Basketball icons Larry Bird and Magic Johnson famously converged first in the 1979 NCAA Final Four in Salt Lake City. In the finals Magic and Michigan State spoiled Larry’s Indiana State team’s perfect season, handing the Sycamores their only loss. But it all started Saturday March 24, 1979 in the semi-finals, when Michigan State and Indiana State handled their business to set up the seemingly inevitable 'Bird vs. Magic' championship game.
Michigan State trounced "Cinderella" Pennsylvania 101 to 67 in one semi-final game. Magic Johnson entertained the crowd with a triple-double, 29 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. His Spartan sidekick Gregory Kelser contributed 28 points.
Indiana State, fueled by Larry Bird's brilliant 35 points and 16 rebounds, had to battle an outstanding DePaul team to the finish. DePaul, coached by legend Ray Meyer and led by star forward Mark Aguirre (19 points), fell just short, with Indiana State finally prevailing 76-74 in an all-time classic college basketball game. DePaul's five starters all played the full forty minutes. Check out the game on YouTube sometime. You won't be disappointed.
Presented here is a colorful, beautifully encapsulated ticket stub from PSA that commemorates that memorable March Saturday in 1979. There are just (15) graded ticket examples in the current PSA Population Report. This ticket is boldly signed by both Bird and Magic in blue marker, and PSA/DNA has deemed their penmanship a perfect 10! Wow!