Too Good to Be True?

Welcome back!

In today’s edition…it’s been called the #1 sports movie of all time.

But how much of it was true?

As the real star player said: “It’s a reminder that anything is possible, no matter where you come from.”

Let’s dive in 👇

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The True Story Behind Hoosiers

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"To say that it changed my life is a little understatement."

When it comes to all-time great basketball flicks, Hoosiers is often found at the top of the list.

Released in 1986, the tale of a small-town high school hoops team’s battle against adversity in various forms is a classic feel-good underdog story.

The movie is inspired (in part) by Indiana’s 1954 high school state champion Milan Indians, a team that defied the odds and captured the hearts of the entire nation.

Similar to the fictional town of Hickory, Milan – located in southeastern Indiana – was a small farm town.

"We never had electricity until I was...13 years old," Bobby Plump said. "We never did have running water...it was a simple [life]."

Milan High School had just 161 students for the 1953-54 school year, making it one of the smallest schools in the state.

This was during a time in which all 752 Indiana high school teams competed for the same state championship.

"752 schools and only one survived as the winner," said JV coach Ray Baurley.

Although 58 of the 73 boys at the school tried out for the ten spots available on the team, this meant that despite its small enrollment number, Milan had to compete against the much larger schools with deeper talent pools, more resources, and better facilities.

Having been to the state tournament semi-finals the year prior, Milan was familiar with having to compete against the “Goliaths” of the state and what it would take to advance to the next stage.

Under the guidance of 26-year-old Marvin Wood (who inspired Norman Dale, played by Gene Hackman) – a coach who preached defense, smart decision-making, and teamwork over flash and style – the Indians played a style of ball that wasn’t necessarily attractive to all, but ultimately effective.

Implementing a four-corners offense and holding closed-door practices wasn’t something that the small town of Milan or the Indians were used to, but the results proved worthy of this new approach.

After playing his high school basketball in Morristown, Indiana, Wood moved to suit up for the Butler Bulldogs on both the hardwood and the baseball diamond.

Unlike the movie, Wood was not hired to replace a coach who had passed away, but rather one who was fired for disciplinary reasons.

After ordering new team uniforms without approval from the superintendent, Herman Grinstead – a popular coach with players and residents of Milan – was removed from his role.

While it was hard to replace the well-liked Grinstead, Coach Wood’s approach to the game and attitude (which was the complete opposite of the gruff demeanor of the fictional Norman Dale), quickly earned the trust and respect of his players.

As one player said, "Marvin Wood would be among the nicest people you would wanna know."

One of those players who the movie altered completely was Bobby Plump (Jimmy Chitwood), the team’s star.

Whereas Chitwood boycotted the season after the death of Hickory’s coach prior to Dale, Plump, although upset at Grinstead's firing, joined the team from the start of the season without any issues.

But while Plump was the star of the team, he wasn’t the only reason for the success of the Indians.

The team also had Ray Craft, Gene White, Rollin Cutter, and Glen Butte.

“Once we won five games in a row, everybody thought he was the best coach around,” Plump said of his new coach.

Having played mostly zone defense under Grinstead, Coach Wood preferred his team to play man-to-man. But he met the team halfway, bringing in the school’s junior coach Marc Combs to help with defensive strategy.

Wood also made sure that his players knew that there was more to playing the game and being part of the team than just showing up to the court.

According to Plump, "We had to be in at midnight on the weekends, but he told us we could see the New Year in and stay out until 1 AM that night. He said, ‘I’m checking every house. If I find you out, you’re gone three games.'"

Plump and his friends decided to go out on a double day to celebrate the night and ended up with a flat tire on the way home.

After a hasty repair, the Milan star claimed to arrive home with five minutes to spare, sitting in the car with his friends, before noticing Wood drive by.

Approaching Plump, Wood noted that it was 1:05 AM. Three practices later, Wood stood by his word, benching Plump and teammate Jim Wendelman, who had gotten home at 3:30 AM.

While the team would defeat Napolean by a dozen points, Wood didn't let his players off the hook, making them run 100 laps before they could return to the team’s next game.

So the question on everyone’s mind is: did the championship game really play out the way that Hoosiers led us all to believe?

After finishing the regular season with a 19-2 record and making it through the three sectional games and two regional games, the Indians held off a gutsy effort from the Montezuma Aztecs, a school with just 78 students.

Following the battle of the underdogs, Milan squared off against Oscar Robertson and the Crispus Attucks Tigers, pulling off a thirteen-point victory.

With one game separating them from the championship, the Indians defeated Gerstmeyer Tech by a dozen points to advance to the championship game.

On March 20th, 1954, the Indians took to the floor against the Muncie Central Bearcats, a much larger populated school, and four-time state champions, including back-to-back titles from 1950-52.

Playing a methodical and disciplined game on both ends of the court, the Indians managed to keep the game within reach heading into the final minutes of the closely fought matchup of contrasting styles.

Following a strategic Milan timeout, just as he had throughout the season, Plump found himself with the ball during the crucial moment of the game with the score knotted at 30 and just seconds remaining.

Rising up from about 14 feet away, Plump knocked down the midrange “J” from the right elbow over top of Bearcats defender Jimmy Barnes to give Milan the 32-30 upset victory.

Jimmy Chitwood hit a similar shot in the movie, bringing the iconic moment to the big screen.

Over the years, it became known as the "Milan Miracle".

"Somebody once said, ‘You guys were lucky.’ Well, sometimes to accomplish things you have to have a little luck along the way,” Ray Craft noted about the Indians' road to the title.

“Someone once said, the definition of luck is when preparedness meets opportunity. I think we were prepared.”

After returning home in a procession line of Cadillacs to nearly 40,000 people cheering, the heroes of Milan and the small town were never the same.

Proving that they also had the talent to go along with their luck and preparedness, both Plump and Craft moved on to play with the Butler Bulldogs.

Plump was twice named the team’s MVP before moving on to join the Phillips 66ers of the National Industrial Basketball League.

Written by Angelo Pizzo and directed by David Anspaugh, Hoosiers brought in $28.6 million at the box office on a film budget of just $6 million.

The film earned several award nominations. But at the time, few actually knew what kind of impact the movie would have – not only on the basketball world but on society itself.

As Plump said, "What we did was for Milan, but it’s become something much bigger. It’s a reminder that anything is possible, no matter where you come from."

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Today’s story was written by our friend in the North, Steve Lee. If you enjoyed it, please consider sharing it with a buddy!

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Thank you for making this newsletter a part of your Sunday routine 🙌 

Til next time,
Tyler

Extra Innings…

👀 In case you missed it: He was a 5’7” out-of-shape teen who quit baseball. When he tried walking on to a D1 program, they rejected him before he even threw a pitch. Here’s how he became a World Series Champion.

🤛 The early days of the UFC were a bit like the Wild West. One fighter was a high school PE teacher moonlighting in the UFC! Here are the stories behind the oldest fighters to ever step into the cage.

🫵 Subscriber Spotlight: Big shoutout to Niles, one of our new readers & a current NAIA athlete who “went from being really bad to #6 in the country from hard work and a mindset shift.” Keep grinding, Niles!

🌟 Trivia Answer: D) Here’s a video of Les Miles explaining his (totally normal) grass-eating habit.