{"product_id":"heartland-a-forgotten-place-an-impossible-dream-and-the-miracle-of-larry-bird-9781668211700","title":"Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eCharlie Hustle\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eFly Girls\u003c\/i\u003e comes one of America's greatest sports stories: the improbable rise of Larry Bird and the Indiana State Sycamores.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the fall 1974, Larry Bird--one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball--was lost, and in danger of slipping away. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHe had dropped out of Indiana University, spurning legendary Hoosiers head coach Bobby Knight. He returned home to French Lick, a tiny town in the second poorest county in Indiana, and he got a job hauling trash. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt could have ended right there for Bird, were it not for two men: Bob King, an old coach with bad knees, and Bill Hodges, a man who knew what it was like to be poor and overlooked. In the spring of 1975, during one of the darkest chapters of Bird's life, King and Hodges convinced Bird to leave French Lick and play basketball at Indiana State University, a college that couldn't even fill its arena, much less compete with Bobby Knight. Then, while no one was watching, King and Hodges built a team of players around Bird who were just like him: they were castoffs and leftovers, ready to work. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFour years later, in March 1979, this unheralded team would put together one of the greatest seasons in American sports history. By the time it was over, more than 50 million people would tune in to watch the Indiana State Sycamores play in the NCAA finals against Magic Johnson and Michigan State. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhat happened that night would change college basketball and the NBA. Perhaps more importantly, it would change the members of this hardscrabble team, binding them together forever. In some ways, their one shining moment would never end. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on exclusive, in-depth interviews with players, coaches, and staffers, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author and PEN American award-winning biographer Keith O'Brien offers a stirring account of the mighty Indiana State Sycamores. With its unforgettable ensemble cast, \u003ci\u003eHeartland\u003c\/i\u003e is more than just a sports book. It's the story of a group of young men who achieved the greatest feat of all: immortality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Atria Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/03\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781668211700\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 384\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.13lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.83d","brand":"Keith O'Brien","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52147100582069,"sku":"9781668211700","price":25.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_a3ca90ec-8548-4862-b319-81642ba9fae6.jpg?v=1767678868","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/heartland-a-forgotten-place-an-impossible-dream-and-the-miracle-of-larry-bird-9781668211700","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}