As a college freshman, Birdsong finished third among the team's scoring leaders with 14.3 points per game. The following year, Birdsong etched his name in the University of Houston's record books by becoming the first sophomore in the school's history to register 1,000 career points. When the Cougars began playing in the Southwest Conference, Birdsong soon established himself as the dominant scorer in the league's history.[clarification needed] In his first year as an SWC player, Birdsong led the league in scoring, finishing eighth nationally with a 26.1 average. Birdsong was named a 1977 Consensus All-American and Southwest Conference Player of the Year after leading the Houston Cougars to a 29–8 record and the National Invitational Tournament championship game against St. Bonaventure. Birdsong scored 38 points and made 18 free throws against the Bonnies, but Houston lost. He ranked fourth nationally in scoring and set an SWC record with 30.3 points per game.[4] His accomplishments resulted in Birdsong being named SWC Player of the Decade.
Birdsong at Houston.
In addition to receiving All-American honors, Birdsong was named to the All-Southwest Conference team in 1976 and 1977. Additionally, he was named District VI Player of the Year (encompassing Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas) by the United States Basketball Writers Association. He was a member of the USBWA's All-District VI Team in 1975, 1976 and 1977, and he was team captain both his junior and senior years. During his four seasons with the Cougars, the team compiled a 79–38 record. He left the University of Houston as the school's second leading all-time scorer with 2,832 total college career points.
Birdsong also ranks second on Houston's career charts in field goals, third in all-time steals, sixth in assists and ninth in field goal percentages. He continues to hold the school record for free throws with a total of 480.
Professional career
After completing his eligibility at the University of Houston, Birdsong was the second player chosen in the 1977 NBA draft when he was taken by the Kansas City Kings.
On January 28, 1979, Birdsong recorded a career-high 11 assists alongside 30 points in a 137–109 win against the Cleveland Cavaliers.[5]
On January 29, 1980, Birdsong scored a career-high 49 points while making 20 of 25 field goals in a win against the Denver Nuggets.[6]
During the 1980-81 NBA season, after averaging a career best 24.6 points per game, Birdsong played a lead role in the 40-42 Five Seed Kings making an unlikely run to the Western Conference Finals.[7] In the first round of the playoffs, Birdsong averaged 27 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2.3 steals, in a victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.[8] However, the first game of the second round, Birdsong was sidelined with a devastating ankle injury.[9] Despite this, the Kings, who also were missing starting guard Phil Ford due to an eye injury suffered in the regular season, pulled off a surprising 4–3 series victory over the Phoenix Suns. However, in the Western Conference Finals the Kings unexpected playoff run would come to an end, when defeated in five games by the Moses Malone-led Houston Rockets.[10]
On June 8, 1981, Birdsong was traded by Kansas City with a 1981 2nd round draft pick (Steve Lingenfelter was later selected) to the New Jersey Nets for Cliff Robinson.[11]
Birdsong's deepest postseason run with the Nets would come in 1984. The Nets upset the defending champion Philadelphia 76ers, led by Moses Malone and Julius Erving, in the first round. Now accepting a more team-oriented role than in Kansas City, Birdsong was 4th in team points per game in the series at 14.4, while teammates Buck Williams and Michael Ray Richardson took primary scoring duties.[12] The following series, however, the Nets would fall to Sidney Moncrief and the Milwaukee Bucks.[13]
Birdsong returned to Houston following his career and served as a member of the Cougars' radio broadcast team for several seasons before moving to Dallas.
In 2000, Birdsong was inducted in the University of Houston's Hall of Honor as well as the Polk County, Florida Hall of Fame. In 2006, he was inducted into the Florida High School Hall of fame.[14]
