Episode 273: Coach Bill Hodges (Former Indiana State Head Men's Basketball Coach) "The Larry Bird Story"

Championship Vision Basketball Podcast

Bill Hodges was born in Lebanon, Indiana and grew up near Zionsville where he attended high school and played basketball for Indiana Hall of Fame coach Jim Rosenstihl. After graduation Hodges spent four years in the United States Air Force, where he traveled the Far East. After completing his armed forces duty he attended Edison Junior College in Fort Myers, Florida where he played basketball for Indiana and Florida Hall of Fame coach, Hugh Thimlar. Hodges transferred from Edison to Purdue University before he completed his collegiate degree at Marian University in Indianapolis, Indiana where he became a student basketball coach. He went on to Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, Tennessee where he received his Master’s Degree and became a full time assistant college basketball coach. Bill spent the next ten years as an assistant college coach and sixteen years as a head college coach at Indiana State, Georgia College, and Mercer University. He is most well remembered for his tenure at Indiana State University, where his ISU Sycamores, led by Larry Bird, were the runners up to Michigan State in the 1979 NCAA National Championship. Hodges was named AP, UPI, Sporting News, and Kellogg National Coach of the year for his inaugural year as a head coach. After his retirement from Basketball Coaching Bill was drafted back into coaching as the basketball coach at Roanoke Catholic High School until they dropped their varsity program. He was then hired to rebuild the North Cross School program and in two years coached them to a 60‐12 record and 1 final 4 and 1 state champion runner up position. Bill presently resides with his daughter Zoie’s family in The Villages, Florida.

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