Thursday, August 18, 2011

Aug 18, 1992: Larry Bird hangs it up

On August 18, 1992, celebrated Boston Celtics forward Larry Bird retires.
Bird was a high school basketball star in his native Indiana. After graduation, he received a scholarship to play for legendary coach Bobby Knight at Indiana University, one of the finest teams in the country. However, Bird was homesick and uncomfortable in the spotlight in Bloomington and left the school after one month. He returned to French Lick, his hometown, and eventually enrolled at the smaller Indiana State, far from a basketball powerhouse. There, Bird was a one-man offense, averaging 30 points per game as a sophomore, junior and senior. He led the Sycamores to an undefeated record in his senior season (1978-79) before losing to Earvin "Magic" Johnson's Michigan State Spartans in the most viewed NCAA title game ever.
Bird entered the NBA in 1979 and had an immediate impact on the league, winning Rookie of the Year after leading the Celtics to a 61-21 record and first place in the Atlantic Division just one year after they went 29-53 and finished in last place. In his second season, Bird, playing alongside fellow future Hall of Famers Kevin McHale at forward and Robert Parrish at center, led the Celtics to an NBA title. They would win the championship again in 1984 and 1986, with Bird winning the Finals MVP each of those two years. He was the NBA regular season MVP three years in a row, from 1984 to 1986, and a first-team NBA All-Star nine times. In the process, he won legions of loyal fans in Boston and throughout the country. Bird was also recognized for his versatility on the court: He could pass, rebound, shoot from the outside and play tough defense. As his career progressed, though, Bird began to suffer from chronic back pain that, by the 1990s, limited both his playing time and his effectiveness.

Today in Social Studies:
7th grade worked on how to enter an assignment on Edmodo as a refresher from last year and with the time left played a geography game in groups.
6th grade worked on how to enter an assignment on Edmodo, and then turned in their first assignment of the year.
8th grade did a bell ringer as a refresher, got their log in information for their new ONLINE TEXTBOOKS!!!!  We surfed the book to check out the features it has & played a history game with the remainder of class.

Mr. Johnson

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