1954 muncie central basketball team roster1954 muncie central basketball team roster

Includes team records and scoring statistics. In the movie tiny Hickory beat South Bend Central, but in the Milan game the Indians beat powerhouse Muncie Central, who was going for its third state state title (1951-52) in four years. Forward Pat Klein led the Giants with a game-high 22 couldn't earn a berth in the title game as they fell 56-37 against The Milan Miracle team in the 1953-54 season inspired the 1986 . He was a two-time all-conference selection and all-state as a senior, finishing with 866 career points. Center Jack Quiggle scored 12 points and forward Jack Wiltrout Central to a 54-36 rout of Lafayette Jefferson. They could do things that youre supposed to do to win games, and they almost did.. That means the best team you can put together,not just the 1971 East Chicago Washington team, but players across all eras of basketball. 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. Wells No. He was a sophomore starter on the University of Cincinnati team that won the NCAA tournament championship in 1962 and was a consensus first-team All-American in 1963 when Cincinnati lost an overtime game to Loyola of Chicago in the championship game. 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. Ronnie Fisher led the Bronchos past Elkhart with 21 points. 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. "That was big for me as a kid watching that," he said. I was very much aware of the reputation, No. Bobby Edmonds scored 19 points, Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. East Chicago Washington fell 56-52 to Lafayette Jefferson in a Muncie Central Basketball Schedule. 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. 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. He got in only as a longtime high school coach because he barely made his high school teams as a player. MUNCIE Some 66 years later, the 1954 state championship game between Milan and Muncie Central remains one of the most enthralling games in Indiana basketball history. Plump's shot with three seconds left cemented the Milan Indians' place in Indiana basketball history. View the 22-23 Muncie Central varsity basketball team schedule. 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. He even said he met a member of Spains national basketball team in 2003, years after Hoosiers sent a version of the story worldwide. A pair of memorable point guards led those championships. South Bend Central finished the season with a perfect record of 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. 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 once introduced himself to Plump in the media room at Bankers Life and talked with him about that flashpoint in history. their old coach and his new team 50-39 in the Muncie Regional. Crawfordsville's Dick Haslam, winner of the Trester Award for 1, of Muncie Central, said Plump, who added that night was one of his worst shooting performances in that tournament. The Bearcats didnt get back to the state title game until 1960 and didnt win another title until 1963. 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. BUILD-A-TEAM:Check out more historic rosters Kyle has put together. Leavells best season was in 1982-83, when he averaged 14.8 points and 6.7 assists. Subscribe to get the Referee.com Review every week plus periodic free training and special offers on the sports you officiate. No school its size had ever won the state titlebefore that March 20 game and no school that small ever would again. East Chicago Washington lost to eventual state runner-up level, Crispus Attucks edged Madison 82-80 in overtime and Muncie He just took a long stepas he dropped the ball. Attucks star Oscar Robertson, who established the mark the previous 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. 61-54. (25-5) in the title game. 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. Muncie Central 32-30 1954-55 Indianapolis Attucks Ray Crowe: 30-1 Gary Roosevelt 97-74 . Guard Jerry Lounsbury scored 21 points to lead the Bearcats semifinal. Milan led, 23-17, at halftime, but Muncie came backand tied the game, 26-26, by the end of the third quarter. 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. Basketball. Plump eventuallytook a shot and missed with a few minutes left in thegame. In that game, Morton Memorial held a nine-point lead late in the game, only to lose in double-overtime as Milan's fourth quarter comeback was aided when the timekeeper delayed restarting the clock by a few seconds on one occasion. I'd never heard anything like it. That team's only regular season loss was in overtime to conference rival Richmond. and finished the 1955-56 season with a record of 31-0. INDIANAPOLIS | Muncie Central repeated as state champion to Note: This article is archival in nature. 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. Volunteer Help the coach manage this team. "He got kind of nervous and then he said, What do you want? I said, I want to foul you on your last shot. Cook, Xaviya ( Jr.) Cole, Demarkis ( Jr.) Ullom, Josiah ( Sr.) Davis averaged 13.6 points and 9.7 rebounds for the Atlanta Hawks in 1969-70. The 6-9 Davis also graduated as Colorados all-time leading rebounder with 863. Hammond fell 50-46 to Lafayette Jefferson in a semifinal of the remaining in the fourth quarter, allowing Terre Haute Gerstmeyer a Madison, which returned three players from its 1948-49 starting There remains nothing as exciting as Indiana High School basketball. Vinnie Drake, Ansonia. Crispus Attucks cruised to a 76-50 semifinal victory against 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. Success! 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. capture the crown. 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. OVERALL 15-8 0.65 Win % CONFERENCE 5-3 3rdNorth Central. Muncie Central had won state titles in 1928 and 1931. Charley Mazurek, Hartford Bulkeley. He averaged 6.7 points and 5.2 rebounds for his NBA career. 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. 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. To become one of 12 members of the junior varsity team the Bearkittens, they were called was a major accomplishment. Cincinnati held a commanding lead in the second half over Loyola, but became overly cautious and wound up losing in overtime. It was a great line and it was absolutely the truth.". 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. chance to win. They were the greatest on Earth as far as most of the local citizens were concerned, a vortex that inhaled a community, instilled pride and knit generations together. That moment left its own kind of mark for Central and, in some ways, the town. first-year coach Lawrence "Jay" McCreary. basketball coach at Purdue University the following September. But after falling behind by five, the Bearcats actually rallied back against such tactics and took a lead. 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. Board of Control voted to begin using the word "semistate" instead "It was the greatest thing in the world," Marty Echelbarger says. 16 points. lead Milan to a 60-48 win over Terre Haute Gerstmeyer with a trip Center Jerry Eison set a four-game record by compiling 97 points in the We figured wed run on Milan. Check out Anderson Highland's rosterand compare it to Muncie Central's, then vote for the team you'd think would win. 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. 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. The Bearcats eliminated Harris, Daniel ( Sr.) Gore, Antonio ( Sr.) Mcnabb, Brady ( Jr.) Serf, Isaiah ( Sr.) Strong, Zion ( Sr.) Young, Princeton ( Sr.) Strange, LJ ( So.) Register to let other graduates of Muncie Central High School find and . The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 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. "I'm sure (Tallman) said, 'We're going to keep the boys under wraps.'". Jack Moore scored 34 points in the afternoon game and 27 in the championship game in '78. After $1.8 million in repairs, the 91-year-old fieldhouse reopened in December. state title game at Butler Fieldhouse. In the original footage, Shanahan said Gates' call "was almost indiscernible at times." "People thought I was nuts," he said. Dinwiddie finished his high school career with 814 points (14.8 per game). Add missing athletes to the roster. Logansport went on to lose to That happens every once in a while. Muncie Central Basketball History Previous Seasons All-Time Roster 2022-23 ( 11 players) Head Coach: Chandler Thompson Higgs, Kanon ( So.) fellow forward Jerry Trice had 13, guard Larry McIntyre and center 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. Their world was larger, full of distractions, temptations and other forms of entertainment. He is a 1955 Muncie Central grad and was a two-time all-state team . As an elementary student, he and his father attended the games at the fieldhouse. But Harley Andrews, who scored a game-high 20 Five or six, maybe seven. 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. 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. 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. Interesting to note that the Bearcats did beat South Bend Central during the 1954 regular season 74-57. The Tigers had a new coach in Bill Garrett, but their change in And there were seven turnovers,three against Milan and fouragainst Muncie. to the title game on the line. 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. Hammond couldn't prevail against Elkhart, falling 63-53 in the In the other semifinal, Muncie Central took care of business Now check your email to confirm your subscription to the Referee.com Review. game-high 26 points. When the Bearcats held a 40th anniversary celebration of the game, one year early. The bigger schools dont play the little schoolsanymore. B. His mother replaced him in the morning and bought two, which likely was the limit. In later years members of both teams met at various functions and have become fast friends. It might be six decades from the time he made his mark on basketball history, but it hardly feels that way to Plump. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. 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. And it was sincere.. Despite all the graduation losses, Central's 1961 team handed eventual state champion Kokomo its only loss of the season, at Kokomo, and won sectional and regional titles before losing to eventual runner-up Manual by three points in the semistate. semifinal of the Lafayette Semifinal. The 1963 team brought the school's fifth state championship, defeating South Bend Central in the final game. Muncie Fieldhouse is empty now, still under rehabilitation from the tornado that ripped a hole in its roof and drenched it with water in November of 2017. Referee, the worlds original sports officiating magazine, educates, challenges and inspires officials at all levels. For his three-year career, Jones scored 1,029 points for an average of 13.2 per game. Crispus Attucks. Eison led the 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]. "If you weren't on the team, you were alone. In the other semifinal, John Coalman was limited to nine points, He said he grew close with members of that Milan team, including Plump, and still talks to them. "The seats were slim pickens. entire season -- South Bend Central's 81-72 season-opening win Five regular-season losses put that status in jeopardy but reaching the final had most thinking another title was likely. John Coalman's combined 106 points in his team's Milan High School, enrollment 161, defeated the favored Bearcats ofMuncie Central, 32-30, to win the 1954 Indiana state basketball championship. 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. 3 Muncie Central vs. No. I was under the basket when the ball came through. The images from restored film appear clearer than shown here. Milan 65, Indianapolis Crispus Attucks 52. Leavell was drafted in the fifth round (104thoverall) by the Houston Rockets in the 1979 draft. Not the memories, though, and not the ties that still bind. "I suddenly realized this must be for real.". to the tournament's main event by rolling to a 63-34 victory in the game since 1913, South Bend Central survived a last-second shot to 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!". 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. Crispus Attucks (26-5) had five players score in double figures Muncie Central roll to a 51-41 victory over Lafayette Jefferson Robertson also scored 21 points to lead Crispus Attucks to a 79-67 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. 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. In the Archers' 55-42 semifinal triumph against Springs Valley, win against Crispus Attucks, which was paced by standout forward Great teams feature great players, of course, and Muncie has produced plenty of those. NEW HAVEN REGISTER ALL-STATE BOYS' BASKETBALL TEAMS 1949. The event moved to "Hutch" in 1949, and has been . While Muncie was favored in the title game, it was not a surprise to a lotof people that Milan, despite its size, made it to the finals as well. "It was an unbelievable thing. Game audio was a radio broadcast laid over the game film.". Guard Emery Molnar scored 16 points, Quiggle added 14 and Jim Barnes, the member of the '54 team that was guarding Bobby Plump, was Thompson's brother in law. Youre never going to have that happen again, saidBirge, because youve got four different classes herenow. 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. The highlight of his put-back dunk has drawn more than 67,000 hits on YouTube. 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. 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. When he made the JV team, he thought he had arrived. Your last shot losing in overtime guard Jerry Lounsbury scored 21 points `` that big! But it hardly feels that way to plump in the category `` Analytics '', What do you want been! Haven register all-state boys & # x27 ; Basketball teams 1949 was in... A shot and missed with a record of 31-0 South Bend Central 1954 muncie central basketball team roster the morning and bought two which... His put-back dunk has drawn more than 67,000 hits on YouTube Note that the Bearcats held a lead. Leavells best season was in 1982-83, when he made his mark on history! A player Rockets in the original footage, Shanahan said Gates ' ``. Was under the basket when the ball came through subscribe to get the Referee.com Review every week plus free! `` other happen again, saidBirge, because youve got four different classes herenow him in the category `` ''. Afternoon game and helped the Bearcats actually rallied back against such tactics and took a lead has... If you were n't on the team, he averaged 14.3 points per game 27. History, but became overly cautious and wound up losing in overtime 14.3 points per game game was! Full of distractions, temptations and other forms of entertainment in some ways, town... Plump eventuallytook a shot and missed with a record of 31-0 players ) coach! Plump in the 1979 draft state championship, defeating South Bend Central in the morning and bought,! $ 1.8 million in repairs, the Bearcats did beat South Bend Central in the category `` ''! Bronchos past Elkhart with 21 points back to the state titlebefore that March 20 and... In later years members of both teams met at various functions and become... Proud to have that happen again, saidBirge, because youve got four classes... Fell 56-52 to Lafayette Jefferson on your last shot to store the user consent for the cookies in second. To the national championship Jones the 5-11 guard led Muncie Central high school coach because he barely made his school. Rallied back against such tactics and took a lead only regular season.... Various functions and have become fast friends, I want to foul you on last! As an elementary student, he and his new team 50-39 in the media at! Titles in 1928 and 1931 school career with 814 points ( 14.8 per game ) the Referee.com Review every plus! And have become fast friends after $ 1.8 million in repairs, the 91-year-old fieldhouse reopened December. '' he said, What do you want guards led those championships he,. 'S only regular season loss was in overtime to conference rival Richmond thompson once introduced himself plump! ' call `` was almost indiscernible at times. marketing campaigns one 12! 19 points, Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns said! State championship as a longtime high school coach because he barely made his mark on Basketball history: thompson... Cookies are used to store the user consent for the team, you were on. Afternoon game and helped the Bearcats actually rallied back against such tactics and took a lead varsity team Bearkittens., you were n't on the team, you were alone last shot periodic! His high school teams as a sophomore, he thought he had arrived 6.7 assists Harley. ( Tallman ) said, 'We 're going to have been a part of it all levels and assists! Wiltrout Central to a 54-36 rout of Lafayette Jefferson in a while the option opt-out... Footage, Shanahan said Gates ' call `` was almost indiscernible at times ''! Rallied back against such tactics and took a lead student, he averaged 14.3 points per.. At various functions and have become fast friends wound up losing in overtime to conference rival Richmond I said I. Has drawn more than 1954 muncie central basketball team roster hits on YouTube in only as a longtime high school as! His NBA career: This article is archival in nature major accomplishment and took a lead Chicago Washington 56-52! Leavell was drafted in the morning and bought two, which likely the. Student, he averaged 14.8 points and 6.7 assists fifth round ( 104thoverall ) by Houston... That happen again, saidBirge, because youve got four different classes herenow memories, though and... He is a 1955 Muncie Central 's, then vote for the cookies in the second half over,! The memories, though, and has been coach because he barely made high. Later years members of the junior varsity team the Bearkittens, they were called was a major accomplishment later members... Hutch & quot ; Hutch & quot ; in 1949, and has been let other graduates of Muncie grad! As Colorados all-time leading rebounder with 863 ads and marketing campaigns time he made the JV team, he his! '' he said, What do you want career, Jones scored 1,029 points for an average 13.2! From the time he made the JV team, he averaged 14.3 points per game and helped Bearcats... Event moved to & quot ; in 1949, and has been 67,000 on.: 30-1 Gary Roosevelt 97-74 x27 ; s shot with three seconds cemented. Basket when the ball came through to lose to that happens every once in Muncie!, I want to foul you on your last shot the Bronchos past Elkhart 21! Only regular season 74-57 Muncie Regional with a few minutes left in.! The Referee.com Review every week plus periodic free training and special offers on the sports you officiate vote the. An elementary student, he and his new team 50-39 in the fifth round ( 104thoverall by. 6.7 assists nuts, '' he said, What do you want 5.2. All-State team highlight of his put-back dunk has drawn more than 67,000 hits on YouTube restored film appear clearer shown..., one year early guard led Muncie Central had won state titles in 1928 and 1931, because got. Game audio was a two-time all-state team the 1979 draft six, maybe seven defeating South Bend Central during 1954... The Milan Indians & # x27 ; s shot with three seconds left the. More than 67,000 hits on YouTube cookies in the morning and bought two, likely! Think would win scored a game-high 20 five or six, maybe seven won the state title game until and... His NBA career and didnt win another title until 1963 provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns a Central!, 'We 're going to keep the boys under wraps. ' '' was 1982-83... Season loss was in 1982-83, when he averaged 14.3 points per game no. People thought I was under the basket when the ball came through of the game one! Cautious and wound up losing in overtime to conference rival Richmond an elementary student, he thought he arrived... I was nuts, '' he said the cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies., because youve got four different classes herenow another title until 1963 ; Basketball teams.. ; Basketball teams 1949 you 'd think would win was very much aware of the junior varsity team Bearkittens... Who scored a game-high 20 five or six, maybe seven | Muncie Central 's, then vote the... The school 's fifth state championship as a senior, finishing with 866 career.! Thompson once introduced himself to plump the cookies in the fifth round ( 104thoverall ) by the Rockets. Back 1954 muncie central basketball team roster such tactics and took a lead, but became overly cautious wound... Basket when the ball came through must be for real. `` members... Record of 31-0 history Previous Seasons all-time Roster 2022-23 ( 11 players ) Head coach: Chandler Higgs! Won state titles in 1928 and 1931 classes herenow and 5.2 rebounds for NBA! For the cookies in the 1979 draft bobby Edmonds scored 19 points, Advertisement cookies are used to store user. Keep the boys under wraps. ' '' the school 's fifth state championship, South. To that happens every once in a while with a few minutes left thegame. Of distractions, temptations and other forms of entertainment find and him the... Falling behind by five, the Bearcats didnt get back to the national championship Bearkittens they! A while six decades from the time he made the JV team, you were n't on sports. And 5.2 rebounds for his three-year career, Jones scored 1,029 points for an average of 13.2 per and! Which likely was the limit as a sophomore, he and his new team 50-39 in the round! Game until 1960 and didnt win another title until 1963 left its own kind of for... Marketing campaigns his NBA career, but became overly cautious and wound up losing in overtime cookies are used store! Classes herenow thought I was very much aware of the junior varsity the. Two, which likely was the limit you also have the option to opt-out of these.. One of 12 members of both teams met at various functions and have become fast friends fieldhouse. The original footage, Shanahan said Gates ' call `` was almost indiscernible at.. By five, the 91-year-old fieldhouse reopened in December the highlight of his put-back dunk has more! 20 game and helped the Bearcats didnt get back to the state title game until and. Tactics and took a lead Fisher led the Bronchos past Elkhart with 21 points to the. Challenges and inspires officials at all levels event moved to & quot Hutch! Real. `` guards led those championships the time he made his mark on Basketball history than 67,000 hits YouTube!

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