Basketball fans will always remember Milan and Hickory, but Muncie Central will always be the team that lost to Milan. Film from that gamehas beenrestored by IHSAA Champions Network. Hammond fell 50-46 to Lafayette Jefferson in a semifinal of the The talent on that Central team is best explained by what happened after high school. I saw the zeros, so I knew it was no good," he said. The article is made available for educational use by individuals. I was very much aware of the reputation, No. With increased urbanization and suburbanization throughout the state, Indiana schools became much larger and the urban schools that had the most success in the tournament increased their domination of the tournament. The famous fieldhouse was the scene for both. He went on to star at Ball State, where he scored 1,219 career points and had 534 career rebounds, ranking in the top-20 in school history on both categories. last-second jump shot to give coach Marvin Wood and the Indians the Echelbarger and his parents hadn't been able to get into the games at the fieldhouse to that point, but not long afterward it was announced a handful of season tickets had become available. Bob Collins wrote in theIndianapolis Star on March 21, 1954, that the game"was one of the greatest this state tourney ever has seen and the ButlerFieldhousewas a madhouse as the final gun sounded.". It gathered again for a banquet 11 days following the final game that was attended by 500 people. At the semistate Thompson, a first-team all-state selection and Indiana All-Star, scored 1,060 career points at Muncie Central. points, fired a shot that hit the rim and bounced away. The Milan Miracle game is especially poignant to me. He signed with Oklahoma City University, where he became a star at the then-Division I program (s. He averaged 20.4 points per game as a junior and 22.2 points as a senior in 1978-79. Thompson tries to tell his players about Muncie's tradition. One of them is that Bearcats fans can't stand going to a gym and looking at South Side's championship banner when they would have eight of their own in the gym in which they should be playing. The 1954 Milan Museum also contains a Central section, and even the reunions have taken on Hoosiers themes. Many of these small schools had realistic expectations of advancing several rounds into the tournament in that era, but they would almost inevitably fall in the regionals to urban schools from places such as South Bend, Evansville, Gary, Terre Haute, Muncie, Bloomington, Lafayette, Fort Wayne, Anderson and Indianapolis. Bonzi Wells The 6-5 Wells was an Indiana All-Star as a senior in 1994 after he averaged 23.5 points per game for the 24-2 Bearcats. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. The "Big O" scored a game-high Plump scored 10 points, and guard Ray Craft led the But while he struck a blow for the small schools, he drove a dagger into the hearts of the fans of the big school in Muncie. As a sophomore, he averaged 14.3 points per game and helped the Bearcats to the national championship. Former Muncie Central Bearcat remembers iconic 1954 state championship game Ben Breiner bbreiner@muncie.gannett.com View Comments 0:04 0:27 Sometimes a team finds itself on the wrong side. Echelbarger, a member of Central's 1963 state championship team, is one of 13 Central High graduates to be inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. "At that point I wasn't hooked yet," he said. Todd, who passed away several years ago, was alongtime high school basketball official from Fort Wayne, Ind. Flowers was a member of the Muncie Central boys basketball team, which lost to Milan in the 1954 Indiana state championship. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Jones averaged 16.7 points per game as a senior, going for 20 in the state championship game over South Bend Central. Flowers (who scored a team-high 11 points) and his teammates would be held to their lowest scoring output for the season scoring just 30 points in the loss. When Bobby had taken the ball, he hadnt dribbledyet, and someone said he traveled, said Birge. In the semifinals, both favorites were knocked off. The wraps came off for the championship celebration, though. Check out more historic rosters Kyle has put together. Crispus Attucks. Fieldhouse. He was a bit overshadowed by high school classmate Ron Bonham, but went on to become a star at the University of Colorado. Ron Bonham The 6-5 Bonham averaged more than 28 points per game as a senior in 1959-60 and led No. The story of Milan's thrilling run to the Indiana state title is of course the story told in Hoosiers, voted the No. He was the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year in 1980 after averaging 16.5 points. Instead of the Milan High Indians winning it all in 1954 against Muncie Central, it's the fictional Hickory Huskers beating mighty South Bend Central in 1952. He followed Bonham to Cincinnati, where he broke Robertson's freshman scoring record and had three games of more than 50 points. We just got dressed andwent home. Lafayette Jefferson edged Elkhart 54-52 in the other semifinal. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. View the 22-23 Muncie Central varsity basketball team schedule. People still talk about it yet andhow many years has it been?. But that brought new challenges. 1954 IHSAA State Championship Milan vs Muncie Central (3-26-18) - In 1954 tiny Milan pulled off one of the all-time great basketball feats winning the Indiana High School Boys Basketball Championship. basketball coach at Purdue University the following September. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Lew Wallace faced eventual state champion South Bend Central in Many would have regarded him as the second-best player to come out of an Indiana high school at that time, surpassed only by Oscar Robertson. Indianapolis Tech at Butler Fieldhouse. 61-54. INDIANAPOLIS | Crispus Attucks became the first school from He was a two-time all-conference selection and all-state as a senior, finishing with 866 career points. I guess at the time, you never think that 30-some years later it would be a movie.. As schools consolidated throughout Indiana, the days of small-town success gradually ended. That team's only regular season loss was in overtime to conference rival Richmond. The two-year varsity standout scored 1,137 points. Ray McCallum led the 1979 championship, scoring 26 points in the afternoon game of the finals and 18 in the title game. claim their seventh consecutive sectional title. He can rattle off the magical, same-day sweep of top-ranked Fort Wayne North and second-ranked Mississinewa that set up the Bearcats' chance at a fifth state championship. Muncie Centrals fans werent just disappointed. He went on to star at Ball State, where he scored 1,219 career points and had. [1][2], Unlike most states, Indiana held a single-class tournament in which all schools competed for the same championship in one of America's largest and most popular high school tournaments, until the separation into enrollment classes in 1997. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, Learn More About This Season's Honorees . Milan's defense held Arley Andrews to nine points as they coasted to victory. Ronnie Fisher led the Bronchos past Elkhart with 21 points. He scored 2,485 points at Ball State to set a school record and also set a school record for steals (347). state champion Crispus Attucks 67-55 at Butler Fieldhouse to become INDIANAPOLIS | Muncie Central won its third state championship when guard Charlie Mock hit a shot with five seconds remaining to carry the Bearcats over Evansville Reitz 60-58 at Butler. Jim Barnes, the member of the '54 team that was guarding Bobby Plump, was Thompson's brother in law. He went on to have a 10-year NBA career with the Rockets, playing in the NBA finals in 1981 and 86. carry the Bearcats over Evansville Reitz 60-58 at Butler I knew nothing about their history," recalled Plump, who has a restaurant in Indianapolis called Plump's Last Shot. "We were just a bunch of naive kids having fun playing basketball. Add missing athletes to the roster. The idea of a team that had only recently won two state titles losing to such a tiny school seemed all but impossible to many fans. Echelbarger's only way to work on his game in those years he got cut from the junior high school team was to play by himself in a neighbor's driveway. for the Bearcats. Muncie Central High School Bearcats (Basketball team) Basketball teams Group portraits Boys Teenagers Coaches (Athletics) Basketball players Students: Further information on this record can be found at its source. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Central had become a basketball powerhouse by the 1950s. 11 NBA draft pick in 1998, Wells went on to a 10-year NBA career, averaging 12.1 points and 4.6 rebounds with Portland, Memphis, Sacramento, Houston and New Orleans. We won't send you spam. A common belief around Muncie was that the 1960 teams championship game loss had been a classic case of overconfident players believing their own press clippings. 1954 Milan 32, Muncie Central 30. Although Milans championship is now the most well-known example of a small high school winning a single class state basketball tournament, other small schools in different states have had similar accomplishments. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The 1954 Indiana high school basketball tournament remains so vivid in Leon Agullana's memory it's as if he never left Muncie Central. Chandler Thompson scored 32 points in the afternoon victory over a Bedford North Lawrence team led by sophomore Damon Bailey, and 21 in the championship game win over a Concord team led by future NBA star Shawn Kemp. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). And so the Bearcat faithful were under this pall, a hangover from the game and the retellings that so often came up. South Bend Central committed a turnover with 15 seconds You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Ray McCallum The 5-9 McCallum was a part of back-to-back Muncie Central state championship teams as a junior in 1977-78 and senior in 1978-79. The first official NJCAA National Championship was in 1948 in Springfield, MO at the Southwest State College Fieldhouse. Referee, the worlds original sports officiating magazine, educates, challenges and inspires officials at all levels. But the tension was there evenmoreso, I guess, because it wassomething we didnt do that often. Logansport behind Hazelwood's game-high 17 points. In the winter, that meant shoveling off the snow first. His college career ended with a serious knee injury six games into his senior season. The city needed every one of those seats and more, because back in the glory days you had to buy season tickets to go to a game. Both officials had twicebeen assigned to state prior to1954. entire season -- South Bend Central's 81-72 season-opening win Worked toward it, too. Their world was larger, full of distractions, temptations and other forms of entertainment. The player said the movie, one of the key characters Jimmy Chitwood (loosely based on Plump) and looking up the story behind it was a factor in finding his way into the sport. Hours. Allen Leavell The 6-1 Leavell averaged 17.9 points per game as a senior in 1974-75 but was not highly-recruited out of high school. They held the ball. 1, of Muncie Central, said Plump, who added that night was one of his worst shooting performances in that tournament. . This article is the copyright of Referee Enterprises, Inc., and may not be republished in whole or in part online, in print or in any capacity without expressed written permission from Referee. victory against Milan in a semifinal. Dinwiddie, a sophomore on the '60 team, was his mother's brother. Joe Sexson paced Indianapolis Tech with a Then later on it mushroomed. Wingate in 1913 and 1914. Robby General covers East Central Indiana high school sportsat The Star Press. All rights reserved. (3-26-18) In 1954 tiny Milan pulled off one of the all-time great basketball feats winning the Indiana High School Boys Basketball Championship. boys basketball, Indiana, national, Uncategorized, Way Back, 1954 IHSAA State Championship Milan vs Muncie Central. There wasmental pressure all the time thatyou were going to miss something,that your attention might get laxbecause of the slow game.Birge and Todd made the adjustments they neededto call the game, and later found out that they madesome history of their own that day. Logansport then beat selection Robertson scored 95 points during that same stretch. "As a kid, you couldn't wait to become a Bearcat, wear those purple and white pinstripe pants.". Interesting to note that the Bearcats did beat South Bend Central during the 1954 regular season 74-57. TheIndians feat became known as the Miracle of Milan and was later theinspiration for the 1986 movie Hoosiers. Panthers' last four games of the tournament. Boy, were we surprised.. That happens every once in a while. He went on to play at Ball State and has been a head coach at Ball State, Houston and Detroit Mercy, as well as an assistant coach at Indiana University. With an enrollment of only 161, Milan was the smallest school ever to win a single-class state basketball title in Indiana, beating the team from the much larger Muncie Central High School in a classic competition known as the Milan Miracle. Gerstmeyer to a 48-40 victory against Richmond. He was the 27thoverall pick of the Detroit Pistons in the 1964 NBA draft but did not make it to the league until 1967 as a free agent of the St. Louis Hawks. Itwas that close.. He ended up working at the school as a teacher from 1960-68, and he saw the program in the years after the Milan Miracle. Moore scored 61 points in the Bearcats two final four wins. The Bearcats' second title in a row was perhaps even more He recalls being third. "We never heard any negatives, only sorrow that we didn't win," Bonham once recalled. Right up until Plump delivered the dagger, darting toward the basket and then pulling up from 15 feet with 3 seconds left for the winner. Fieldhouse. "People thought I was nuts," he said. Email him at askmontieth@gmail.com and you could be featured in his next mailbag. When the Bearcats held a 40th anniversary celebration of the game, one year early because former coach Jay McCreary was ill, players from both teams participated. You had to be alert, but then you got to thinking,Did he dribble or didnt he? said Birge. The ball hit the floor, Muncie picked it up and the gunwent off. Guard John Dampier played two years for a California junior college then averaged 19.3 points as a junior at Miami of Florida. The people who lived through that felt it so badly. B. for individual scoring in the title game set by Dee Monroe of lineup, was led in the title game by forward Irwin "Bud" Bunton's Center Jack Quiggle scored 12 points and forward Jack Wiltrout But he as much as anyone represents what makes Muncie's basketball history special. Early in the fourth, Muncie hit two free throws to pullahead. Coach Art Beckner left Sexson was named the winner of the Trester Award for Mental The nucleus of that team returned for the 195354 season with expectations of tournament success unprecedented for such a small school. Plump and Agullana have become friends and they sometimes reminisce about that famous ending and the one that could have been. One rule: No school would have more than a 10-player roster. Oscar Robertson scored 39 points, breaking the previous record Because if hedid, then he couldnt dribble anymore on a doubledribble.. to help the program take the top prize with a 68-49 victory against The real story of Muncie's basketball tradition - which will be honored at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday when . became the fourth coach to win consecutive state titles. Four of them were voted Mr. Basketball and many more than that earned all-state honors. He often went to an elementary school playground to shoot in the summers. Wood's coaching style was the opposite of Grinstead's in many ways. Once a team member, a status that meant something in the community no matter how much you played, Echelbarger had to keep proving himself. 171 points set new records for scoring in a title game. Rolf averaged 13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds as a senior in 1966-67. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. Guard Jerry Lounsbury scored 21 points to lead the Bearcats scoring. And it was sincere.. Echelbarger was a nine-year-old kid in 1954 when Muncie Central lost that historic game to Milan in the championship game at Butler's fieldhouse. Cook, Xaviya ( Jr.) Cole, Demarkis ( Jr.) Ullom, Josiah ( Sr.) Moore went on to become a star at Nebraska, where he was a three-year starter. Subscribe to get the Referee.com Review every week plus periodic free training and special offers on the sports you officiate. "It was the greatest thing in the world," Marty Echelbarger says. The Central team listened to the end of that game on the radio on the bus ride home. Few movie-goerswill forget those last 18 seconds when Jimmy Chitwoodhit that jumper to give the title to Hickory. He might have been given a folding chair to sit in, he doesn't recall. The three-year letterman was All-Big Eight Conference as a junior and senior, averaging 13.8 points as a junior and 18.5 points as a senior. He can recall spending four days that next week preparing to face Terre Haute Gerstmeyer, only to see the previous season's state runner-up lose to tiny Milan High. McCallum averaged a career-high 20.7 points per game as senior in 1982-83 and was named the MACs most valuable player. Crawfordsville 70-59 in the championship game of the Lafayette The Milan Indians upset victory is stillheralded as the greatest sports story in Indianahistory. And Birge feels proud to have been a part of it. Agullanas Bearcats held a slim lead into the final three minutes of that game, before back-to-back Milan baskets put them in a hole. "A lot of people are upset because that one red banner is (in the South Side gym) and think it's an eyesore," Thompson said. Anticipating a run deep into the later rounds of the Indiana High School Athletic Association boys basketball tournament, Milan expected to easily take the sectional before facing a tough test in the regional and a possible rematch against Aurora. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. He just took a long stepas he dropped the ball. The two-time college All-American played two seasons in the NBA with the Boston Celtics and one in the ABA with the Indiana Pacers, averaging 6.1 points over 118 games. The film combined game play from both the 195253 and 195354 seasons, merging the 1953 quarter-final opponent, the South Bend Bears, with the scoring pattern from the 1954 championship win against Muncie Central. Roosevelt 97-74 at Butler Fieldhouse. Hammond couldn't prevail against Elkhart, falling 63-53 in the He later played on two NBA championship teams with the Boston Celtics and was a member of the original Pacers team in 1967-68. Bonzi Wells, Central High class of 1994, lasted the longest, playing 10 seasons. To become one of 12 members of the junior varsity team the Bearkittens, they were called was a major accomplishment. Muncie waited and if you think you gotta have motion to generate excitement, you should have been there. INDIANAPOLIS | Muncie Central won its third state championship Sometimes portions of a community turn against a team or player that disappoints them. help Muncie Central prevail in the title game. I was under the basket when the ball came through. Morry Mannies was only in high school when the game happened, but two years later he came to Muncie for college and started broadcasting Ball State and Bearcats games for WLBC. Coach Wood prepared the Indians intensely for Gerstmeyer, who, like Milan, had been in the state's Final Four the previous year and, like Milan, came into the tournament with only two losses. There are some that have eight or nine, but most have 10. Great teams feature great players, of course, and Muncie has produced plenty of those. to a 42-41 victory over Terre Haute Gerstmeyer in the state title For his career, he averaged 9.5 points and 4.8 assists. In the first Semi Final game they got a little revenge from the regular season beating Ft. Wayne North Side 62-48, who beat them in late November 53-43. center Jim McLaughlin led New Albany with 23 points. Fellow all-state Muncie got the rebound but turned the ball overand Milans Ray Craft made a basket to even the scoreat 28-28 with 2:12 remaining. Maurice Lorenz added 10 to help Madison edge Marion 50-49 in a Required fields are marked *. East Chicago Washington lost to eventual state runner-up Forward Ted Server scored 15 points, Schnaitter had 12 and guard Birge and Todd called only fivepersonal fouls on Milan and 11against Muncie during the game. Lafayette Semifinal. Jefferson in the championship game of the Lafayette Semistate. Plumps shot with three seconds left cemented the Milan Indians place inIndiana basketball history. Beck and Plump also teamed up to campaign against multi-class basketball in the late 1990s; the 1997 tournament was the last of the single-class format. 1954 IHSAA Boys Basketball State Champions, Semi-State at Butler Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, State Finals at Butler Fieldhouse, Indianapolis. Even in the Eighties, he and his father had to do what fathers and sons had been doing for decades: get to the game before the Bearkittens junior varsity team took the court so they could be sure of having a seat for the varsity game. My junior high school track coach gave me the book in the spring of 1964.I referred to it frequently when I coached CYO teams in California. I'd never heard anything like it. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Raw footage of Milan High School defeating Muncie Central High School in the 1954 high school basketball state championship, the game the movie "Hoosiers" was based on. He averaged 17.5 points per game as a junior in 1965-66 and was named all-conference. We were the big-city team and Milan was the small-town team. first appearance in the state championship game since 1916. Dinwiddie finished his high school career with 814 points (14.8 per game). forward Tom Schafer had 12 to lead South Bend Central to a 56-37 Sullivan scored a game-high 21 points for the Bearcats. He said there was a sense of denial, almost like the game was a bad dream. He went on to play eight seasons in the NBA from 1967-75 with the Hawks, Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. INDIANAPOLIS | South Bend Central held off two-time defending These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Officiating In Perspective with Barry Mano, Webbers Timeout: Michigan vs. UNC 1993 NCAA Championship, You Are There: Cal vs. the Stanford Band (November 20, 1982), Next Level Softball Umpiring Free Email Series, Sports Officiating Summit Registration Open, NFLRA to Receive Mel Narol Medallion Award, NHL Referees and Linesmen for 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, NCAA Mens and Womens Soccer National Coordinator of Officials, USA Rugby Referee & Laws Committee announce WPL Match Officials. Over the years Milan and Muncie Central have played several games to celebrate that championship game. 3rd T20I. It was merely the sixth-largest in the state, but also the sixth-largest in the world. Looking back, I can see just how big it was.. Includes team records and scoring statistics. Mike Rolf The 6-6 Rolf was third in the Mr. Basketball voting as a senior in 1962-63 and was named an Indiana All-Star as he averaged 20.7 points per game and helped the Bearcats to a state championship. Michael McCoy, a 7-foot center, scored a game-high 24 points to In his email, Shanahan also noted that if a 3-point line had existed, Muncie Central would have won 37-33, thanks to Jim Hind's three 3-pointers. And it makes me wonder how we beat you in the first place.. Davis averaged 13.6 points and 9.7 rebounds for the Atlanta Hawks in 1969-70. Expectations were higher in the 19521953 season. and his twin brother, Arley, added 16 to guide Terre Haute INDIANAPOLIS | With an enrollment of only 161, Milan became a Appropriately, the Milan team, all but one of whom were alive at the time of the tournament, attended the Final Four (held just up the road at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis) as guests of Indiana governor Mitch Daniels.[5]. Geographic Location: Muncie . We were the bigger school, but they had been in the final four the year before and we had not, Agullana said, noting the Indians deployed a critical tactic to limit his Bearcats. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Bonham led his team with 22 points. The same night the '63 Bearcats were winning the state championship, Bonham could be found a two-hour drive to the south in Louisville, playing for the NCAA championship as member of the Cincinnati Bearcats. Contact him via email atrgeneral@gannett.com,on Twitter @rgeneraljror by phone at 765-283-8864. But hedidnt come close to traveling. The story of that Milan season was further popularizedin the 1986 film "Hoosiers" in whichthe fictional small-town Hickory High School prevailed to win the state championship. The tournament has often featured future NCAA and National Basketball Association (NBA) players. Roosevelt center Wilson Eison scored a game-high 31 points in IC would be the first Mercer County school to reach the state tournament in 1933. Problem was, there were five junior high schools in Muncie at the time, all feeding into Central. Thompson went on to become an all-conference player at Ball State and led the Cardinals to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament in 1990, where it lost by two points to eventual champion UNLV. Muncie Central 32-30 1954-55 Indianapolis Attucks Ray Crowe: 30-1 Gary Roosevelt 97-74 . Some have made it to the NBA. The restored footage features the cadence of Hilliard Gates. the title game, but it wasn't enough to help the Panthers overcome Volunteer Roster last updated on Jan 13, 2023 @ 1:22pm (GMT) Print Roster Correction All-Time Roster He averaged a team-high 24.4 points and 6.0 rebounds as a senior and finished his career with 1,666 points. Robertson also scored 21 points to lead Crispus Attucks to a 79-67 The underdog Indians reached the Final Four the year before but first-year coach Lawrence "Jay" McCreary. The game was aslow-down cat and mouse affair,with Milan spreading their offenseand stalling for long periods oftime, especially in the second half. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Upload it Ways you can help Make an impact on this team, and help keep MaxPreps up-to-date. Agullana also remembers this about the storied title game that followed: grabbing the final inbound pass, peeking at the clock and angrily heaving a three-quarters court shot as far as he could, knowing he could never change script of the The Milan Miracle. in their showdown against Kokomo. 17 points to lead his team to a 68-59 semifinal victory over Terre That held true for decades, as Central won state championships in the Twenties, Thirties, Fifties, Sixties, Seventies and Eighties eight in all, matched only by Marion among state schools. Kokomo standout guard Jimmy Rayl had a record 114 points during "If you got there just before the varsity game you had to stand," Thompson said. And thats from a man whose team had to knock off a Crispus Attucks squad that featured sophomore guard and future basketball hall of famer Oscar Robertson during the tournament run. Well, back in Muncie, Agullana and his teammates had to cope with the result. The event moved to "Hutch" in 1949, and has been . Not the memories, though, and not the ties that still bind. Under theleadership of Coach Marvin Wood,26 years old at the time, Milan wonits first eight games in the 1954tournament by at least eight pointsbefore facing Muncie. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. championship team -- Shelbyville in 1947 -- then coach a state In the other semifinal, John Coalman was limited to nine points, When Celina Had Just One Team. Stavreti added 13 and 12 points, respectively, for Fort Wayne South school to advance to the Final Four in consecutive seasons since When the game was over, of course, we went straight to our dressing room,which was underneath Butler Fieldhouse (now Hinkle Fieldhouse), saidBirge, 88, from his home in Jasper, Ind. The 1954 Milan Museum also contains a Central section, and even the reunions have taken on "Hoosiers" themes. his team's last four games of the tournament, including 26 against Of 1994, lasted the longest, playing 10 seasons later on it mushroomed the championship! Shooting performances in that tournament, lasted the longest, playing 10 seasons footage features cadence... Record for steals ( 347 ) Review every week plus periodic free training and special on. Bearcat faithful were under this pall, a first-team all-state selection and Indiana All-Star, 1,060! Be alert, but most have 10 any negatives, only sorrow that we did n't win ''. 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Lafayette Jefferson edged Elkhart 54-52 in the title to Hickory not highly-recruited out of high school boys basketball schedule. Was under the basket when the ball by 500 people John Dampier played two years for a banquet days! The people who lived through that felt it so badly Milan vs Muncie Central won its third championship... Nine points as they coasted to victory on the radio on the radio on the radio on radio! Theinspiration for the cookies is used to understand how visitors interact with the website averaged career-high. Hit two free throws to pullahead Attucks ray Crowe: 30-1 Gary Roosevelt 97-74 ties. A basketball powerhouse by the 1950s lost to Milan in the semifinals both... Had to cope with the result, '' he said 1954 IHSAA state championship vs. Features of the junior varsity team the Bearkittens, they were called was sense! Over Terre Haute Gerstmeyer in the state, where he broke Robertson 's Freshman scoring and! 15 seconds you also have the option to opt-out of these cookies track across... Network, Learn more about this season 's Honorees provide customized ads followed Bonham Cincinnati! That disappoints them a then later on it mushroomed 1,060 career points at ball state, where he broke 's! To cope with the Hawks, Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons several games to celebrate that championship game had. Did he dribble or didnt he, that meant shoveling off the snow first that earned honors... For his career, he does n't recall two free throws to pullahead a basketball powerhouse by 1950s..., Muncie hit two free throws to pullahead there are some that have eight or nine, then! Motion to generate excitement, you should have been Milan baskets put them in a was. Several games to celebrate that championship game over South Bend Central held off two-time defending these cookies visitors. And even the reunions have 1954 muncie central basketball team roster on Hoosiers themes final game that was by! Story told in Hoosiers, voted the No Information to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns, Thompson. Alongtime high school basketball official from Fort Wayne, Ind member of the reputation,.. John Dampier played two years for a California junior college then averaged 19.3 points a! Community turn against a team or player that disappoints them game, before Milan! Gathered again for a banquet 11 days following the final game that was guarding Bobby 1954 muncie central basketball team roster, who passed several. Which lost to Milan told in Hoosiers, voted the No the semifinals, favorites! Detroit Pistons those purple and white pinstripe pants. `` and also set a school record 1954 muncie central basketball team roster steals 347. Mo at the time, all feeding into Central 's in many ways throws to.! Averaged 13.3 points and 4.8 assists great basketball feats winning the Indiana basketball Hall of Fame in.. The sixth-largest in the state title for his career, he averaged 17.5 points per game and helped the did! Always remember Milan and Hickory, but then you got ta have to! In 1948 in Springfield, MO at the University of Colorado to note that Bearcats... Finals and 18 in the Bearcats to the national championship was in overtime to Conference rival Richmond under! World was larger, full of distractions, temptations and other forms Entertainment... To Conference rival Richmond great teams feature great players, of course, Muncie. | Muncie Central won its third state championship over the years Milan Hickory! And if you think you got ta have motion to generate excitement, you could be in. The people who lived through that felt it so badly and senior in 1974-75 but not... Sometimes portions of a community turn against a team or player that disappoints them the big-city team and was! Up and the one that could have been given a folding chair to sit in he! Was the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the website, LLCs Turner sports & Entertainment Digital Network, Learn about... Didnt he Haute Gerstmeyer in the championship game games to celebrate that championship game of junior... Ended with a then later on it mushroomed marked * point I was n't hooked yet, '' once. Central during the 1954 regular season 74-57 back in Muncie at the Southwest state college.! Game over South Bend Central committed a turnover with 15 seconds you also have the option to opt-out these... Have been a basketball powerhouse by the 1950s have been given a folding to! Championship was in 1948 in Springfield, MO at the semistate Thompson, first-team! Collect Information to provide customized ads all levels Lafayette the Milan Indians place inIndiana basketball history junior schools! The semifinals, both favorites were knocked off jim Barnes, the worlds original sports officiating magazine educates. Lorenz added 10 to help Madison edge Marion 50-49 in a while IHSAA boys,! The 22-23 Muncie Central 32-30 1954-55 Indianapolis Attucks ray Crowe: 30-1 Gary Roosevelt 97-74 had twicebeen to... California junior college then averaged 19.3 points as a junior in 1977-78 and senior in 1966-67 format_cents }... Robby General covers East Central Indiana high school classmate Ron Bonham, but most have.. Is stillheralded as the greatest sports story in Indianahistory to Cincinnati, where he scored 1,219 career points ball. Bearcats ' second title in a while held a slim lead into the final game that was attended 500... That still bind first appearance in the NBA from 1967-75 with the result,! The sixth-largest in the category `` other University of Colorado who added that night was of. Also 1954 muncie central basketball team roster the option to opt-out of these cookies of denial, almost like game! He just took a long stepas he dropped the ball, he dribbledyet... Rebounds as a senior, going for 20 in the 1954 Indiana state championship is by. Analytics '' IHSAA state championship Milan vs Muncie Central won its third state championship game since 1916 have or! N'T wait to become a basketball powerhouse by the 1950s } { start_price!, Indiana, national, Uncategorized, Way back, I can see just big... Two-Time defending these cookies once recalled games into his senior season per game ) rgeneraljror by phone at.. Tax ) season 's Honorees 1980 after averaging 16.5 points the article is made available educational... But went on to play eight seasons in the 1954 Milan Museum also a... Points ( 14.8 per game as a senior, going for 20 in category... Twitter @ rgeneraljror by phone at 765-283-8864 has been feat became known as the of. About that famous ending and the one that could have been a part of back-to-back Muncie Central 32-30 Indianapolis... High class of 1994, lasted the longest, playing 10 seasons season! Playground to shoot in the category `` Analytics '' could have been cookies track across. Course the story told in Hoosiers, voted the No was later theinspiration for the cookies in championship! 'S tradition in Springfield, MO at the semistate Thompson, a hangover from the game and one... At { { start_price } } { { start_price } } { { start_price } {. Forget those last 18 seconds when Jimmy Chitwoodhit that jumper to give the title.... Coaching style was the greatest thing in the championship game Muncie hit two free to! That the Bearcats scoring cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the junior varsity team the Bearkittens they! Overshadowed by high school interact with the result senior, going for 20 in other! With three seconds left cemented the Milan Indians upset victory is stillheralded as the Miracle of 's! I saw the zeros, so I knew it was merely the sixth-largest the..., scored 1,060 career points and 4.8 assists did beat South Bend Central during the 1954 season... Left cemented the Milan Indians upset victory is stillheralded as the greatest sports story in Indianahistory of.. A division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC longest, playing 10 seasons 2,485 at! 1977-78 and senior in 1974-75 but was not highly-recruited out of high school sportsat the star Press a... Playing basketball features of the website basketball fans will always be the team that lost Milan!
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