January 11, 2011, scoring 32 in the first half including a 40-foot buzzer beater to end the first half. He finished with 16–28 on shooting along with 4 rebounds and 6 assists. He also scored 39 against UNLV on January 5, 2011 and 33 in a rematch against the same University of Arizona team he scored 49 against his junior season.

On December 8, 2010, he returned to his hometown of Glens Falls, in what was dubbed "The Hometown Classic," to play Vermont in the Glens Falls Civic Center, scoring 26 and attracting a crowd of 6,300, nearly half of Glens Falls' population of 14,354.

On January 26, 2011, in the Mountain West Conference's first battle of top-10 teams, which attracted a crowd of over 22,700 at BYU's Marriott Center, Jimmer scored 43 points against previously undefeated San Diego State, ending the game in a 71–58 victory. This was his third game this season to score over 40 points. When BYU played on the road in San Diego, BYU dealt SDSU its only other loss that season, with an 80–67 victory in which Fredette had 25 points, 9 assists and 3 rebounds.

He became the Mountain West Conference's all-time leading scorer on Feb. 5, 2011 with a 29-point performance versus UNLV in the Marriott Center.

On March 7, 2011, Fredette was named both the Mountain West Conference's player of the year and the CBSSports.com National Player of the Year. He was among the final ten candidates for the Bob Cousy Award.

On March 11, 2011, in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference Championship Tournament, Fredette broke BYU's career scoring record, passing Danny Ainge, and set the school's single game scoring record with a career-high 52 point game against New Mexico, to whom BYU had lost twice in the regular season. He also set BYU's record for most points in one half by scoring 33 points in the first half of the game.

On March 17, 2011, Fredette led 3rd-seeded BYU's scoring in the first round of the NCAA tournament with 32 points, leading the Cougars to a 74–66 victory over 14th-seeded Wofford, and the second consecutive year BYU would advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament.

On March 19, 2011, Fredette again led BYU's scoring with 34 points as they defeated 11th-seeded Gonzaga 89–67, and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament (Sweet Sixteen) for the first time since 1981, falling to the Florida Gators (in overtime) in a rematch of the game from last year.

He was picked to the First Team All-America by Fox Sports.

{|class="wikitable" |- !Year !Games Played !Minutes/Game !Points/Game !Rebounds/Game !Assists/Game !Turnovers/Game !Assist/Turnover !Blocks/Game !Steals/Game |- |2010–11 |37 |35.8 |28.9 |3.4 |4.3 |3.5 |1.2 |0 |1.3 |}

For his senior year performance, Fredette was nigh unanimously named the 2011 national player of the year, being so named by the Associated Press, ''Basketball Times'', CBSSports.com, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, SI.com, Athlon Sports, and ''Sporting News''. He was also awarded the 2011 Best Male College Athlete ESPY Award.

After BYU's nationally televised game against San Diego State in which Fredette scored 43 points, the media attention around Jimmer became significant. Fredette gained "pop culture lore," and his name became a verb—opponents on whom he scored large amounts of points were considered "Jimmered." His image appeared in on one of the regional covers for Sports Illustrated for the 2011 NCAA tournament preview issue.

YouTube became replete with highlight reels and tribute songs about Fredette (e.g., "Teach Me How to Jimmer"); in February 2011 BYU student Michelle Peralta, who chastised people for "worshiping" Jimmer via the campus newspaper and Facebook, was inundated by comments from hundreds of Fredette supporters, the popular media declaring that "Michelle Peralta got Jimmered."

While revealing his NCAA Tournament Brackets, President Barack Obama said of Fredette: "Unbelievable. Best scorer obviously in the country. Great talent."

Professional career

On June 23, 2011, Fredette was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He was subsequently traded to the Sacramento Kings in a deal with Milwaukee and the Charlotte Bobcats involving John Salmons, Beno Udrih, Shaun Livingston, Corey Maggette, Stephen Jackson and the No. 10 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Playing style and personality

In a January 2011 article, ''Sports Illustrated'' writer Kelli Anderson said about Fredette's playing style, }}

He has even been noted by several collegiate and NBA players across the country. Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder posted on his Twitter account that "Jimmer Fredette is the greatest scorer in the world!", while Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns tweeted "Jimmer Fredette? That name's straight out of Hoosiers. No wonder he never misses." Jared Sullinger, a forward at Ohio State University, said "Jimmer is going off right now. Pure scorer."

Other facets of his personality have been noted by other college coaches. Former Utah coach Jim Boylen has cited "swagger and confidence" as Fredette's biggest weapons, and Villanova's Jay Wright has also remarked favorably on Fredette's on-court aggressiveness, comparing him to Pete Maravich in that respect. However, according to Anderson, Fredette "is fiercely competitive while remaining unassuming and likable," noting that Arizona coach Sean Miller hugged Fredette after he scored 49 on the Wildcats, and the Utah fans who saw Fredette score 47 on the Utes in January 2011 gave him an ovation as he left the court.

Jimmer describes his older brother TJ as his biggest fan and supporter. TJ, whose song "Amazing" was written for his brother, said, "I see him play, and it gives me chills sometimes when he hits some of those big shots and the crowd is going crazy."

In an article published in Sports Illustrated, Marcus Morris, a forward at Kansas, noted the work ethic and moral character Fredette exhibited while at USA Basketball camp. He said, "He’s got heart. You can see he has a feel for the game, and he can shoot it from anywhere. Even if you try to box-and-one the guy, he brings it up and just pulls up from the hashmark. That’s tough to guard."

An unusual set of Fredette fans reside in the Mount McGregor Correctional Facility, a medium security prison, where he and his older brother played games with the inmates. Fredette credits these experiences as helping with his focus in rough situations.

Personal life

On August 26, 2011, Fredette announced his engagement to BYU cheerleader Whitney Wonnacott on Twitter.

See also

List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season scoring leaders

List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career scoring leaders

2010 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

References

External links

Official NBA profile

Official BYU profile

Deseret News "Jimmer Fredette took the long path to stardom"

New York Times "Path to B.Y.U. Stardom Began in Upstate New York"

Category:1989 births Category:Living people Category:American Latter Day Saints Category:Basketball players from New York Category:BYU Cougars men's basketball players Category:People from Glens Falls, New York Category:Point guards Category:Shooting guards Category:Milwaukee Bucks draft picks

de:Jimmer Fredette es:Jimmer Fredette fr:Jimmer Fredette gl:Jimmer Fredette hr:Jimmer Fredette it:Jimmer Fredette lv:Džimers Fredete pl:Jimmer Fredette ru:Фредетт, Джиммер

Anthony Robles (born July 20, 1988) is a wrestler who won the 2010-11 NCAA individual wrestling championship in the 125-pound weight class despite being born with only one leg.

Youth

Robles was born with only one leg, but refused to wear a prosthetic leg, removing it at the age of 3. He endeavored to work around his missing leg, strengthening his body with various exercises. When Robles was in the sixth grade, he set a record for the most pushups by a member of his school. He began wrestling in the eighth grade, joining in while watching one of his older cousins practice. Robles won two Arizona State wrestling championships, going 46-0 in both his junior and senior years at Mesa High School, in Mesa, Arizona. Robles finished his high school wrestling career with a record of 129-15.

Arizona State

Robles redshirted as a freshman at Arizona State University, and finished 6th in the 2006 FILA Junior World Championships in the 55kg Freestyle Wrestling category. Robles started his collegiate wrestling career in 2007-08, where he was nationally ranked and finished the year with a record of 25-11, falling just short of being named as an All-American. In his second competitive year as a collegiate wrestler (2008-2009) Robles earned All-American Honors, finishing the year 29-8, winning the Pac 10 Conference Championship at 125 pounds and finishing fourth in the NCAA Championship's 125 pound weight class tournament. In 2009-10, Robles again earned All-American honors, finishing seventh in the NCAA 125 pound weight class, going 32-4 on the season, and repeating as the Pac-10 125 pound wrestling champion.

In Robles' final year of eligibility (2010-11), Robles went undefeated, going 36-0 on the year, , becoming a three-time Pac-10 champion (defeating Jason Lara from Oregon State in the final , and a national champion, defeating the defending 125 pound NCAA Champion, Iowa's Matt McDonough 7-1 in the final. For his efforts, Robles was voted the Tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.

The 5'8" Robles concluded his Arizona State wrestling career with a record of 122-23, a three-time Pac-10 wrestling champion as well as a three-time All-American. Robles ranks 8th for most match wins by an Arizona State wrestler.

Future

Robles has stated that he wishes to become a motivational speaker, specifically for those who face similar handicaps.

See also

Casey Martin, a disabled golfer

Oscar Pistorius, a runner with no legs

Faldir Chahbari, a kickboxer with one functioning eye

References

Category:People from Mesa, Arizona Category:American sport wrestlers Category:1988 births Category:Living people Category:American people with disabilities

Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
name	Matthew McDonough
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist
birth name	Matthew McDonough
alias	sPaG; Spüg; MjDawn
birth date	March 12, 1969
origin	Chicago, Illinois
instrument	Drums
genre	Heavy metal
occupation	Drummer
years active	1996–present
label	Epic Records
associated acts	Mudvayne
website
notable instruments	Pearl Drums }}

Matthew McDonough (born March 12, 1969) is the drummer for heavy metal band Mudvayne. McDonough is the band's original drummer and has appeared and performed on every release by Mudvayne. He holds a respected place in the world of drumming for his signature drumming style.

Within Mudvayne, Matthew is the person who was probably the most influential in setting the direction for the concept themes on the band's first two albums. Matthew is also known for composing, recording, mixing, and mastering the electronic interludes on both ''L.D. 50'' and ''The End of All Things to Come''.

For his solo work, Matthew released his first album under the alias "MjDawn", called ''Frequency Response'' in 2008. In the album, he is experimenting with acoustic drumming and Electronica. Matthew, as MjDawn, also has several side projects both with ambient/electronica artist Vir Unis under the band name 'MiKroNaught' and with guitarist RFSans under the band name ultrAtheist.

On the production side of the music industry, he is co-owner of the label AtmoWorks together with Vir Unis.

Equipment

He uses Pearl Drums, Alchemy Cymbals, Easton Ahead Drum sticks, and Evans Drum heads. His Pearl Masterworks Kit with custom Tobacco Fade Finish and custom Satin Chrome Hardware :

20x16 Bass Drum

13x8 Custom Snare Drum

8x7 tom (suspended directly on top of his 10x8 tom)

10x8 tom

12x9 tom

14x10 tom

16x16 Suspended floor tom

18x16 suspended floor tom (to his left)

References

Category:1969 births Category:Living people Category:Mudvayne members Category:People from Peoria, Illinois Category:American heavy metal drummers

it:Matt McDonough pl:Matt McDonough pt:Matthew McDonough

Coordinates	41°52′55″N87°37′40″N
Width	200
Position	Forward
Number	33
Height ft	6 |height_in9
Weight lbs	220
Birth date	December 07, 1956
Birth place	West Baden, Indiana
Career start	1979
Career end	1992
Draft year	1978
Draft team	Boston Celtics
Draft round	1
Draft pick	6
College	Indiana State (1976–1979)
Years1	– |team1 Boston Celtics
Cyears1	– |cteam1 Indiana Pacers
Stat1label	Points
Stat1value	21,791 (24.3 ppg)
Stat2label	Assists
Stat2value	5,695 (6.3 apg)
Stat3label	Rebounds
Stat3value	8,974 (10.0 rpg)
Letter	b
Bbr	birdla01
Highlights	3× NBA Champion (, , ) 3× NBA Most Valuable Player (–) 12× NBA All-Star (–, –) 2× NBA Finals MVP (, ) 9× All-NBA First Team (–) All-NBA Second Team () 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (–) NBA Rookie of the Year () NBA All-Rookie First Team () NBA All-Star Game MVP () 3× Three-point Shootout champion (–) NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team #33 retired by Boston Celtics NBA Coach of the Year () John R. Wooden Award (1979) Naismith College Player of the Year (1979) AP National Player of the Year (1979) Oscar Robertson Trophy (1979) Adolph Rupp Trophy (1979) NABC Player of the Year (1979)
Hof player	larry-j-bird }}

Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish and forward Kevin McHale. Due to chronic back problems, he retired as a player in 1992. Bird was voted to the NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996 and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1998. He served as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1997 to 2000. In 2003, he assumed the role of president of basketball operations for the Pacers, which he currently holds.

Early life

Larry Bird was born in West Baden, Indiana, the son of Georgia (née Kerns) and Claude Joseph "Joe" Bird. He grew up in both West Baden and the adjacent town French Lick, which earned him the nickname "the Hick from French Lick" in his later basketball career. Financial troubles would plague the Bird family for most of Larry's childhood. Bird recalled how his mother would make do on the family's meager earnings: "If there was a payment to the bank due, and we needed shoes, she'd get the shoes, and then deal with them guys at the bank. I don't mean she wouldn't pay the bank, but the children always came first." According to Bird, his being poor as a child "motivates me to this day". He sometimes was sent to live with his grandmother due to the family's struggles. The Bird family's struggle with poverty was compounded by the alcoholism and personal difficulties of Joe Bird, who likely suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder from serving in the Korean War. Joe and Georgia Bird divorced in 1975; Joe Bird committed suicide the same year.

In spite of his domestic woes, by the time he was a high school sophomore, Bird had become one of the better basketball players in French Lick. He started for French Lick/West Baden's high school team, Springs Valley High School, where he left as the school's all-time scoring leader. Bird's high school coach, Jim Jones, was a key factor to Bird's success. "Jonesie", as Bird called him, would come help Bird and his friends practice any day of the week. Bird would often go to the gym early, shoot between classes, and stay late into the evening. He quit both football and baseball to focus on basketball.

Collegiate career

Bird received a basketball scholarship to Indiana University in 1974. However, he was overwhelmed by the size of the campus and number of students and was not mentally ready for this stage of life; according to Bird, "it didn't take long to realize that I was out of my cocoon." Bird was also treated poorly by an established IU star, Kent Benson; as Bird recalled, the other upperclassmen of the team treated him well. He dropped out of Indiana after 24 days, disappointing his mother. Bird returned home to French Lick where he enrolled in the nearby Northwood Institute before dropping out and getting a job with the Street Department (the department picked up garbage, repaired roads, removed snow, mowed lawns, etc.) for a year. He played AAU basketball for Hancock Construction and, after that year, decided to enroll at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, where he was coached by Bob King.

King suffered a stroke prior to the 1978–79 season and assistant Bill Hodges, who had persuaded Bird to return to college basketball, was promoted to head coach. Before Bird, the Sycamores had never been to the Division I NCAA tournament; he led the team to the NCAA championship game in 1979, his senior season, only to lose to the Michigan State University Spartans, who were led by his future NBA rival, Earvin "Magic" Johnson. The Sycamores finished the season 33–1. That year, Bird won the USBWA College Player of the Year, Naismith and Wooden Awards, given to the year's top male college basketball player. After his three seasons at Indiana State, he left as the fifth-highest scorer in NCAA history. Bird finished his collegiate career with an average of 30.3 points per game. In 2007, he was voted as one of the Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball 50 greatest players.

NCAA career statistics

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 1976–77 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana State | 28 || ... || 36.9 || .544 || ... || .840 || 13.3 || 4.4 || ... || ... || 32.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1977–78 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana State | 32 || ... || ... || .524 || ... || .793 || 11.5 || 3.9 || ... || ... || 30.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1978–79 | style="text-align:left;"| Indiana State | 34 || ... || ... || .532 || ... || .831 || 14.9 || 5.5 || ... || ... || 28.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| ... | 94 || ... || 36.9 || .533 || ... || .822 || 13.3 || 4.6 || ... || ... || 30.3 |-

1979–1981: Immediate impact

The Boston Celtics selected the 6'9", 220-pound Bird 6th overall in the 1978 NBA Draft, even though they were uncertain whether he would enter the NBA or remain at Indiana State to play his senior season. Bird ultimately decided to play his final college season, but the Celtics retained their exclusive right to sign him until the 1979 NBA Draft, because of the NBA's "junior eligible" rule that existed at that time (allowing a collegiate player to be drafted when the player's original "entering" class was graduating and giving them one calendar year to sign them, even if they went back to college). Shortly before that deadline, Bird agreed to sign with the Celtics for a US $650,000 a year contract, making him at the time the highest-paid rookie in the history of the NBA. Shortly afterwards, the NBA draft eligibility rules were changed to prevent teams from drafting players before they were ready to sign. The rule is called the Bird Collegiate Rule.

Bird's impact on the Celtics was immediate. The Celtics were 29–53 during the 1978–79 season, but with Bird the team improved to 61–21 in the 1979–80 season, posting the league's best regular season record. Bird's collegiate rival, Magic Johnson, also had entered the NBA in 1979, joining the Los Angeles Lakers. In 1980, despite a strong rookie season from Johnson, Bird was named the league's Rookie of the Year and was voted onto the Eastern Conference All-Star team (an honor he would receive for each of his 12 full seasons in the NBA). For the 1980 season, Bird led the Celtics in scoring (21.3 points/game), rebounding (10.4 rebounds/game), steals (143), and minutes played (2,955) and was second in assists (4.5 assists/game) and three-pointers (58). Though Boston was beaten by the more athletic Philadelphia 76ers in the Eastern Conference finals that year, Bird's addition to the team had renewed the promise of Celtic glory.

Following Bird's first season, the Celtics acquired center Robert Parish and the 3rd pick in the 1980 NBA Draft via a trade with the Golden State Warriors (in exchange for the 1st and 13th picks in the draft). After the Warriors took Joe Barry Carroll with the 1st pick and the Utah Jazz chose Darrell Griffith second, the Celtics selected University of Minnesota power forward Kevin McHale. With Bird at small forward, the additions of Parish and McHale gave Boston one of the most formidable frontcourts in the history of the NBA. The three would anchor the Celtics throughout Bird's career.

In his second season, Bird led the Celtics into the playoffs, where they faced off for a second consecutive year with Julius Erving's Philadelphia 76ers. Bird helped the Celtics overcome a 3–1 deficit by winning the last 3 games by 2, 2, and 1 point margins, propelling them into the NBA Finals, where they defeated the Houston Rockets in six games with Bird averaging 15.3 points on .419 shooting, 15.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game. It would be the first of three championships in Bird's career, as well as the first of his five Finals appearances.

1982–1987: MVPs, championships and the rivalry with Magic Johnson

The additions of Bird and Johnson rejuvenated the NBA, which had suffered from low attendance and minimal television interest through much of the 1970s. Immediately upon their entry into the league, the two players became repeating presences in the NBA Finals. Johnson's Lakers won the championship in 1980, Bird's Celtics captured the NBA title in 1981, and Johnson's Lakers wrested it back in 1982. Bird and Johnson first dueled in the 1979 NCAA title game; as professional basketball players, they would face off numerous times during the 1980s, including the NBA Finals of 1984, 1985 and 1987. Lakers versus Celtics, and specifically Bird versus Magic, quickly became one of the greatest rivalries in the history of basketball.

In 1984, the Celtics defeated the Lakers in a seven-game Finals, winning game seven 111–102. Bird averaged 27.4 points on .484 shooting and 14 rebounds a game during the series, earning the award of Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP). Bird was also named the league regular season MVP for that year. In 1985, however, the Lakers avenged the loss, defeating the Celtics in game 6 of the Finals in the Boston Garden. In a losing effort against Los Angeles, Bird averaged 23.8 points on .449 shooting, 8.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. That year, the NBA again named Bird the league MVP.

On , in a game played between the Celtics and Atlanta Hawks at the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana, Bird scored a career high 60 points in a tremendous shooting display. Bird scored all 19 of his points in the third quarter without the aid of a free throw; instead, he scored on jump shots from 20 feet and out. Bird scored Boston's last sixteen points in the game. In the fourth quarter, he made a fadeaway three-point shot while being fouled. He was not given continuation and the basket was not allowed (instead it was ruled a non-shooting foul and he received two free throws). Bird's 59th and 60th points were scored on a 17-foot jump shot at the buzzer. For the game, Bird officially shot 22 of 36 from the field, 1 of 4 from three-point range, and 15 of 16 from the free throw line.

Boston would have another great season the next year, with help from another Hall of Famer, Bill Walton. Walton, whose up and down career had been plagued by foot injuries, was looking for a team, and after having been turned down by the Lakers called Celtics president and general manager Red Auerbach in a last ditch effort to close out his career on an upswing. Because of Walton's reputation for being injury prone, Auerbach was initially unwilling to take a risk on him, but Bird, who happened to be in Auerbach's office at the time of Walton's call, urged him to sign Walton, saying that if Walton felt he was healthy enough to play, it was all Bird needed to hear.

With Walton backing up Kevin McHale and Robert Parish, the Celtics would return to the finals in 1986, albeit not against Johnson and the Lakers, who lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Houston Rockets. The 1986 Celtic team, which finished the regular season 67–15 and defeated the Rockets in six games, is generally considered to be the best of Bird's career. Bird again was named the Finals' MVP for that year, averaging 24 points on .482 shooting, 9.7 rebounds and 9.5 assists per game for the series. He also won his third consecutive league MVP award, a feat matched only by the great Celtic center Bill Russell and the dominant Wilt Chamberlain, who played for Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

In 1987, the Celtics made their last Finals appearance of Bird's career, fighting through difficult series against the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons but as they reached the NBA Finals, the Celtics, hampered by devastating injuries, lost to a dominant Lakers team which had won 65 games during the season. The Celtics ended up losing to the Lakers in six games, with Bird averaging 24.2 points on .445 shooting, 10 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game in the championship series. The Celtics would fall short in 1988 losing to the Pistons in 6 games in the Eastern Conference Finals as the Pistons made up from the heartbreak the previous season. Between them, Bird and Johnson captured eight NBA championships during the 1980s, with Magic getting five and Bird three. During the 1980s, either Boston or Los Angeles appeared in every NBA Finals.

Throughout the 1980s, contests between the Celtics and the Lakers—both during the regular season and in the Finals—attracted enormous television audiences. The first regular season game between the Celtics and the Lakers in the 1987–88 season proved to be a classic with Magic Johnson banking in an off balance shot from near the 3-point line at the buzzer for a 115–114 Lakers win at Boston Garden. The historical rift between the teams, which faced each other several times in championship series of the 1960s, fueled fan interest in the rivalry. Not since Bill Russell squared off against Wilt Chamberlain had professional basketball enjoyed such a marquee matchup. The apparent contrast between the two players and their respective teams seemed scripted for television: Bird, the introverted small-town hero with the blue-collar work ethic, fitted perfectly with the throwback, hard-nosed style of the Celtics, while the stylish, gregarious Johnson ran the Lakers' fast-paced "Showtime" offense amidst the bright lights and celebrities of Los Angeles. A 1986 Converse commercial for its "Weapon" line of basketball shoes (endorsed by both Bird and Johnson) reflected the perceived dichotomy between the two players. In the commercial, Bird is practicing alone on a rural basketball court when Johnson pulls up in a sleek limousine and challenges him to a one-on-one match.

Despite the intensity of their rivalry, Bird and Johnson became friends off the court. Their friendship blossomed when the two players worked together to film the 1986 Converse commercial, which depicted them as archenemies. Johnson appeared at Bird's retirement ceremony on February 4, 1993 and emotionally described Bird as a "friend forever."

1988–1992: The twilight years

In 1988, Bird had the best statistical season of his career, but the Celtics failed to reach the NBA Finals for the first time in five years, losing to the Pistons in six games during the Eastern Conference Finals. Bird started the 1988–89 season with Boston, but ended his season after six games to have bone spurs surgically removed from both of his heels. He returned to the Celtics in 1989, but debilitating back problems and an aging Celtic roster prevented him from regaining his mid-1980s form. Nonetheless, through the final years of his career, Bird maintained his status as one of the premier players in the game. He averaged over 20 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists a game in his last three seasons with the Celtics, and shot better than 45% from the field in each. Bird led the Celtics to playoff appearances in each of those three seasons.

Bird's body, however, continued to break down. He had been bothered by back problems for years, and his back became progressively worse. After leading the Celtics to a 29–5 start to the 1990–91 season, he missed 22 games due to a compressed nerve root in his back, a condition that would eventually lead to his retirement. He had off-season surgery to remove a disc from his back, but his back problems continued and he missed 37 games during the 1991–92 season. During the 1992 Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers Bird missed 4 of 7 games in the series due to his back problems.

}} In the summer of 1992, Bird joined Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and other NBA stars to play for the United States basketball team in that year's Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. It was the first time in America's Olympic history that the country sent professional basketball players to compete. The "Dream Team" won the men's basketball gold medal.

Following his Olympic experience, on August 18, 1992, Bird announced his retirement as an NBA player. He finished his career with averages of more than 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists per game, while shooting 49.6% from the field, 88.6% from the free throw line and 37.6% from three-point range. Following Bird's departure, the Celtics promptly retired his jersey number 33.

In 1989, Bird published his autobiography, ''Drive: The Story of My Life'' with Bob Ryan. The book chronicles his life and career up to the 1989 NBA season.

NBA career after retirement

The Celtics employed Bird as a special assistant in the team's front office from 1992 until 1997. In 1997, Bird accepted the position of coach of the Indiana Pacers and said he would be on the job for no more than 3 years. Despite having no previous coaching experience, Bird led the Pacers to a 58–24 record—the franchise's best as an NBA team at the time—in the 1997–98 season, and pushed the Bulls to seven games in the Eastern Conference finals. He was named the NBA Coach of the Year for his efforts, becoming the only person in NBA history to have won both the MVP and Coach of the Year awards. He then led the Pacers to two consecutive Central Division titles in 1999 and 2000, and a berth in the NBA finals in 2000.

Bird resigned as Pacers coach shortly after the end of the 2000 season, following through on his initial promise to coach for only 3 years. In 2003, he returned as the Pacers' President of Basketball Operations, where he oversees team personnel and coaching moves, as well as the team's draft selections. Bird promoted David Morway to general manager in 2008, but Bird still has the final say in basketball matters.

Head coaching record

|- | align="left" |IND | align="left" | |82||58||24||.707|| align="center" |2nd in Central||16||10||6||.625 | align="center" |Lost in Conf. Finals |- | align="left" |IND | align="left" | |50||33||17||.660|| align="center" |1st in Central||13||9||4||.692 | align="center" |Lost in Conf. Finals |- | align="left" |IND | align="left" | |82||56||26||.683|| align="center" |1st in Central||23||13||10||.565 | align="center" |Lost in NBA Finals |-class="sortbottom" | align="left" |Career | ||214||147||67||.687|| ||52||32||20||.615

Legacy

}}

In 1999, Bird ranked #30 in ''ESPN's SportsCentury's 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century''.

For the 2008 NBA Finals, which featured a rematch of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry, Bird appeared in a split-screen advertisement with Magic Johnson (as part of the "There Can Only Be One" campaign which had played throughout the 2008 NBA Playoffs but to that point only featured players from the two teams competing in a given series) discussing the meaning of rivalries.

Bird was widely considered one of Red Auerbach's favorite players. He considered Bird to be the greatest basketball player of all time. Auerbach was so enamored with the player that he drafted him out of Indiana State and waited a year before Bird was eligible to suit up for the Celtics. During his introductory press conference, after Auerbach's contentious negotiations with agent Bob Woolf, Bird announced he "would have played for free." This was after Woolf asked for the most lucrative contract in NBA history, to which Auerbach was quick to point out that Bird hadn't played a game in the NBA yet.

Player profile

Bird, a versatile wing man who played the power forward and small forward positions, is considered one of the greatest players of all time, to which his twelve All-Star team nominations are a testament. The sharpshooting Bird made his name stepping up his performance in critical situations, and is credited with a long list of dominating games, buzzer beaters and clutch defensive plays. He won two NBA Finals MVP and three regular-season MVP awards. He won them all in a row, a feat only shared by Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain.

Bird possessed an uncanny and unparalleled ability to anticipate and react to the strategies of his opponents. His talent for recognizing the moves of opponents and teammates prompted his first coach with the Celtics, Bill Fitch, to nickname him "Kodak", because he seemed to formulate mental pictures of every play that took place on the court.

Bird scored 24.3 points per game in his career on a high .496 field goal average, a stellar .886 free throw average (9th best all-time) and a 37.6 percentage on 3-point shots. Bird was also a good rebounder (10.0 rebound career average) and an excellent playmaker (6.3 assist career average). His multidimensional game made him a consistent triple-double threat; Bird currently ranks fifth all-time in triple-doubles with 59, not including the 10 he recorded in the playoffs. Bird's lifetime player efficiency rating (PER) is 23.5, 18th all-time, a further testament to his all around game. Additionally, he is the only 20, 10, 5 player in NBA history (points, rebounds, assists per game) with a lifetime PRA rating (points + rebounds + assists per game) of 40.6, which is 8th all-time. Bird was the first player in NBA history to shoot 50% or better on field goals, 40% on 3-pointers, and 90% on free-throws in a single NBA season while achieving the league minimum for makes in each category. Bird accomplished this feat twice and is second only to Steve Nash for seasons in the 50-40-90 Club.

Bird is also remembered as an excellent defender. While he was neither fast nor quick-footed, and could not always shut down an individual player one-on-one, he consistently displayed a knack for anticipating the moves of his opponent, allowing him to intercept passes and create turnovers. His 1,556 career steals ranks 27th all-time. Unspectacular but effective defensive moves, such as jumping into a passing lane to make a steal or allowing his man to step past and drive to the hoop, then blocking the opponent's shot from behind, were staples of Bird's defensive game. In recognition of his defensive abilities, Bird was named to three All-Defensive Second Teams.

Bird's humble roots were the source of his most frequently used moniker, "The Hick From French Lick". Other observers called him "The Great White Hope". He has also acquired the nickname "Larry Legend".

Bird's competitive nature often emerged in nearly constant trash-talking on the court. Some notable examples follow:

During the three-point shooting contest on All-Star Weekend 1986, Bird entered the locker room, looked around without saying a word, then finally said, "I want all of you to know I am winning this thing. I'm just looking around to see who's gonna finish up second." He won the shooting contest.

During one game on Christmas Day against the Indiana Pacers, before the game Bird told Chuck Person that he had a Christmas present waiting for him. During the game, when Person was on the bench, Bird shot a three-pointer on the baseline right in front of Person. Immediately after releasing the ball, Bird said to Person, "Merry fucking Christmas!", and then the shot went in. This was no doubt inspired by Person (nicknamed the "Rifleman") stating prior to the game that "The Rifleman is Coming, and He's Going Bird Hunting."

Reggie Miller recalled his encounter with Larry Bird's legendary trash talking ability in his book "I Love Being The Enemy". Reggie tried to disrupt Larry's concentration when he was shooting free throws late in a game. Larry glared at him, made the first free throw and said, "You got to be kidding me. Rook, I'm the best shooter in the league right now. In the league. Understand? And you're up here trying to say something?" Then Larry buried the second free throw. Late in a tied game against the Seattle SuperSonics, Bird told Supersonics forward Xavier McDaniel, who was guarding him, “I’m going to get [the ball] right here and I am going to bury it in your face.” As McDaniel remembers it, he responded by saying, “I know, I’ll be waiting.” After a timeout, Bird made two baseline cuts, then posted in the exact spot he had indicated to McDaniel, paused, turned, and made it in his face. He finished up the sequence by telling McDaniel, “I didn’t mean to leave two seconds on the clock.” On November 9, 1984, Bird was ejected along with Julius Erving in the third quarter after an on court scuffle. At the point of both ejections, Bird had outscored Erving 42 to 6. During the game, Bird had continuously informed Erving of their tallies with every chance he got to score. Bird denies this stating that it was teammate "M.L. (Carr) talking trash from the bench" during that game. Eventually a shoving match ensued, then swings taken by both players, and finally a bench-clearing brawl.

NBA career statistics

	Led the league

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 82 || 82 || 36.0 || .474 || .406 || .836 || 10.4 || 4.5 || 1.7 || 0.6 || 21.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| † | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 82 || 82 || 39.5 || .478 || .270 || .863 || 10.9 || 5.5 || 2.0 || 0.8 || 21.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 77 || 58 || 38.0 || .503 || .212 || .863 || 10.9 || 5.8 || 1.9 || 0.9 || 22.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 79 || 79 || 37.7 || .504 || .286 || .840 || 11.0 || 5.8 || 1.9 || 0.9 || 23.6 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| † | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 79 || 77 || 38.3 || .492 || .247 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| .888 || 10.1 || 6.6 || 1.8 || 0.9 || 24.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 80 || 77 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| 39.5 || .522 || .427 || .882 || 10.5 || 6.6 || 1.6 || 1.2 || 28.7 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| † | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 82 || 81 || 38.0 || .496 || .423 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| .896 || 9.8 || 6.8 || 2.0 || 0.6 || 25.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 74 || 73 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| 40.6 || .525 || .400 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| .910 || 9.2 || 7.6 || 1.8 || 0.9 || 28.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 76 || 75 || 39.0 || .527 || .414 || .916 || 9.3 || 6.1 || 1.6 || 0.8 || 29.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 6 || 6 || 31.5 || .471 || ... || .947 || 6.2 || 4.8 || 1.0 || 0.8 || 19.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 75 || 75 || 39.3 || .473 || .333 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| .930 || 9.5 || 7.5 || 1.4 || 0.8 || 24.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 60 || 60 || 38.0 || .454 || .389 || .891 || 8.5 || 7.2 || 1.8 || 1.0 || 19.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 45 || 45 || 36.9 || .466 || .406 || .926 || 9.6 || 6.8 || 0.9 || 0.7 || 20.2 |-class=sortbottom | style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| Career | 897 || 870 || 38.4 || .496 || .376 || .886 || 10.0 || 6.3 || 1.7 || 0.8 || 24.3 |-

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 1980 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 9 || 9 || 41.3 || .469 || .267 || .880 || 11.2 || 4.7 || 1.6 || 0.9 || 21.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| 1981† | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 17 || 17 || 44.1 || .470 || .375 || .894 || 14.0 || 6.1 || 2.3 || 1.0 || 21.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1982 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 12 || 12 || 40.8 || .427 || .167 || .822 || 12.5 || 5.6 || 1.9 || 1.4 || 17.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1983 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 6 || 6 || 40.0 || .422 || .250 || .828 || 12.5 || 6.8 || 2.2 || 0.5 || 20.5 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| 1984† | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | bgcolor="CFECEC"| 23 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| 23 || 41.8 || .524 || .412 || .879 || 11.0 || 5.9 || 2.3 || 1.2 || 27.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1985 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 20 || 20 || 40.8 || .461 || .280 || .890 || 9.1 || 5.8 || 1.7 || 1.0 || 26.0 |- | style="text-align:left;" bgcolor="AFE6BA"| 1986† | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 18 || 18 || 42.8 || .517 || .411 || .927 || 9.3 || 8.2 || 2.1 || 0.6 || 25.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1987 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | bgcolor="CFECEC"| 23 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| 23 || bgcolor="CFECEC"| 44.1 || .476 || .341 || .912 || 10.0 || 7.2 || 1.2 || 0.8 || 27.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1988 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 17 || 17 || 44.9 || .450 || .375 || .894 || 8.8 || 6.8 || 2.1 || 0.8 || 24.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1990 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 5 || 5 || 41.4 || .444 || .263 || .906 || 9.2 || 8.8 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 24.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1991 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 10 || 10 || 39.6 || .408 || .143 || .863 || 7.2 || 6.5 || 1.3 || 0.3 || 17.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 1992 | style="text-align:left;"| Boston | 4 || 2 || 26.8 || .500 || .000 || .750 || 4.5 || 5.3 || 0.3 || 0.5 || 11.3 |-class=sortbottom | style="text-align:left;" colspan=2| Career | 164 || 162 || 42.0 || .472 || .321 || .890 || 10.3 || 6.5 || 1.8 || 0.9 || 23.8 |-

Career highs

40 point games

Bird scored 40 or more points 47 times in the regular season.

! Points	! Opponent	! Home/Away	! Date	! Minutes played	Field goal (basketball)>FGM	! FGA	Three-point field goal>3PM	! 3PA	Free throw (basketball)>FTM	! FTA	Rebound (basketball)>Rebounds	Assist (basketball)>Assists	Steal (basketball)>Steals	Block (basketball)>Blocks
60	Atlanta Hawks	Neutral		43	22	36	1	4	15	16	7	3	0	0
53	Indiana Pacers	Home			21	30	0		11	11
50	Dallas Mavericks	Away		40	18	33	4	7	10	11	11	5	1	0
50	Atlanta Hawks	Home		39	19	25	1	1	11	12	13	7	0	0
49	Washington Bullets	Home		43	20	30	0	4	9	9	8	6	4	0
49	Phoenix Suns	Away		43	17	27	3	6	12	12	12	7	0	2
49	Portland Trail Blazers	Home		54	19	35	2	8	9	10	14	12	4	1
48	Atlanta Hawks	Home		42	20	32	0	2	8	9	14	5	1	1
48	Portland Trail Blazers	Home		45	17	28	2	5	12	12	10	7	3	1
48	Houston Rockets	Home		43	17	32	0	2	14	15	15	7	2	0
47	Milwaukee Bucks	Home
47	Detroit Pistons	Home		39	17	31	0	0	13	13	12	2	2	0
47	Portland Trail Blazers	Away		49	21	34	3	3	2	3	14	11	1	2
47	New York Knicks	Home		38	22	34	0	1	3	5	7	8	4	0
47	Washington Bullets	Away		53	19	29	1	2	8	10	8	7	2	0
46	Orlando Magic	Away		44	19	33	1	3	7	8	8	10	1	0
45	Phoenix Suns	Away
45	Indiana Pacers	Away		45	18	31	1	3	8	11	12	5	5	0
45	Charlotte Hornets	Home		44	18	28	0	0	9	9	8	8	2	5
44	Houston Rockets	Away		44	17	27	1	2	9	10	15	3	2	2
44	Portland Trail Blazers	Home		44	17	35	1	5	9	9	11	8	1	0
44	Chicago Bulls	Home		40	19	29	0	0	6	6	10	3	1	1
43	Cleveland Cavaliers	Neutral		29	17	24	5	6	4	4	8	3	3	0
43	Portland Trail Blazers	Home		46	17	30	1	4	8	9	10	8	2	1
43	New Jersey Nets	Home		39	16	29	2	4	9	9	15	6	2	0
43	Denver Nuggets	Home		44	14	26	3	6	12	13	8	13	2	2
42	Philadelphia 76ers	Home
42	Seattle SuperSonics	Home		46	15	28	2	5	10	10	12	5	3	3
42	Indiana Pacers	Home		42	15	24	2	2	10	10	20	5	3	2
41	Detroit Pistons	Home
41	Portland Trail Blazers	Home
41	Atlanta Hawks	Away		40	15	27	2	4	9	11	7	6	3	2
41	Chicago Bulls	Away		46	17	29	1	1	6	6	7	7	3	1
41	Golden State Warriors	Home		43	15	24	3	6	8	10	10	5	2	0
41	New York Knicks	Home		44	17	30	3	3	4	4	6	5	3	0
41	Philadelphia 76ers	Home		43	15	21	1	2	10	10	10	4	0	0
40	Detroit Pistons	Home
40	Dallas Mavericks	Away		44	16	20	0		8	8	10	9	0	1
40	Denver Nuggets	Away		46	14	28	0	2	12	13	9	6	0	0
40	New Jersey Nets	Home		46	15	28	3	7	7	8	7	7	1	0
40	Atlanta Hawks	Home		39	14	24	3	7	9	10	12	5	2	1
40	New Jersey Nets	Home		42	17	27	3	5	3	4	8	13	2	0
40	Denver Nuggets	Home		40	16	25	0	5	8	8	13	1	2	1
40	Portland Trail Blazers	Away		40	18	27	1	2	3	4	13	5	2	0
40	Seattle SuperSonics	Home		46	17	27	2	5	4	4	11	10	1	2
40	Utah Jazz	Home		41	16	30	1	2	7	7	8	5	2	0
40	Miami Heat	Home		40	14	23	2	5	10	10	6	9	1	0

Regular season

! Stat	! High	! Opponent	! Date
Points, game		Atlanta Hawks
Points, half	37	Atlanta Hawks
Points, quarter	24	vs. Indiana Pacers
Points without a free throw, quarter	19	Atlanta Hawks
Consecutive points	16	Atlanta Hawks
Field goal percentage
Field goals made	22	Atlanta Hawks
Field goals made	22	vs. New York Knicks
Field goals made, half	15	Atlanta Hawks
Field goals made, half	15	vs. Washington Bullets
Field goals made, quarter	10	vs. Indiana Pacers
Field goals made, quarter	10	vs. Washington Bullets
Field goal attempts	36	Atlanta Hawks
Field goal attempts	36	vs. Chicago Bulls
Field goal attempts, half	23	Atlanta Hawks
Free throws made, none missed
Free throws made, one missed	16—17	vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Free throws made	16	vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Free throw attempts
Three-point field goals made	7	vs. Dallas Mavericks
Three-point field goals made	7	vs. Indiana Pacers
Three-point field goal attempts	10	three	times
Rebounds	21	at Philadelphia 76ers
Rebounds	21	at Los Angeles Lakers
Rebounds	21	at Denver Nuggets
Rebounds	21	at Washington Bullets
Offensive rebounds
Defensive rebounds	18	at Chicago Bulls
Defensive rebounds	18	vs. Indiana Pacers
Assists	17	at Golden State Warriors
Assists	16	vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
Steals		at Utah Jazz
Steals	8	at New Jersey Nets
Steals	8	vs. New Jersey Nets
Blocked shots
Turnovers	10	at New York Knicks
Minutes played

Playoffs

! Stat	! High	! Opponent	! Date
Points	43	vs. Detroit Pistons
Points	42	vs. Detroit Pistons
Points	42	at Milwaukee Bucks
Points, half	30	vs. Detroit Pistons
Points, quarter	24	vs. Atlanta Hawks
Field goal percentage
Field goals made	17	vs. Detroit Pistons
Field goals made	16	vs. New York Knicks
Field goals made, quarter	10	vs. Atlanta Hawks
Field goal attempts	33	vs. Detroit Pistons
Free throws made, none missed	14—14	vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Free throws made, one missed	14—15	vs. Detroit Pistons
Free throws made	14	vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Free throws made	14	vs. Detroit Pistons
Free throws made, half	12	vs. Detroit Pistons
Free throw attempts	15	vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Free throw attempts	15	vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Free throw attempts	15	at Los Angeles Lakers
Free throw attempts	15	vs. Detroit Pistons
Free throw attempts	15	at Milwaukee Bucks
Three-point field goals made	5	at Milwaukee Bucks
Three-point field goal attempts	6	vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Three-point field goal attempts	6	at Milwaukee Bucks
Rebounds	21	at Philadelphia 76ers
Rebounds	21	vs. Houston Rockets
Rebounds	21	vs. Houston Rockets
Rebounds	21	at Los Angeles Lakers
Offensive rebounds
Defensive rebounds	19	at Philadelphia 76ers
Assists	16	vs. New York Knicks
Assists, half	11	vs. New York Knicks
Steals	5	vs. Houston Rockets
Steals	5	at Houston Rockets
Steals	5	at New York Knicks
Steals	5	vs. Detroit Pistons
Blocked shots
Turnovers	10	vs. Chicago Bulls
Minutes played	56	at Milwaukee Bucks

Personal life

Prior to attending Indiana State University, Bird married his high school girlfriend, Janet Condra. The marriage lasted only 11 months, but produced a daughter, Corrie, born on August 14, 1977.

In 1998, Corrie Bird appeared on ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' and revealed that she was Bird's daughter from his first marriage though Larry had denied paternity until the mid 1980s. She discussed her longing to connect with her father, whom she had not seen in 17 years. Corrie's story was also shown on ''20/20'' and was run as an article in the September 4, 1998 issue of ''Sports Illustrated''. Corrie, like her father, played basketball in high school and attended Indiana State University, graduating with a degree in elementary education.

In 2009, Boston University awarded Larry an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree.

''Game Informer'' magazine associate editor Dan Ryckert is Bird's nephew.

On October 31, 1989, Bird married Dinah Mattingly. The couple have two adopted children, son Conner and daughter Mariah.

In popular culture

In October 2005, a man in Oklahoma City, Eric James Torpy, was convicted of shooting with intent to kill and robbery. He asked that his sentence be changed from 30 years imprisonment to 33 so that it would match Bird's jersey number. His request was granted. Bird has appeared in three movies, ''Blue Chips'', released in 1994 by Paramount, the Warner Brothers film ''Space Jam'' with Michael Jordan and Bill Murray in 1996, and ''Celtic Pride'' with Dan Aykroyd, Daniel Stern, and Damon Wayans, which was also released in 1996.

Bird has appeared in several video games. In One on One: Dr. J vs. Larry Bird Bird plays opposite Julius Erving in a game of one-on-one. A sequel, Jordan vs Bird: One on One, was a 1988 basketball video game.

The band Dispatch has a song called "Just Like Larry" about Larry Bird, who is their hometown hero from his days as a member of the Boston Celtics.

In a phone commercial when Larry Bird tells Tweety Bird that they are not related, Tweety not only comments on them having the same last name but that they "look an awful lot alike".

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson wrote a book together (with Jackie MacMullan) titled ''When The Game Was Ours''.

In a commercial during Super Bowl XLIV, Dwight Howard and LeBron James challenge each other at trick shots for a McDonald's lunch. After they finish, clapping is heard, then the camera pans to the crowd and Bird says "Great show, guys. Thanks for lunch." Howard and James share a confused look. Howard asks, "Who was that?" James replies, "I have no idea." This refers to a McDonald's commercial from 1991 in which Bird and Michael Jordan have a trick shot contest, in which the winner got the lunch and the loser had to watch the winner eat.

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson are joining Michael Jordan on the cover of NBA 2K12.

See also

List of National Basketball Association career scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career rebounding leaders

List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders

List of National Basketball Association career steals leaders

List of National Basketball Association career turnovers leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff rebounding leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff assists leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff steals leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff turnovers leaders

List of National Basketball Association career playoff free throw scoring leaders

List of National Basketball Association players with most points in a game

List of National Basketball Association players with most steals in a game

List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds

References

Further reading

External links

Sportscentury's 30th greatest athlete of all time provided by ESPN.com

NBA.com: Where Legends Are Born

NBA History

CNN/Sports Illustrated: A Player for the Ages

1979 Oscar Robertson Trophy USBWA College Player of the Year

Videos of Larry Bird on mReplay.com

Larry Bird Statistics

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame profile

Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Category:Basketball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players from Indiana Category:Boston Celtics draft picks Category:Boston Celtics players Category:National Basketball Association head coaches Category:National Basketball Association players with retired numbers Category:NBA Finals MVP Award winners Category:Indiana Pacers executives Category:Indiana Pacers head coaches Category:Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball players Category:National Basketball Association executives Category:Olympic basketball players of the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:People from Orange County, Indiana Category:Power forwards (basketball) Category:Small forwards Category:United States men's national basketball team members Category:National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Category:American basketball players Category:Olympic medalists in basketball

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