In honor of March Madness, we’re detailing the most influential college games of all time. The legend of the 1979 National Championship between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson lives on. Tap into the nostalgia with our latest ‘When March Went Mad’ collection, available now. Shop here.
Bird vs. magic. Larry vs. Erwin. The Hick from the French Lick vs Buck. Folk hero vs. showman. No matter which way you slice it, there was only one matchup that ever made college basketball the living, breathing sensation it is today. The historic rivalry between Larry Bird and Earvin “Magic” Johnson is remembered ad nauseum. Final performances, championships, rings; their legends were first intertwined in 1979. on that one fateful night of March 26, when college basketball blossomed from a simple pastime on tape delay into a colossal titan.
The two were polar opposites. The bird scorned any media attention. Magic welcomed it. The bird was methodical. Magic put on a show. One was a forward who could pass and shoot like a guard. The other was a point guard with an upside who sprinkled invisible dimes in transition. The arrival of two superstars who resolutely opposed the positional rigidity of the game served as a catalyst for the evolution of college basketball.
Behind the flawless play of senior forward Larry Bird and a supporting cast that includes Carl Nix, Alex Gilbert and Bob Heaton, Indiana State University reached their first postseason appearance. Averaging season-highs of 28.6 points, 14.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game, the No. 33 seed would lead the Sycamores to upset No. 8 Virginia Tech, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 2 Arkansas and No. 2 DePaul. in the month
The Bird star had been on the rise for years in Terre Haute, deciding to forego his pick in the 1978 Draft for his senior year of college. The latter will draw a lot of attention to the bright baby blue threads of the Hoosier State and ISU. A 33-game winning streak that season also helped a bit.
A Final Four 35 by the Player of the Year, on 16-19 shooting, will send ISU to its first NCAA Championship game against the Michigan State Spartans and 6-8 points ahead of the factory. Lansing side, MI.
The Spartans haven’t been doing very well through March, losing four of their six contests in January. However, Magic Johnson’s smile, humor and larger-than-life personality kept the team from dwelling on missed opportunities. Greg Kelser, Jay Vincent, Ron Charles and Co.
Averaging 17.1 points, 8.4 steals and 7.3 boards all season, the Magic’s Spartans (25-6) will take on No. 3 LSU, No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 9 Penn for the collegiate showdown of the century.
Formerly known as the University of Utah Special Events Center, now the Huntsman Center, the Sycamores and Spartans will meet for the first time in their respective programs’ history. Looking back 45 years later, the true essence of the game was not on the court, but in the majesty of the moment. In the post-John Wooden era, two stars infused the college game with such anticipation that even the release Avengers Endgame could not match.
After leading by nine at the half with Dick Enberg at the buzzer, Michigan State refused to look back, defeating Indiana State 75-64 to capture the program’s first NCAA Championship. Despite leading the tournament in points and rebounds, Larry Legend was unspectacular in his final collegiate game, going 7-21 from the field with 19 points and 13 boards. Meanwhile, Magic Johnson delivered another historic March performance. The tournament’s MVP scored a game-high 24 points with 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
The sheer impact of that 1979 championship game has not been replicated. And probably never will. All these years later, college basketball still hasn’t seen a tiebreaker as close to the audience level it was in the late 70s, tied for a 24.1 overall viewership rating. For non-state historians, that equates to roughly two out of five viewers tuning in to the game.
The delight was felt not only in family rooms across America. Shockwaves from the historic meeting were simultaneously sent across the nation’s broadcast boardrooms. It was time to take full advantage of college basketball. Magic and Bird had cemented it, so much so that CBS eventually pushed in 1982 to completely bypass the television rights to the tournament. Bird and Magic were the only justification they needed. College basketball deserved the primetime spotlight.
TV deals skyrocketed and the field widened from 40 to 64 teams. March Madness was born. Before the 24-hour news cycle and the Election Sunday special, Bird and Magic successfully took the game to unprecedented heights. In just a few years, the emergence and craze of “superstars” in the NBA will definitely make L successful. And to whom will that effect be attributed? Bird and magic.
Photos via Getty Images
