June 23, 1986 Funeral Service Longtime Maryland broadcaster Johnny Holliday talks about singing at Len Bias's memorial service. Excerpted from the book, Born Ready: the Mixed Legacy of Len Bias And listen to more about Len's legacy in the narrative podcast series, Len Bias: A Mixed Legacy

"Len Bias Needs Help...." The final hours of Len Bias's life took a tragic turn from revelry to death. Listen to the story. It took place through much of the early morning of June 19, 1986. Len Bias and three friends had been celebrating Len's selection by the Boston Celtics in the NBA draft since shortly after midnight. Part of that celebration in a University of Maryland dorm room included snorting cocaine. Brian Tribble, right, was among those with Len Bias when he suffere

"We're Going to Celebrate" Len Bia's Final Hours, Part 1 Listen to the story. The following description of how Len Bias’s last night evolved is based on testimony by Terry Long at the trial of Brian Tribble, according to reports, and from portions of the documentary Without Bias. Bias returned to his dormitory suite at Washington Hall after 10:30 p.m. on June 18 with a bag full of Reebok shoes and Boston Celtic jerseys. David Gregg, a freshman basketball player, and Maryland

Absent Hero Some Had Hoped to Give Len Bias a Hero's Homecoming Listen to the story. On the evening of June 18, 1986, Brian Waller and Johnnie Walker joined some of the other regulars for their weekly pickup game on adult night at The Rec....also know as the Columbia Park Recreation Center. That's where years before Walker taught Waller and Len Bias the basics of basketball as teenagers. It was the perfect place for the three to celebrate the choice of Bias as the No. 2 overa

Recruited by Reebok Reebok Wanted to Make Len Bias its Marquee Athlete Listen to the story. In the late morning of June 18, 1986, Joanne Borzakian met Len Bias at Logan Airport in Boston. She then escorted Bias to Reebok’s headquarters in nearby Avon after his short flight from New York. Beginning at about noon, Bias met with Borzakian and other members of the Reebok staff along with his father, James, and his agent, Lee Fentress of Advantage International. They discussed way

"He's Going to be a Star Someday" The Celtics Were Ecstatic to Pick Bias in the 1986 NBA Draft Listen to the story. Len Bias has just been drafted number two by the Boston Cetics in the 1986 NBA draft. Soon after he was asked in a television interview why he wanted to play for the Celtics. “They’re a good team and they got, uh, good, uh, supporting players,” he said sheepishly. “I can go up there and sit on the bench and whether I go in and play or not, and I learn a lot from

Money to Fly Days Before the Draft, Len Bias Worked for "Airport Money" Listen to the story. Shortly before the NBA draft, Len Bias stopped by to say hello to John Brown, the owner of Bentley's Restaurant in College Park, and a friend. The two enjoyed a lunch together. After the meal, Bias asked to borrow money. Brown was taken aback. Soon after his eligibility had expired in late March, Bias had secured a loan of about $20,000 from a local bank where his mother, Lonise, work

Enjoying the Fringe Benefits of Stardom Len Bias received gifts from fans, and he was often generous in return. Listen to the story. According to Johnnie Walker, Len's Bias' mentor, Len received money and gifts from fans. He recalled the time one summer when Bias called someone on the phone saying he needed money. “He’d throw out a random number,” says Walker. “I sat in the car while he talked to the guy, who gave him all crisp $100 bills. We would go from there to spend m

The Poetic Artistry of Basketball Stanley Plumly, a Maryland Poet Laureate, Writes About the Time Len Bias Met Celebrated Poet Gwendolyn Brooks Listen to the story. It was, as I recall, a 7 o’clock reading. The structure of the event called for me to introduce Gwendolyn Brooks, a Pulitzer Prize winning poet. Once I’d finished, I would enter from stage right to come to the podium. For a moment, Brooks and I were standing there together, when, suddenly, from the opposite side o

Community Connection Len Bias developed a strong connection to the College Park community. Listen to the story. John Brown opened RJ Bentley's restaurant on the main commercial strip along Route 1 in College Park, Maryland in 1978. Over the years, Brown developed comfortable friendships with top Maryland athletes. Maryland sports teams often gathered for team meals there. Len Bias often stopped in for lunch at Bentley’s during his junior and senior years, and Brown eagerly we

Cocaine Introduction Chris Washburn claims Len Bias introduced him to cocaine. Listen to the story. Chris Washburn was a sophomore at N.C. State when he met Len Bias. It was during the Wolfpack’s trip to play Maryland in College Park in late January, 1986. He says they became good friends. Some three months later, Washburn claims, Bias introduced him to cocaine. Washburn says it happened when he was back at school after N.C. State’s loss to Kansas in the NCAA tournament’s Eli

Barnstorming the Postseason Len Bias continued playing games soon after his Maryland season ended. Listen to the story. Len Bias was interested in making some money and having some fun after Maryland’s season ended. In early April, Bias achieved both objectives when he joined a different postseason competition - the ACC Barnstorming Tour. That was an annual series of games between top conference players who were planning to enter the upcoming NBA draft against top high-school

Post Season Disappointment Len Bias’s strong season wasn’t enough for a deep tournament run. Listen to the story. Maryland’s players were beaming with contagious confidence and fully expected to make a strong run in the 1986 NCAA tournament. In Maryland’s first-round game against Pepperdine, a five point win, Bias hit another milestone. His 26 points left him with 712 points for the season, breaking the record he set the year before. Two of those points came from the foul lin

Senior Honors Bias was a 1st team All-America, and ACC POY (again) Listen to the story. His team wasn’t playing, but Len Bias nonetheless suffered another setback during the ACC tournament final in 1986. When the winner of the John R. Wooden Award was announced at halftime, boos echoed through the Greensboro Coliseum. The award, honoring the top college player of the year in the nation, went to Walter Berry of St. John’s University. Bias had finished third in the voting, behi

Terps Top Scorer Len Bias reached a major milestone in the ACC tournament Listen to the story. Abilities to get high off the floor and hold the ball high on his shots helped Len Bias become a great scorer. After its rocky start in 1986, Maryland won six of its last 8 regular season games to gather momentum for an NCAA tournament bid, and fitting that unpredictable seasonal narrative, Maryland clinched an NCAA bid with another win against North Carolina, this time in the first

Get that S--- Out of Here Len Bias made an emphatic statement in his last home game as a Terp. Listen to the story. (includes audio from the podcast series, Len Bias: A Mixed Legacy.) After Maryland beat Virginia at home in the last game of the regular season in early March, 1986, Virginia coach Terry Holland called it “Lenny Bias night”. Bias had extra motivation in the game. In a game against Virginia earlier in the season, Olden Polynice blocked a Bias shot. He then point

Divine Intervention in the Dean Dome In his signature game, Len Bias Helps Maryland Upset Number 1 UNC Listen to the story. Needing to win three of its last four ACC games in 1986 for a chance at an NCAA tournament bid, Maryland traveled to Chapel Hill to meet top-ranked North Carolina in late February. For a team trying to recover from its worst conference start in history and a recent suspension to its star player, nothing could seem more daunting a task than beating the to

Senior Setback Bias and Some Teammates are Suspended for Breaking Curfew Listen to the story. Things seemed to be on the upswing when Maryland beat Clemson to win its second consecutive ACC game, then traveled to Raleigh to play N. C. State. Bias scored a team-high 21 points and made two free throws with about a minute and a half left that helped clinch the one-point win for Maryland. Having now won three consecutive ACC games, Maryland was on a bit of a roll. But that moment

Frustrations With Stardom Toward the end of his Maryland career, Len Bias struggled with some aspects of his stardom. Listen to the story. Len Bias’s senior season was showing flashes of brilliance on the court, but he at times he felt frustrated with the pressures of becoming one of the top college players in the nation. Myriam Leger, a college friend with whom Bias often talked about their mutually strong interest in Christianity, remembers noticing that as he approached hi

A Stylin' Bias A focus on Len's lifestyle off the court Listen to the story. With a loss to Duke in early February, 1986, Maryland dropped its first six conference games of the season. That tied its worst conference start in history. With Maryland sporting a disappointing 11-10 overall record and 1-6 in the ACC, attention turned to Bias’s life off the court. After all, how often can the media write about his accomplishments on the court before fans might lose interest? It was