Sports Poets Society

https://vault.si.com/vault/2002/12/02/class-struggle-five-years-after-indiana-carved-up-its-basketball-tournament-into-four-tiersending-any-chance-of-another-hoosiersstyle-miracledeclining-interest-has-led-to-sparse-crowds-and-plummeting-revenues CLASS STRUGGLE FIVE YEARS AFTER INDIANA CARVED UP ITS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT INTO FOUR TIERS--ENDING ANY CHANCE OF ANOTHER HOOSIERS-STYLE MIRACLE --DECLINING INTEREST HAS LED TO SPARSE CROWDS AND PLUMMETING REVENUES ALEXANDER WOLFF  - Sports Illustrated DECEMBER 02, 2002 When Bobby Plump began dribbling away from that "picket fence" formed by his teammates, then rose with the ball cocked high, he had no idea what his shot would come to mean. If he had known that roughly 90% of the people in his state--in person or on radio or TV--would share that moment in real time, Plump probably would have made a mess of the jumper that gave tiny Milan High its 1954 Indiana state basketball tournament title. "We were naive," he says tod...

Cover of Hoosiers https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobcook/2011/11/21/hoosiers-turns-25/ Lifestyle By  Bob Cook , Former Contributor. I write about youth sports under the title: Your Kid's Not Going Pro. Nov 21, 2011, 04:03pm EST Save Article Twenty-five years ago this month, the greatest youth sports movie -- nay, the greatest sports movie -- ever was released. If you're in Europe, you might know it under the title "Best Shot," but for those of us in America, especially those of us with Indiana roots, it's "Hoosiers." Like the Hickory Huskers, "Hoosiers," at first glance, didn't seem to have much of a shot at success. Its name stars -- Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper and Barbara Hershey -- were off the peak of their box-office powers, even as they kept grinding out movies. ("Hoosiers" was one of EIGHT Dennis Hopper appearances in 1986 releases.) Still, Hackman joked during filming that he and Hopper would probably never work again a...

http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/hoosiers.php Starring Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, and Dennis Hopper based on the true story of the 1954 Milan High School basketball team Reel Face: Real Face: Gene Hackman Born: January 30, 1930 Birthplace: San Bernardino, California, USA  Marvin Wood (Norman Dale in the film) Born: January 21, 1928 Birthplace: Morristown, Indiana, USA Died: October 13, 1999, South Bend, Indiana (lymphoma) Maris Valainis Born: 1963 Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana, USA Bobby Plump (Jimmy Chitwood in the film) Born: 1936 Birthplace: Pierceville, Indiana, USA "In Milan, people didn't look at us as if we were something special. We were just part of the community. The only way I knew we were special was when the motorcycle policeman revved up his motorcycle and took us through all those red lights." - Bobby Plump on winning the 1954 Championship (1995 Teacher Magazine Interview) Questioning the Story: Is the name of the championship team really t...

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-apr-04-la-sp-crowe-20100405-story.html CROWE'S NEST Maris Valainis, 47 and now living in Southland, is still recognized from his portrayal of the player who made the winning jumper in the 1986 film, one of the most beloved sports movies of all time. The Indiana native's acting career was short-lived, but his cinematic basket is immortal. April 04, 2010  | Los Angeles Times Jerry Crowe The man who made perhaps the most famous shot in cinematic hoops history never played high school basketball. "I tried out three years in a row," Maris Valainis says, "and I got cut three years in a row." But as Jimmy Chitwood in the venerated 1986 film "Hoosiers," Valainis calmly sinks the game-winning jumper to give the Hickory High Huskers the 1952 Indiana state title. Movie fans haven't forgotten. Valainis says he's still recognized from his portrayal of Chitwood, whose shy, reserved personality is similar to hi...