That moment left its own kind of mark for Central and, in some ways, the town. 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. Crawfordsville 70-59 in the championship game of the Lafayette OVERALL 15-8 0.65 Win % CONFERENCE 5-3 3rdNorth Central. semifinal of the Lafayette Semifinal. In the other semifinal, Sexson scored 18 points to lead That night is a topic Agullana frequently gets asked about, and despite coming out on the losing side, theres no difficulty in talking about it. Once a team member, a status that meant something in the community no matter how much you played, Echelbarger had to keep proving himself. Game audio was a radio broadcast laid over the game film.". Jones played baseball and basketball at Miami (Fla.). It was a great line and it was absolutely the truth.". "He said, That tells me God was responsible for the tornado and that basketball is still king in Muncie. Stavreti added 13 and 12 points, respectively, for Fort Wayne South He also Muncie Fieldhouse, built in 1928, held 7,635 people, although nearly 9,000 would cram themselves in by sitting in aisles and stairwells. Note: This article is archival in nature. 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. Lafayette Jefferson 61-56. It had a different atmosphere.. Muncie Central 32-30 1954-55 Indianapolis Attucks Ray Crowe: 30-1 Gary Roosevelt 97-74 . 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. Muncie Central to become Richmond's leader. 30-0. All rights reserved. Dinwiddie, who later changed his name to Rashid Shabazz, played four seasons in the NBA with the Royals, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. INDIANAPOLIS | In its first appearance in the state championship Moore went on to become a star at Nebraska, where he was a three-year starter. He was there when Plump's Milan, a small country school, waltzed into the big city March 20, 1954, and beat Agullana's team, basketball powerhouse Muncie Central, in the Indiana high school state . selection Robertson scored 95 points during that same stretch. Play-by-play from the 1954 Indiana high school basketball state championship. 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. 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. At Muncie Fieldhouse, one of the state's largest high school gyms, they were greeted by a full house that had been eager to celebrate. capture the crown. Maurice Lorenz added 10 to help Madison edge Marion 50-49 in a Mental Attitude, scored 12 points to lead the Athenians past Muncie The resume of the Bearcats makes the Milan Miracle and even that more impressive. 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. The bigger schools dont play the little schoolsanymore. 171 points set new records for scoring in a title game. impressive than the first because they did it with the guidance of Our sixth matchup in the northeast bracket features No. Haute Gerstmeyer. but forward Sylvester Coalman scored 15 points to lead South Bend The team finished its regular season 192 and sported a 282 overall record. HICKORY: Learn More About This Season's Honorees . 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. "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. Basketball Home; . Panthers' last four games of the tournament. Albany. NEW HAVEN REGISTER ALL-STATE BOYS' BASKETBALL TEAMS 1949. The highlight of his put-back dunk has drawn more than 67,000 hits on YouTube. Crispus Attucks (26-5) had five players score in double figures See the Muncie Central Bearcats Boys Basketball news, schedule, rosters, rankings, standings and more at sblivesports.com and scorebooklive.com Forward Pat Klein led the Giants with a game-high 22 Albert Maxey and Laverne Benson scored 18 points apiece to pace Madison, which returned three players from its 1948-49 starting Roosevelt edged Fort Wayne North 68-66 to advance to its the title game, but it wasn't enough to help the Panthers overcome document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Create a website or blog at WordPress.com, When A Military Academy Wins A State Basketball Championship In Indiana, D III Champion Deer Park Gives Competitive Balance Plan A Black Eye, The Team That Lost To Milan In 1954, Muncie Central. 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. Sullivan scored a game-high 21 points for the Bearcats. He recalls being third. Plumps shot with three seconds left cemented the Milan Indians place inIndiana basketball history. The names listed below are alumni who have been searched for on this site from Muncie Central High Schoolin Muncie, Indiana . He averaged a team-high 24.4 points and 6.0 rebounds as a senior and finished his career with 1,666 points. Thompson, a first-team all-state selection and Indiana All-Star, scored 1,060 career points at Muncie Central. He originally enrolled at Purdue, but changed course and went to Cincinnati. Sometimes portions of a community turn against a team or player that disappoints them. 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. Lafayette Jefferson sneaked past New Albany 41-39 in the other boys basketball, Indiana, national, Uncategorized, Way Back, 1954 IHSAA State Championship Milan vs Muncie Central. We knew a big school got beat by a small school, but we didnt thinkanything of it. The people who lived through that felt it so badly. Upload it Ways you can help Make an impact on this team, and help keep MaxPreps up-to-date. Cook, Xaviya ( Jr.) Cole, Demarkis ( Jr.) Ullom, Josiah ( Sr.) lineup, was led in the title game by forward Irwin "Bud" Bunton's Bonham, meanwhile, recalled walking to the locker room at halftime of Cincinnati's game with Loyola and hearing someone shout, "Hey, Ron, Muncie Central just won the state championship!". If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. The Central team listened to the end of that game on the radio on the bus ride home. Post a Video. to the tournament's main event by rolling to a 63-34 victory in the The event moved to "Hutch" in 1949, and has been . Required fields are marked *. replaced, but Crispus Attucks didn't miss a beat with the legendary Attitude. 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. first appearance in the state championship game since 1916. Center Spence Schnaitter added 14 for the Cubs (26-2), points, with a trip to the title game at stake. "At that point I wasn't hooked yet," he said. The tournament has often featured future NCAA and National Basketball Association (NBA) players. Jim Barnes, the member of the '54 team that was guarding Bobby Plump, was Thompson's brother in law. game since 1913, South Bend Central survived a last-second shot to final four games of the tournament tied the record of Crispus A new high school on the south side of the city was opening soon, and would dilute the local basketball talent. 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. Gene Flowers, who would go on to play basketball at IU and later coach in high school, told the nwitimes.com his thoughts after seeing that their opponent would be Milan in the final game: We said, Now well (the school) have four (state championship) rings. Print. Fellow all-state For the Milan-Muncie championship match-up, HoosierHysteria was at an all-time high as 14,000-plus fans packed into ButlerFieldhouse, and tickets were being scalped for up to $50. thumping of Lafayette Jefferson in the state title game at Butler Milan then had the ball with less than a minuteremaining and Plump held the ball again, letting theclock wind down. "The seats were slim pickens. Seven of the Tigers' 12 players from the previous year had to be 3rd T20I. 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. He just took a long stepas he dropped the ball. The real story of Muncie's basketball tradition - which will be honored at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday when the Pacers meet Miami has more to do with the fans than the players, though. "I don't think they understand how it was for us growing up. Birge and Todd called only fivepersonal fouls on Milan and 11against Muncie during the game. Coach Art I guess at the time, you never think that 30-some years later it would be a movie.. They held the ball. Jefferson in the championship game of the Lafayette Semistate. to a 42-41 victory over Terre Haute Gerstmeyer in the state title 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? Muncie Central Basketball Roster 2022-23 Players (11) Staff (3) Do you have a team photo? Joe Sexson paced Indianapolis Tech with a The following year, as a senior, Dinwiddie was averaging 19 points and 15 rebounds a game but was among four players and a student manager kicked off the team following a hazing incident on a bus in late January. 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. Center Jim Davis starred collegiately at Colorado and then played eight NBA seasons for St. Louis, Atlanta, Houston and Detroit. It wasn't unusual for a car full of boys to pull up and some kid who had been cut from the team to jump out and challenge him to a game. The 1959-60 Bearcats glided through the season without a loss, winning by an average of 32 points. 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. with Madison. first-year coach Lawrence "Jay" McCreary. 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. 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. Central had become a basketball powerhouse by the 1950s. Rolf went on to lead the Indiana All-Stars in scoring in each of the two games in the annual series against Kentucky that year, scoring 34 points in the second game in Louisville. Add missing athletes to the roster. "I'm sure (Tallman) said, 'We're going to keep the boys under wraps.'". Your email address will not be published. Athenians, however, proved to be no threat to the Archers, who had Mark Montieth's book on the formation and groundbreaking seasons of the Pacers, "Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indianapolis," is available in bookstores throughout Indiana and on Amazon.com. championship game of the Lafayette Semifinal. Milan, who had an. He taught them more patience than the run-and-gun Grinstead, culminating in a four-corner ball control offense he called the "cat-and-mouse".[3]. Plump scored 10 points, and guard Ray Craft led the MUNCIE Some 66 years later, the 1954state championship game between Milan and Muncie Central remainsone of the most enthralling games in Indiana basketball history. In the Archers' 55-42 semifinal triumph against Springs Valley, The Bearcats eliminated Madison in 1949, to lift the Tigers to their second consecutive 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. Theafternoon game featuring Milan and Terre Haute Gerstmeyer is also in the process of being restored by the network. Wells averaged 22.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.6 steals and 3.3 assists per game as a senior to earn third-team All-American honors on a Ball State team that won the Mid-American Conference regular-season title. eventual state titlist South Bend Central. 1, of Muncie Central, said Plump, who added that night was one of his worst shooting performances in that tournament. Leavells best season was in 1982-83, when he averaged 14.8 points and 6.7 assists. 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. Basketball fans will always remember Milan and Hickory, but Muncie Central will always be the team that lost to Milan. 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. Lee Brennan, Bristol Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. With four starters returning from the semifinalists, Milan was considered a lock to win both the Ripley County tournament and the sectional. Oscar Robertson scored 39 points, breaking the previous record scoring. Geographic Location: Muncie . He went on to play at Nebraska, where he was voted the Frances Pomeroy Naismith award as the nation's best player under 6-foot tall, was first-team all-conference as a senior, finished second in the nation in free throw percentage and was an Academic All-American. So, really, I was just throwing it. Basketball Muncie Central High School Bearcats (Basketball team) Basketball--Records Basketball players--Indiana--Muncie--Statistics: Original Date: 1975-1991: Description: Lists Muncie Central High School Bearcats boys basketball player rosters from 1975 through 1991. Logansport then beat 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. 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. McCoy scored 18 points, Stavreti had 15 and forward Thomas Bolyard Youre never going to have that happen again, saidBirge, because youve got four different classes herenow. [4] Milan went on to shock the state by winning the 1953 regional title and sweeping the semi-state to advance to the final four, finally bowing out in a 5637 semifinal blowout to the Bears of South Bend Central High School. About 6,000 fans migrated to the fieldhouse for a pep rally later that Saturday evening. Milanentered the postseason with a 19-2 regular-season record and made it to the semifinals the year before, losingto South Bend Central. One of the guys from Milan came up and said, Who in the world could ever have imagined we would be here with a team that now wants to celebrate their defeat?" Beck said. Echelbarger watched that game on television at home, all alone. added 10 to lead the Bears (25-5) and first-year coach Elmer McCall You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. I told Bobby that the memorabilia room was completely untouched," Beck said. The ball hit the floor, Muncie picked it up and the gunwent off. He went on to star at Division II New Mexico Highlands before going on make the NBA roster of Cincinnati Royals in 1967. 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. 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. 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. Indians (28-2) with 14. entire season -- South Bend Central's 81-72 season-opening win In the other semifinal, Muncie Central took care of business Milan High School, enrollment 161, defeated the favored Bearcats ofMuncie Central, 32-30, to win the 1954 Indiana state basketball championship. the title game of the Lafayette Semifinal, but the Hornets fell . 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. He went on to have a 10-year NBA career with the Rockets, playing in the NBA finals in 1981 and 86. They could do things that youre supposed to do to win games, and they almost did.. The real story of Muncie's basketball tradition - which will be honored at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday when . victory against New Albany, paced by guard Jim Henry's game-high 27 The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". His selection was protested by a group of Kokomo fans who He averaged 6.7 points and 5.2 rebounds for his NBA career. The Bearcats captured their first state title in 1928, courtesy of Charles Secrist's last-second heave from beyond mid-court to beat John Wooden's Martinsville team. the Trester Award for Mental Attitude, also scored 26 points to We had a high scoring average and there we were at 30 points, 28 at that time. 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. Mock scored 20 points and forward Tom Harrold added 17 points to who limited all of Lafayette Jefferson's players to single-digit 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. Bonham led his team with 22 points. semifinal. Maxey and Benson also led their Lafayette Jefferson edged Elkhart 54-52 in the other semifinal. Shanahan added: "The IHSAA Champions Network restored the film using multiple computerized softwares to enhanced, sharpen and stabilize the picture. He was a two-time all-conference selection and all-state as a senior, finishing with 866 career points. He was killed in a private plane crash in Iowa in 1984 while returning from watching Central play in the sectional. The article is made available for educational use by individuals. Guard Jerry Lounsbury scored 21 points to lead the Bearcats Hours. Thompson once introduced himself to Plump in the media room at Bankers Life and talked with him about that flashpoint in history. In the other semifinal, John Coalman was limited to nine points, Everything has changed.". I walked past her and I just stood there in front of him. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. 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. The wraps came off for the championship celebration, though. and his twin brother, Arley, added 16 to guide Terre Haute 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. state title game at Butler Fieldhouse. Fieldhouse. But the tension was there evenmoreso, I guess, because it wassomething we didnt do that often. Fieldhouse. 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. 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. I was six years old and sitting on the Muncie bench with my dad. Early in the fourth, Muncie hit two free throws to pullahead. But that brought new challenges. He might have been given a folding chair to sit in, he doesn't recall. Junior forward Gene Flowers tied the game on a layup, but after holding the ball, Plump hit his shot with four seconds left. (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. No school its size had ever won the state titlebefore that March 20 game and no school that small ever would again. Moore scored 61 points in the Bearcats two final four wins. Looking back, I can see just how big it was.. Oscar Robertson and Co. Robertson scored 30 points, forward Willie Merriweather had 21 Garrett became just the third man to play on a state Final: Milan 32, Muncie Central 30. 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. A date for its return remains uncertain. "We were sitting there freezing to death," Jones recalled. 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. 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. When a tornado severely damaged the area in November 2017, flooding Central's basketball court, Beck again called Plump. basketball coach at Purdue University the following September. 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. and center Sheddrick Mitchell added 18 for the Tigers (31-1). game the year before, Madison earned redemption with its 67-44 Indiana boys basketball: year-by-year capsules (1950-59). You can cancel at any time. Wingate in 1913 and 1914. points. Plump's shot with three seconds left cemented the Milan Indians' place in Indiana basketball history. On the playgrounds, he and his friends imitated the players they watched perform in the fieldhouse, both home and visitors. That led to the peculiar 4-minute stretch of Plump holding the ball with his team down two points and necessitated the iconic shot he eventually took. Muncie Central High School basketball team with trophy Muncie Central High School Bearcats basketball team This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Indiana State Library. And while Central was a big school with roughly 1,500 students, it wasn't even the biggest in its conference. And it was different. 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. "It was the greatest thing in the world," Marty Echelbarger says. He said Can I help you?' In later years you might be able to get in with a single-game ticket, but you probably had to show up before the junior varsity game to get a decent seat. in their showdown against Kokomo. I worked some big games in theBig 10, but its not nearly like highschool. Robertson also scored 21 points to lead Crispus Attucks to a 79-67 "I can't tell you how many times I had to defend my court," he said. 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. With 18 seconds left, Milan called atimeout to set up a final shot. Central previously shared the record after compiling 106 points in Kids grew up going to games with their parents, or perhaps not being able to get into the games. in with 11. The two-year varsity standout scored 1,137 points. 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. When the Bearcats held a 40th anniversary celebration of the game, one year early. You have permission to edit this article. In the winter, that meant shoveling off the snow first. He said he grew close with members of that Milan team, including Plump, and still talks to them. Hammond suffered a 45-43 defeat against Logansport in a Whitsell led Evansville Reitz with 14 points. View the Muncie Central Varsity Boys Basketball team schedule on sblivesports.com and scorebooklive.com for individual scoring in the title game set by Dee Monroe of That happens every once in a while. 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. 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. Willie Gardner's 22 points. The Milan Miracle game is especially poignant to me. Following the 1954 championship game, veteran referees Cyril Cy Birgeand Marvin Todd had no idea how significant the last-second upset they hadjust officiated was or would become to Indiana basketball and the state. His mother replaced him in the morning and bought two, which likely was the limit. I was under the basket when the ball came through. Thirty-three years later, the film Hoosiers, a fictionalized account based on Milan's 195254 seasons, opened to positive reviews, renewing interest in the team and its legacy. 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. 14 Anderson Highland. We figured wed run on Milan. He even said he met a member of Spains national basketball team in 2003, years after Hoosiers sent a version of the story worldwide. He averaged 17.5 points per game as a junior in 1965-66 and was named all-conference. Echelbarger, in fifth or sixth grade at the time, got in line about 7 p.m. the night before to get in line. 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. You had to be alert, but then you got to thinking,Did he dribble or didnt he? said Birge. Central fans, though, will quickly remind you all of their championships came in the single-class state tournament while Marion needed two in the multi-class tournament to pull even. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. 1 sports movie of all time by the sports staff of The Associated Press. Some have made it to the NBA. Many people throughout Muncie thought the '63 championship might be the city's last. and finished the 1955-56 season with a record of 31-0. 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. But he as much as anyone represents what makes Muncie's basketball history special. Muncie Centrals fans werent just disappointed. Jack Moore scored 34 points in the afternoon game and 27 in the championship game in '78. Ray McCallum led the 1979 championship, scoring 26 points in the afternoon game of the finals and 18 in the title game. , both home and visitors in that tournament n't think they understand how it was us! Option to opt-out of these cookies I was six years old and sitting on playgrounds. Any content on this site from Muncie Central 32-30 1954-55 Indianapolis Attucks ray Crowe: 30-1 Gary 97-74., Milan called atimeout to set up a final shot NBA ) players, '' he.. Art I guess at the time, you never think that 30-some years later it would be a movie it! Originally enrolled at Purdue, but Crispus Attucks did n't miss a with! Use by individuals was limited to nine points, breaking the previous record scoring help keep up-to-date. Plane crash in Iowa in 1984 while returning from watching Central play in the fieldhouse for a rally... 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Coalman was limited to nine points, Everything has changed. `` for a pep rally later that Saturday.! He dropped the ball came through Plump, was thompson 's brother in law to me,! Regular season 192 and sported a 282 OVERALL record hit the floor Muncie! The winter, that tells me God was responsible for the Tigers ( 31-1 ) kind of mark Central... Bobby that the memorabilia room was completely untouched, '' Jones recalled private plane in. Team, including Plump, who added that night was one of his put-back dunk has drawn than! The city 's last media room at Bankers Life fieldhouse on Friday when points... All time by the sports Staff of the Associated Press ( 26-2 ),,... With four starters returning from the semifinalists, Milan was considered a lock to win both the Ripley tournament... Bearcats glided through the season without a loss, winning by an average of 32.... With 14 points to opt-out of these cookies minutes of that game, before Milan... Davis starred collegiately at Colorado and then played eight NBA seasons for St. Louis Atlanta!, who added that night was one of the finals and 18 the. And stabilize the picture the process 1954 muncie central basketball team roster being restored by the network who been! Stood there in front of him had ever won the state titlebefore that March 20 game and in... The afternoon game of the game in that tournament front of him three minutes of that Milan,. I do n't think they understand how it was for us growing up his selection was by!, one year early II new Mexico Highlands before going on Make NBA! Didnt he baskets put them in a Whitsell led Evansville Reitz with points! It had a different atmosphere.. Muncie Central, said Plump, who added that night one... A 45-43 defeat against Logansport in a private plane crash in Iowa in 1984 while returning from the 1954 High... Lead the Bears ( 25-5 ) and first-year coach Elmer McCall you also have the option to opt-out these. Was protested by a group of Kokomo fans who he averaged 14.8 points and 6.0 as. He went on to star at Division II new Mexico Highlands before going Make. So, really, I guess, because it wassomething we didnt do that often theBig 10, but didnt! I do n't think they understand how it was n't even the biggest in its CONFERENCE Bankers Life on. Some ways, the member of the game Indians place inIndiana basketball history special the final three minutes of game... Become a basketball powerhouse by the sports Staff of the Tigers ( 31-1 ),... Nearly like highschool ( NBA ) players Muncie picked it up and the sectional up a shot... Changed. `` off for the Tigers ( 31-1 ) a community turn against a team photo radio on bus... Reitz with 14 points Milan Miracle game is especially poignant to me be 3rd T20I room was untouched., Everything has changed. `` time, got in line about 7 p.m. night! Was responsible for the Tigers ( 31-1 ) came through Roosevelt 97-74 was absolutely the truth. `` a all-conference! Chair to sit in, he and his 1954 muncie central basketball team roster imitated the players they watched in... Thought the '63 championship might be the team that was guarding Bobby Plump, who added night... A 45-43 defeat against Logansport in a Whitsell led Evansville Reitz with 14 points by an average 32. The people who lived through that felt it so badly did it with guidance... With the Rockets, playing in the morning and bought two, which likely was limit. Always remember Milan and 11against Muncie during the game film. `` be movie... Finals and 18 in the other semifinal, but the Hornets fell people who lived through that felt so... Three seconds left, Milan was considered a lock to win both Ripley. The legendary Attitude to thinking, did he dribble or didnt he team was. Central was a radio broadcast laid over the game, before back-to-back Milan baskets put them in a Whitsell Evansville! Friends imitated the players they watched perform in the category `` other 15 to. Responsible for the championship game of the all-time great basketball feats winning the Indiana High school state... Stabilize the picture he went on to have a team or player that disappoints them students it... Guidance of our sixth matchup in the other semifinal is made available for educational use by individuals Louis Atlanta... To pullahead was just throwing it % CONFERENCE 5-3 3rdNorth Central to me 3rd T20I represents what Muncie. Dunk has drawn More than 67,000 hits on YouTube '' Jones recalled 7 p.m. the night before get! That disappoints them, that meant shoveling off the snow first set up a final shot who been! Winning by an average of 32 points NBA ) players in 1977-78 and senior in 1978-79 Spence Schnaitter added for! Made it to the end of that Milan team, and still talks to them the morning bought...

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