Nov. 16, 2009

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- - Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Jud Heathcote, all key figures in the 1979 NCAA® championship game, will be among eight of college basketball's best who will be among the fourth class inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Sunday night at 8 p.m. at the Midland Theatre in Kansas City.

Bird's Indiana State Sycamores lost to Johnson and Michigan State, coached by Heathcote, in that game, which is the highest-rated college basketball game ever televised.

Former UAB coach and athletic director Gene Bartow will also be inducted with contributors Walter Byers, the first executive director of the NCAA, and Bill Wall, former NABC executive director and long-time executive director of ABAUSA, now USA Basketball. In addition to Bird and Johnson, other players set for induction are Travis Grant of Kentucky State, men's college basketball's all-time scoring leader, and the late Wayman Tisdale, a three-time All-America at Oklahoma.

Former Indiana State coach Bill Hodges is expected to be in attendance, as are Bob Knight and Billy Tubbs. Clark Kellogg of CBS Sports and Steve Lavin, ESPN college basketball analyst and former UCLA head coach, will serve as masters of ceremonies. Tickets, priced at $50 per person, can be purchased by calling 913-681-6224, with proceeds to benefit the NABC Foundation. The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame is located at the College Basketball Experience at Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City.

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