Indiana State University is moving ahead with plans for a 15-foot-tall bronze statue honoring basketball great Larry Bird.

The proposed statue has been talked about for several years, but officials now expect to dedicate it in the fall of 2013 at the Hulman Center arena on the Terre Haute campus.

Sculptor Bill Wolfe said that he wants to make sure Bird's statue is taller than those of Magic Johnson, whose Michigan State team beat Bird's Indiana State team in the 1979 NCAA championship game, the Tribune-Star reported.

Indiana State foundation development director Jack Fox said a donor who wants to remain anonymous is funding much of the project.

The foundation is also looking to raise $50,000 for a Larry Legends Scholarship by selling small copies of the statue.