Pure Gold in The Corn Belt

A pair of aces at Indiana State

Tops in their sports, two remarkable stars with remarkably different styles are brightening the long winter in Terre Haute:

LARRY BIRD. Watching him play stirs pleasant memories for basketball purists: not only can he shoot and rebound as well as the game's legendary forwards; he is an old-fashioned playmaker, a passer who can look one way and hit the open man breaking for the hoop. Averaging 28.6 points a game, Larry Bird, 22, is the second leading college scorer and stands third in rebounds. What is more, he has led his hitherto obscure team through a schedule that reads like the mail drops on the midnight train to Yuma -Wichita State, Tulsa, West Texas State, New Mexico State -and arrived at the top of last week's Associated Press national rankings.

Plenty for any collegian to crow about, but Bird maintains a strange public silence. Claiming he was misquoted last fall, Bird has steadfastly refused to talk to the press, save for two trusted local reporters and occasional television and radio representatives. "A lot of sportswriters ask you who your girlfriend is and things like that," Bird has said. "I don't want to talk about personal things. Basketball, that's what I'm here for."

The 6-ft. 9-in. Bird was a model of calm consistency in last week's 100-75 victory over West Texas. He effortlessly scored 27 points, grabbed 19 rebounds and passed brilliantly. "You can't take your eyes off him one second or he'll hit you in the face with the ball," says Teammate Carl Nicks. Three nights later, Bird registered 20 points and 13 rebounds as Indiana State ran its record to 24-0 with a 69-68 win over Southern Illinois. Still, Bird -when he talks -is frank enough to say, "It's great to be No. 1, but I don't think we have the best team in the country."

Bird may be weak on defense and a bit slow afoot, but neither shortcoming should prevent him from getting a lucrative contract in pro basketball. The Boston Celtics drafted Bird last year as a junior and have until June 24 to sign him. The team has gone out of its way to acquire Jeff Judkins and Rick Robey, both friends of Bird's, an obvious effort to feather a nest for him in Boston. Says Celtic Player-Coach Dave Cowens: "He's unselfish, he can pass, and he doesn't mind mixing it up underneath."

If the Celtics do not succeed in signing Bird by June 24, they lose all rights to him, and he will be picked again --probably first--in this year's draft, which will be held the next day. In addition to his varied skills, Bird has one other box office advantage for pro owners in a game increasingly dominated by blacks: he is white.

Given his dislike of flying, sportswriters, big cities and public attention, the shy, blond sharpshooter knows his adjustment to the National Basketball Association could be painful. As he plays the packed arenas of the heartland, basking in the cheers and avoiding newsmen, Larry Bird seems to be savoring what may be the best days of his life.

KURT THOMAS. His fate is to be a world-class athlete still little known to his countrymen, but Kurt Thomas is not the retiring sort. This month alone, he will travel over 10,000 miles, crisscrossing the country to gymnastic competitions, exhibitions, banquets, television tapings and, this week, a White House reception in his honor. "In a major sport like basketball, Larry Bird can just say to everyone, 'Leave me alone. I'm going to make my million anyway,' " says Thomas. "But in a minor sport, it's what we need to do."

At 22, Kurt Thomas is considered the finest male gymnast the U.S. has ever produced, and he's aiming to be the best in the world at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. Anxious to avoid post-Olympic fadeout, Thomas is seeking wide exposure for his all-American good looks and the easy charm that he has shown to good advantage on talk shows with Dinah, Merv and Johnny.

Whether on the road or at home with his wife Beth, Thomas insists on two-hour workouts three times a day, an exhausting regimen he has followed for six years. Last October, he became the first American male in 46 years to win an international gymnastic event, capturing the gold medal in the floor exercise at the World Games in Strasbourg, France.

Gymnastic judges look for risk, originality and virtuosity, and Thomas displays all three. He uses his ideal physique -5 ft. 5 in., with short legs and long arms -to excel in the six individual events, showing rare versatility for an American. Thomas also possesses a much coveted intangible: the ability to electrify his audience. One especially rousing maneuver, known internationally as the "Thomas flare," is a flashy series of wide-swinging leg moves performed on the pommel horse and in the floor exercise. To win the Olympics, Thomas will have to beat the Japanese, who are already studying his techniques and who marvel at his showmanship. Indeed, Masahide Ota, a top Japanese gymnastics official, admits he is urging his stars "to be as original as Kurt."

With legions of adoring teen-age girls at every competition, Thomas is already the Donny Osmond of U.S. gymnastics. After a recent meet against Southern Illinois, Heidi Spoden, 14, clutched his freshly signed autograph and said, "I like him 'cause he's cute, and he's good, and he's so sure of himself in everything. He has it all." Not quite. There is still that gold medal to be won in Moscow. qed

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