118:. His hiring was controversial, coming on the heels of Superintendent Willard Green's firing of coach Herman "Snort" Grinstead, who had ordered new uniforms without authorization. Wood's coaching style was the opposite of Grinstead's in many ways. He closed practice to outsiders, an act that removed one of the major forms of leisure time entertainment for the town's basketball-crazed population and angered many. He was impressed by the unusual scope of size and talent available in such a small school among the many boys trying out for the team, talent forged by a strong junior-high program. 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".
129:. 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. 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 56β37 semifinal blowout to the Bears of
371:, Milan found itself in the unexpected position of playing Goliath to Montezuma's David, as the Aztecs, with an enrollment less than half of Milan's (79), shocked the state by advancing past the regional for the first time. Milan capitalized on the experience gained from their 1953 visit to Butler Fieldhouse and outlasted the Aztecs with a fourth quarter cat-and-mouse tactic to preserve the victory.
583:
59:
1950s and rural school consolidation was still in its infancy. As a result, most
Indiana high schools of the era had what today are considered extremely small enrollments. Many of these small schools had realistic expectations of advancing several rounds into the tournament in that era, but they would almost inevitably fall in the regionals to urban schools from places such as
103:
58:
Unlike most states, Indiana held a single-class tournament in which all schools competed for the same championship in one of
America's largest and most popular high school tournaments, until the separation into enrollment classes in 1997. Indiana still possessed a large rural population well into the
456:
throughout the state, Indiana schools became much larger and the urban schools that had the most success in the tournament increased their domination of the tournament. 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
479:
a fictionalized account based on Milan's 1952β54 seasons, opened to positive reviews, renewing interest in the team and its legacy. The film combined game play from both the 1952β53 and 1953β54 seasons, merging the 1953 quarter-final opponent, the South Bend Bears, with the scoring pattern from the
420:
Tied 26β26 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. Tied at 30, Plump hit a
507:
narrowly missed a last-second half court shot that would have won the game, and the national championship, for Butler.) Appropriately, the Milan team, all but one of whom were alive at the time of the tournament, attended the Final Four (held just up the road at
407:
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. Milan's defense held Arley Andrews to nine points as they coasted to
645:
Although Milanβs 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. For example,
390:, had a 17β16 lead after one quarter before Milan jumped out to a seven-point halftime lead and preserved it by playing the cat-and-mouse throughout the second half. Attucks would go on to win the 1955 and 1956 titles.
312:
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
807:
448:
As schools consolidated throughout
Indiana, the days of small-town success gradually ended. Fewer than half of the 751 schools entered in the 1954 tournament exist today. With increased
149:, where they would suffer their first loss of the season, a 49β47 nail-biter against the hosts. Milan cruised through the rest of the schedule before suffering a late-season upset to
484:
145:
tournament and the sectional. To prepare for the rigors of tournament play, Milan scheduled several games against larger, more prestigious schools, including a tournament at
121:
Expectations were higher in the 1952β1953 season. These were realized as the
Indians won their first regional game in school history under questionable circumstances against
492:
736:
26:
822:
620:
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boys basketball tournament, Milan expected to easily take the sectional before facing a tough test in the regional and a possible rematch against Aurora.
340:, Milan easily dispatched their hosts before avenging a late-season loss to Aurora, advancing to the round of 16 for the second time in school history.
647:
426:
300:
130:
732:
429:
broke a longstanding tradition and awarded the
Trester Award for mental attitude, sportsmanship, and character to a member of the winning team,
812:
495:
led to countless comparisons with both the 1954 Milan team and its cinematic alter ego of
Hickory High. The Bulldogs stunned perennial power
802:
500:
421:
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.
133:. The nucleus of that team returned for the 1953β54 season with expectations of tournament success unprecedented for such a small school.
488:
712:
674:
163:
817:
219:
458:
36:
was the smallest school ever to win a single-class state basketball title in Indiana, beating the team from the much larger
491:βa university team that to this day plays its home games in the same building that hosted Milan's historic victoryβto the
441:
40,000 people descended on Milan (population: 1,150) the next day as the team returned home from Indianapolis, lining
376:
277:
33:
413:
284:
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37:
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replaced with a multi-class tournament in 1997. The smallest school to win the state tournament after Milan was
704:
212:
205:
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110:
Coach Marvin Wood had been hired two years earlier, at the age of 24, after a collegiate playing career at
531:
442:
142:
318:
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72:
233:
191:
88:
64:
60:
356:
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With four starters returning from the semifinalists, Milan was considered a lock to win both the
84:
774:
708:
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670:
509:
364:
243:
111:
92:
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257:
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184:
650:, a school with an enrollment of only 66, won the 1937 Iowa boys' basketball championship.
499:
52β50 in the national semifinal to make it to the National Title Game, where they lost to
474:
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267:
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177:
150:
76:
46:
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170:
796:
513:
68:
466:
449:
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96:
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50:. The team finished its regular season 19β2 and sported a 28β2 overall record.
578:
536:
153:, who were also coming into a successful period in their basketball history.
728:
621:"Five years after Indiana carved up its basketball - 12.02.02 - SI Vault"
102:
469:. Milan's enrollment is now over twice as large as it was in 1954.
101:
462:
758:
The Greatest Basketball Story Ever Told: The Milan Miracle
666:
The Greatest Basketball Story Ever Told: The Milan Miracle
605:
The Greatest Basketball Story Ever Told: The Milan Miracle
44:. The team and town are the inspiration for the 1986 film
445:
for 13 miles (21 km) to congratulate the Indians.
787:
299:
Anticipating a run deep into the later rounds of the
808:High school basketball teams in the United States
765:The Golden Age of Indiana High School Basketball
700:The Golden Age of Indiana High School Basketball
512:in Indianapolis) as guests of Indiana governor
395:State Finals at Butler Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
480:1954 championship win against Muncie Central.
27:Indiana High School Boys Basketball Tournament
351:Semi-State at Butler Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
8:
767:Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2006
760:Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993
383:Attucks, led by sophomore guard and future
16:1954 IHSAA Boys Basketball State Champions
669:. Indiana University Press. p. 53.
658:
656:
427:Indiana High School Athletic Association
301:Indiana High School Athletic Association
703:. Bloomington, Indiana: Quarry Books -
596:
363:In its first game in the Semi-State at
106:1954 Milan High School Basketball Team
40:in a classic competition known as the
772:50th Anniversary Of The Milan Miracle
733:"Hollywood meets heartland at Hinkle"
615:
613:
295:1954 IHSAA Boys Basketball Tournament
7:
472:Thirty-three years later, the film
739:from the original on April 3, 2010
14:
607:(Indiana University Press, 1993).
125:, an orphanage school outside of
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32:With an enrollment of only 161,
823:1953β54 in American basketball
131:South Bend Central High School
23:1954 Milan High School Indians
1:
813:High school sports in Indiana
803:Basketball teams in Indiana
273:Milan 48; Versailles 42 β W
239:Milan 52; Versailles 46 β W
839:
38:Muncie Central High School
788:Milan β54 Hoosiers Museum
263:Milan 61; Napoleon 29 β W
705:Indiana University Press
570:Marvin Wood (Head Coach)
324:Milan 57, Versailles 43
114:and a coaching stint in
567:Fred Busching (manager)
503:61β59. (Butler forward
461:in 1982, led by future
375:Milan 65, Indianapolis
344:Milan 58, Rushville 34
307:Sectional at Versailles
290:Milan 38; Osgood 30 β W
818:Ripley County, Indiana
107:
29:championship in 1954.
697:Guffey, Greg (2006).
532:William "Bill" Jordan
347:Milan 46, Aurora 38
331:Regional at Rushville
327:Milan 44, Osgood 32
105:
777:, February 15, 2004
663:Guffey, G. (2003).
648:Melrose High School
403:Gerstmeyer Tech 48
336:In the regional in
731:(March 31, 2010).
137:The 1953β54 season
108:
775:Indianapolis Star
510:Lucas Oil Stadium
365:Butler Fieldhouse
112:Butler University
830:
749:
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627:on April 1, 2010
623:. Archived from
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770:Higgins, Will,
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707:. p. 104.
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465:star and coach
454:suburbanization
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388:Oscar Robertson
377:Crispus Attucks
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123:Morton Memorial
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782:External links
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756:Guffey, Greg,
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497:Michigan State
443:State Road 101
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561:Rollin Cutter
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385:Hall of Famer
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143:Ripley County
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42:Milan Miracle
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741:. Retrieved
735:. ESPN.com.
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699:
692:
680:. Retrieved
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629:. Retrieved
625:the original
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482:
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467:Scott Skiles
450:urbanization
447:
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369:Indianapolis
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319:Cross Plains
316:
298:
278:North Vernon
206:Lawrenceburg
140:
120:
109:
97:Indianapolis
57:
45:
41:
31:
22:
20:
18:
555:Glenn Butte
549:Bob Wichman
542:Bobby Plump
528:Kenny Delap
520:Team roster
431:Bobby Plump
401:Terre Haute
127:Knightstown
116:French Lick
81:Bloomington
73:Terre Haute
797:Categories
729:Forde, Pat
682:August 22,
631:August 22,
575:References
552:Ron Truitt
537:Gene White
493:Final Four
412:Milan 32,
399:Milan 60,
355:Milan 44,
317:Milan 83,
283:Milan 45;
276:Milan 38;
266:Milan 42;
256:Milan 38;
249:Milan 44;
242:Milan 41;
234:Rising Sun
232:Milan 74;
225:Milan 52;
218:Milan 47;
213:Versailles
211:Milan 39;
204:Milan 50;
197:Milan 67;
192:Brookville
190:Milan 24;
183:Milan 61;
176:Milan 48;
169:Milan 64;
164:Rising Sun
162:Milan 52;
89:Fort Wayne
65:Evansville
61:South Bend
54:Background
743:March 31,
558:Bob Engel
525:Ray Craft
437:Aftermath
357:Montezuma
338:Rushville
220:Frankfort
147:Frankfort
85:Lafayette
737:Archived
475:Hoosiers
459:Plymouth
408:victory.
244:Napoleon
227:Columbus
157:Schedule
93:Anderson
47:Hoosiers
25:won the
763:Ibid.,
487:run of
258:Hanover
199:Hanover
185:Seymour
711:
673:
489:Butler
313:title.
287:54 β L
285:Aurora
280:37 β W
270:36 β W
268:Sunman
260:33 β W
253:30 β W
251:Holton
246:34 β W
236:60 β W
229:49 β W
222:49 β L
215:35 β W
208:41 β W
201:36 β W
194:20 β W
187:43 β W
180:44 β W
178:Osgood
173:41 β W
166:36 β W
151:Aurora
77:Muncie
171:Vevay
34:Milan
745:2010
709:ISBN
684:2015
671:ISBN
633:2015
501:Duke
485:2010
483:The
452:and
425:The
95:and
69:Gary
21:The
463:NBA
416:30
379:52
367:in
359:34
321:36
799::
655:^
612:^
516:.
433:.
99:.
91:,
87:,
83:,
79:,
75:,
71:,
67:,
63:,
747:.
717:.
686:.
635:.
477:,
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