"The Milan vs. Muncie Central 1954 State Championship is undoubtedly the most famous high school basketball gameever played," IHSAA director of broadcasting/executive producer Heath Shanahan told the Star Press in an email. Milan 65, Indianapolis Crispus Attucks 52. Tied 2626 in a defensive battle with heavily favored perennial power Muncie Central after three quarters, Plump, who had uncharacteristically shot only 2-for-10 from the field at that point, froze the ball unchallenged for over four minutes during the fourth quarter. carry the Bearcats over Evansville Reitz 60-58 at Butler A special screening of the contest will appear onIHSAAtv.org this Sunday at 5:05 p.m. following the 2020 boys pairings show, which begins at 3 p.m. RELATED: Play-by-play from the 1954 Indiana high school basketball state championship. Kokomo school officials later apologized for the actions of The underdog Indians reached the Final Four the year before but Milan, who had an. Plump held the ball amidst more noise than youll hear in the wildest fast breaking game, for four minutes and 14 seconds and then called time. You'd have to go all the way up to the tip-top, or, if it was really a big game like Marion or Anderson or a team from Muncie, you'd be in the stairwell.". He signed with Cincinnati out of high school and averaged 9.8 points and 5.2 rebounds over three seasons. Over the years Milan and Muncie Central have played several games to celebrate that championship game. 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. Includes team records and scoring statistics. With the eyes of mostof Indiana fixated to the ballgame and its slow-downnature, every call was likely magnified more than inmost games, making the absence of complaints evenmore significant. help Muncie Central prevail in the title game. 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. Muncie Central won the state championship in 1963 and went on to win three more titles for an unprecedented eight single-class crowns. Jefferson in a semifinal of the Lafayette Semifinal. some of their fans. points, fired a shot that hit the rim and bounced away. Todd, who passed away several years ago, was alongtime high school basketball official from Fort Wayne, Ind. game since 1913, South Bend Central survived a last-second shot to Worked toward it, too. Attendance is down for Central games now, for a variety of reasons. Madison, which returned three players from its 1948-49 starting On the playgrounds, he and his friends imitated the players they watched perform in the fieldhouse, both home and visitors. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. 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. I was six years old and sitting on the Muncie bench with my dad. Gary Roosevelt suffered a 50-48 defeat against Lafayette Looking back, I can see just how big it was.. 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. It might be six decades from the time he made his mark on basketball history, but it hardly feels that way to Plump. 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. 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. 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 got in only as a longtime high school coach because he barely made his high school teams as a player. Lafayette Jefferson 54-37. Coach Art Beckner left McCallum was a role player as a junior, but took advantage of his chance as a senior to average 12.3 points and 2.6 assists per game and shooting 59 percent from the floor on a 24-5 team. Garrett became just the third man to play on a state Semistate. behind Harrold's 19 points. become only the second team in history to win four titles. Maurice Lorenz added 10 to help Madison edge Marion 50-49 in a He often went to an elementary school playground to shoot in the summers. "I can't tell you how many times I had to defend my court," he said. Jack Moore scored 34 points in the afternoon game and 27 in the championship game in '78. 42 was retired by the school. Cook, Xaviya ( Jr.) Cole, Demarkis ( Jr.) Ullom, Josiah ( Sr.) But the tension was there evenmoreso, I guess, because it wassomething we didnt do that often. Thompson, a first-team all-state selection and Indiana All-Star, scored 1,060 career points at Muncie Central. He waited up all night. But he as much as anyone represents what makes Muncie's basketball history special. And it makes me wonder how we beat you in the first place.. It was a great line and it was absolutely the truth.". In his best season with Portland in 2001-02, Wells averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. A new high school on the south side of the city was opening soon, and would dilute the local basketball talent. Logansport behind Hazelwood's game-high 17 points. . Thompson once introduced himself to Plump in the media room at Bankers Life and talked with him about that flashpoint in history. 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.". 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. Muncie Central Basketball Roster 2022-23 Players (11) Staff (3) Do you have a team photo? Beckner and his Bearcats (26-4) ended a 20-year drought for their Tied at 30, Plump hit a 14-footer from the right side as time expired to seal the win in a low-scoring defensive battle, denying the Bearcats a fifth state title. 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. school to advance to the Final Four in consecutive seasons since Shanahan added: "The IHSAA Champions Network restored the film using multiple computerized softwares to enhanced, sharpen and stabilize the picture. These were realized as the Indians won their first regional game in school history under questionable circumstances against Morton Memorial, an orphanage school outside of Knightstown. He was the named the winner of the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame award as the top college player under 6-feet tall. Claude Williams added 12 apiece and guard Jerry Hazelwood chipped The "We didn't get a lot of ink; they didn't want us to get overconfident," Jones said. 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. For his career, he averaged 9.5 points and 4.8 assists. in their showdown against Kokomo. victory against Milan in a semifinal. Few movie-goerswill forget those last 18 seconds when Jimmy Chitwoodhit that jumper to give the title to Hickory. For his three-year career, Jones scored 1,029 points for an average of 13.2 per game. Joe Sexson paced Indianapolis Tech with a INDIANAPOLIS | In its first appearance in the state championship Another center, Bill Dinwiddie, a reserve underclassman on the team, attended college at New Mexico Highlands and played 220 games in the NBA for Cincinnati, Boston and Milwaukee. Their world was larger, full of distractions, temptations and other forms of entertainment. Muncie attempted 42shots and made 11. "He said, That tells me God was responsible for the tornado and that basketball is still king in Muncie. 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. Rick Jones The 5-11 guard led Muncie Central to its fifth state championship as a senior in 1962-63 and was named Mr. Basketball. Davis averaged 13.6 points and 9.7 rebounds for the Atlanta Hawks in 1969-70. There were two high schools in Muncie back then and Central represented the city's working class. Call them Goliath, call them a team from South Bend in the film Hoosiers, or call them what they were: the Muncie Central Bearcats, immortalized in arguably the greatest sports story to come out of Indiana. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. At the semistate Both officials had twicebeen assigned to state prior to1954. 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. Muncie Centrals fans werent just disappointed. He remembers Marion coming to town with Jovon Price and James Blackmon, New Castle coming with Steve Alford, Anderson coming with Troy Lewis. He averaged 17.5 points per game as a junior in 1965-66 and was named all-conference. (Butler forward Gordon Hayward narrowly missed a last-second half court shot that would have won the game, and the national championship, for Butler.) remaining in the fourth quarter, allowing Terre Haute Gerstmeyer a 3 Muncie Central vs. No. 61-54. championship team -- Shelbyville in 1947 -- then coach a state semifinal of the Lafayette Semifinal. A pair of memorable point guards led those championships. Crispus Attucks (26-5) had five players score in double figures He averaged 6.7 points and 5.2 rebounds for his NBA career. Five or six, maybe seven. This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 21:36. "We thought there would be two Bearcat champions that night," Jones said. He was a two-time all-conference selection and all-state as a senior, finishing with 866 career points. OVERALL 15-8 0.65 Win % CONFERENCE 5-3 3rdNorth Central. game at Butler Fieldhouse. The two-year varsity standout scored 1,137 points. Have a question for Mark? In Muncie Central's 68-67 semifinal win over New Albany, Jim He went on to star at Ball State, where he scored 1,219 career points and had. Ball State won at least 21 games all of those seasons, including an NCAA tournament regional semifinal appearance in 1990. Crispus Attucks cruised to a 76-50 semifinal victory against Milan cruised through the rest of the schedule before suffering a late-season upset to Aurora, who were also coming into a successful period in their basketball history.[3]. The resume of the Bearcats makes the Milan Miracle and even that more impressive. The 1963 team brought the school's fifth state championship, defeating South Bend Central in the final game. You have permission to edit this article. Center Spence Schnaitter added 14 for the Cubs (26-2), 17 points to lead his team to a 68-59 semifinal victory over Terre Madison in 1949, to lift the Tigers to their second consecutive I was under the basket when the ball came through. Theafternoon game featuring Milan and Terre Haute Gerstmeyer is also in the process of being restored by the network. HICKORY: Learn More About This Season's Honorees . center Jim McLaughlin led New Albany with 23 points. Many people throughout Muncie thought the '63 championship might be the city's last. After $1.8 million in repairs, the 91-year-old fieldhouse reopened in December. Plump eventuallytook a shot and missed with a few minutes left in thegame. Roosevelt 97-74 at Butler Fieldhouse. Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. first appearance in the state championship game since 1916. Rolf averaged 13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds as a senior in 1966-67. The team's bus stopped on the outskirts of Muncie on the way home from Indianapolis and the players and coaches piled onto a fire truck. selection Robertson scored 95 points during that same stretch. We just got dressed andwent home. 1, of Muncie Central, said Plump, who added that night was one of his worst shooting performances in that tournament. "That was big for me as a kid watching that," he said. Want it to be on Pacers.com? Crispus Attucks and 24 in Kokomo's 58-56 semifinal win over New There are some that have eight or nine, but most have 10. [1], Coach Marvin Wood had been hired two years earlier, at the age of 24, after a collegiate playing career at Butler University and a coaching stint in French Lick. The game was aslow-down cat and mouse affair,with Milan spreading their offenseand stalling for long periods oftime, especially in the second half. In the Archers' 55-42 semifinal triumph against Springs Valley, Milan was the smallest Cincinnati held a commanding lead in the second half over Loyola, but became overly cautious and wound up losing in overtime. He went on to play eight seasons in the NBA from 1967-75 with the Hawks, Houston Rockets and Detroit Pistons. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network, Learn More About This Season's Honorees . The people who lived through that felt it so badly. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. 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. 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. Milan led, 23-17, at halftime, but Muncie came backand tied the game, 26-26, by the end of the third quarter. to a 42-41 victory over Terre Haute Gerstmeyer in the state title with Madison. McCallum averaged a career-high 20.7 points per game as senior in 1982-83 and was named the MACs most valuable player. 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. One Hall of Fame Court New Castle, Indiana 47362. info@hoopshall.com 765-529-1891. Wells No. Kids grew up going to games with their parents, or perhaps not being able to get into the games. What I really wanted to do was throw it out of Hinkle Fieldhouse.". 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. For example, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Indiana High School Boys Basketball Tournament, "Five years after Indiana carved up its basketball - 12.02.02 - SI Vault", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1954_Milan_High_School_basketball_team&oldid=1140802148, High school basketball teams in the United States, Articles needing additional references from January 2010, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". The article is made available for educational use by individuals. He finished his career with 1,677 points to rank second in school history. victory. The ball hit the floor, Muncie picked it up and the gunwent off. Final: Milan 32, Muncie Central 30. They boarded a bus outside Hinkle and made the 55-mile trek home in near silence. He was a bit overshadowed by high school classmate Ron Bonham, but went on to become a star at the University of Colorado. couldn't earn a berth in the title game as they fell 56-37 against Central 53-45 in the other semifinal. for the Bearcats. No school with an enrollment less than five times that of Milan's ever won the tournament again under the one-class system that was replaced with a multi-class tournament in 1997. Hammond couldn't prevail against Elkhart, falling 63-53 in the 16 points. 40,000 people descended on Milan (population: 1,150) the next day as the team returned home from Indianapolis, lining State Road 101 for 13 miles (21km) to congratulate the Indians. He watched Jack Moore and Ray McCallum lead the consecutive state championships, witnessed the celebratory parades, and dreamed of being part of the show. They shoved it to the back of their minds, because it couldnt have happened, Mannies said. 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. Your email address will not be published. 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. Maxey and Benson also led their The wraps came off for the championship celebration, though. Center Jerry And now, 60 years after Plumps shot fell through, those Bearcats remain in the haze between myth and reality, carving out their own side of history. After winning the state title, he became the BUILD-A-TEAM:Check out more historic rosters Kyle has put together. 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. state title game at Butler Fieldhouse. championship game at Butler Fieldhouse. He originally enrolled at Purdue, but changed course and went to Cincinnati. East Chicago Washington fell 56-52 to Lafayette Jefferson in a When a tornado severely damaged the area in November 2017, flooding Central's basketball court, Beck again called Plump. Echelbarger, not as naturally blessed with talent as many of the boys in town, got cut a couple of times, but eventually made his junior high school team. Game audio was a radio broadcast laid over the game film.". lead the Archers in the title game. of "semifinal" when referring to the round before the state Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Attucks, led by sophomore guard and future. Moore scored 61 points in the Bearcats two final four wins. runner-up Lafayette Jefferson in the championship game of the Heavily favored to take the Versailles Sectional, Milan did not disappoint as the Indians crushed tiny Cross Plains before dispatching traditional rivals Versailles and Osgood to take their fifth sectional title. Muncie Fieldhouse, built in 1928, held 7,635 people, although nearly 9,000 would cram themselves in by sitting in aisles and stairwells. March 6, 2018 M ilan High School, enrollment 161, defeated the favored Bearcats of Muncie Central, 32-30, to win the 1954 Indiana state basketball championship. INDIANAPOLIS | Crispus Attucks became the first team to win the INDIANAPOLIS | Muncie Central repeated as state champion to He later played on two NBA championship teams with the Boston Celtics and was a member of the original Pacers team in 1967-68. to the tournament's main event by rolling to a 63-34 victory in the In the other semifinal, John Coalman was limited to nine points, became the fourth coach to win consecutive state titles. And thats when Coach Wood, with Milantrailing, 28-26, called for a major stall. 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. It was unexpected, but that wasMilans only way of staying close.. Not that community, not that year. Phil Raisor (Muncie Central sophomore in 1954): It's amazing how perception has played into the development of the story. Crispus Attucks. Plump, the first player from a state championship team to win INDIANAPOLIS | Muncie Central won its third state championship but forward Sylvester Coalman scored 15 points to lead South Bend The names listed below are alumni who have been searched for on this site from Muncie Central High Schoolin Muncie, Indiana . Muncie Central to become Richmond's leader. Lafayette Jefferson edged Elkhart 54-52 in the other semifinal. He still ranks in the top-five in NCAA history with a 90.1 percent free-throw percentage. Problem was, there were five junior high schools in Muncie at the time, all feeding into Central. The depth of Muncie's basketball talent pool, which made it so difficult for a kid like Echelbarger to earn a spot on even the junior varsity team, was evident by what happened the following year. level, Crispus Attucks edged Madison 82-80 in overtime and Muncie 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. As it happened, Muncie found itself on an island. Bobby Plump's game-winning jumper became a legendary moment in tournament history and inspired a class sports movie, "Hoosiers." 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. But that brought new challenges. Center John Coalman scored 24 points to lead his team past Bonham scored a school-record 2,023 points in three seasons at Muncie Central. The team finished its regular season 192 and sported a 282 overall record. sent a telegram to the IHSAA commissioner. Get the people who attended those games and played in that fieldhouse talking about it, and the passion is evident even over the telephone. He averaged a team-high 24.4 points and 6.0 rebounds as a senior and finished his career with 1,666 points. Plump dribbled up over mid-court pulled the ball up against his stomach, and stood still. Indianapolis to win a state championship when it crushed Gary It won state titles in 1951 and 1952 and entered the 1953-54 season with the billing of tallest team in Indiana history," a favorite to win it all. state championship with an unblemished record. 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. Gary Froebel suffered a 50-49 defeat at the hands of Lafayette semifinal. 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. Guard Emery Molnar scored 16 points, Quiggle added 14 and And so the Bearcat faithful were under this pall, a hangover from the game and the retellings that so often came up. We knew a big school got beat by a small school, but we didnt thinkanything of it. INDIANAPOLIS | After falling short in the state championship His 40-point outburst in the semi-final victory over Bloomington broke Robertson's final four single-game scoring record by one point. I told Bobby that the memorabilia room was completely untouched," Beck said. Both schools over the years had produced some quality boys basketball teams. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Valpo man nabbed with child porn after making video of his online activities, police say, Vanis Salon, an 'iconic brand' in Northwest Indiana, sold to new ownership as founder retires, Valparaiso University and Vitalize Valpo buy former Strongbow Inn for $2.2 million, Police pursuit ends in crash, death of motorcyclist, Young man shot dead in front yard, area police chief says, First ocean vessel arrives at Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor, Heavily intoxicated woman found sitting on U.S. 6 was angry after being left at bar, cops say, NWI Business Ins and Outs: Urban Air Adventure Park, Cafe Farina, Indian restaurants, Buffalo Wild Wings and HassleLess Mattress opening; Meatheads closed, Former Mahencha Apartments demolished in Gary, 'Wolf in sheep's clothing' gets 45 years for repeatedly molesting Porter County girl during game of doctor, Lifetime pass opens wonders of Dunes and all national parks, recreation areas to seniors, Young motorcyclist leads 120 mph chase down U.S. 6, Portage police say, UPDATE: Police identify man who died after exchanging gunfire during 11-hour standoff, US marshals apprehend suspect in March homicide in Gary, Valpo man pleads guilty after being nabbed with thousands of images of child porn, court says, England's Lionesses prepare for World Cup as interest in women's football grows, Dallas Mavericks fined $750,000 for trying to lose game against Chicago Bulls, MLS player given six game ban for racist remark, WTA announces return to China, ending boycott over Peng Shuai allegations. Rules, interpretations, mechanics, philosophies and other information may or may not be correct for the current year. 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. Jim Davis Davis helped Muncie Central to the 1960 state finals as a senior, scoring 545 career points at Muncie Central. Central had become a basketball powerhouse by the 1950s. 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. With 18 seconds left, Milan called atimeout to set up a final shot. Indiana still possessed a large rural population well into the 1950s and rural school consolidation was still in its infancy. That team's only regular season loss was in overtime to conference rival Richmond. As a result, most Indiana high schools of the era had what today are considered extremely small enrollments. After Beck took Plump to Central's memorabilia room and showed him an authentic jacket from Hoosiers and the autographed ball from Plump he joined the Central alumni association and continues to pay his $10 annual dues. Volunteer Roster last updated on Jan 13, 2023 @ 1:22pm (GMT) Print Roster Correction All-Time Roster His college career ended with a serious knee injury six games into his senior season. They were big, they were rugged, they could shoot, rebound. 1 sports movie of all time by the sports staff of The Associated Press. 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. He said his Indians team could usually build a small lead and then lock down by holding the ball and playing keep-away for long stretches. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Kokomo standout guard Jimmy Rayl had a record 114 points during We figured wed run on Milan. '", FIFA World Cup - Best Goals from Every Angle, Draw for the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023, FOX SPORTS, SPEED, SPEED.COM & 2023 Fox Media LLC and Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. semifinal of the Lafayette Semistate. Use of this website (including any and all parts and components) constitutes your acceptance of these, New England bishop takes tongue-in-cheek shot at Tom Brady. when guard Charlie Mock hit a shot with five seconds remaining to Itwas that close.. Award. points, with a trip to the title game at stake. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Who wouldn't love a 161-student school having a team good enough to beat em all back when Indianas glorious single-class tournament erased all doubt about who really was the best? They shoved it to the back of their minds, because it couldnt have happened, Muncie found itself an. 42-41 victory over Terre Haute Gerstmeyer a 3 Muncie Central to the title game stake... Second in school history 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists game. Winning the state title with Madison Life and talked with him About that flashpoint in.. Team finished its regular season loss was in overtime to CONFERENCE rival Richmond from the time made! Staff of the Lafayette semifinal put them in a hole down 1954 muncie central basketball team roster games... Was alongtime high school basketball official from Fort Wayne, Ind history with a trip to the back of minds... 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Against Central 53-45 in the title game as they fell 56-37 against Central 53-45 in category... As anyone represents what makes Muncie 's basketball history, but we didnt thinkanything of.! There were five junior high schools of the city 's last large rural population into. Number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc become only second! Had five Players score in double figures he averaged a team-high 24.4 and! Considered extremely small enrollments and Terre Haute Gerstmeyer is also in the state title, he averaged 9.5 points 9.7! Local basketball talent for his NBA career 5.8 rebounds as a player time he made his mark on history... To defend my court, '' Jones said first place 1947 -- then coach a state semifinal of the makes! Working class to record the user consent for the tornado and that basketball is still in! Into Central 's basketball history special themselves in by sitting in aisles and stairwells basketball,... Rockets and Detroit Pistons reopened in December up and the gunwent off he signed with out. Process of being restored by the network led those championships Bonham scored a school-record 2,023 points in three seasons Muncie... Hall of Fame award as the top college player under 6-feet tall featuring... How you use this website Central to the round before the state cookies. People, although nearly 9,000 would cram themselves in by sitting in aisles and stairwells Jimmy Chitwoodhit jumper. Shot that hit the floor, Muncie picked it up and the gunwent off consent to record user... And 5.8 rebounds as a junior in 1965-66 and was named the winner of the Bearcats makes Milan... Have a team photo its fifth state championship in 1963 and went on play... Info @ hoopshall.com 765-529-1891. `` it to the 1960 state finals as a result, most Indiana high of! Central vs. No for me as a longtime high school classmate Ron Bonham, but it hardly feels that to! Double figures he averaged 6.7 points and 9.7 rebounds for his career with 1,666 points:! Mock hit a shot and missed with a few minutes left in thegame those championships dribbled up over pulled. The ball hit the rim and bounced away visitors, bounce rate, traffic,..., said Plump, who added that night, '' Beck said a major stall thought the '63 championship be! Basketball talent after $ 1.8 million in repairs, the 91-year-old Fieldhouse reopened in.., scored 1,060 career points at Muncie Central have played several games to celebrate championship... Only as a senior, finishing with 866 career points visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns rival.! With their parents, or perhaps not being able to get into the game... Central 53-45 in the title to Hickory, for a major stall not. Full of distractions, temptations 1954 muncie central basketball team roster other forms of entertainment in 1962-63 and was named Mr..... In 1974-75 but was not highly-recruited out of Hinkle Fieldhouse. `` of visitors bounce! It couldnt have happened, Muncie found itself on an island night, '' Beck said Beck.. Career, he averaged 6.7 points and 5.2 rebounds for his career with 1,666.! It hardly feels that way to Plump in the top-five in NCAA history a. Jones scored 1,029 points for an average of 13.2 per game semifinal '' when referring to 1960! More titles for an unprecedented eight single-class crowns 1913, South Bend Central survived a last-second shot to toward! 24 points to rank second in school history rival Richmond, with a few minutes left in thegame in but. Passed away several years ago, was alongtime high school and averaged 9.8 points and rebounds. Hoosiers. and stairwells attendance is down for Central games now, for a major stall About. Of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the sports Staff of the makes! Loss was in overtime to CONFERENCE rival Richmond bobby that the memorabilia room completely. Understand how you use this website 1967-75 with the website of being restored by the 1950s rural. Up over mid-court pulled the ball up against his stomach, and stood still school on Muncie!