Capping of a series of strong basketball teams over a number
of years,tiny Milan , Indiana Milan
had defeated Muncie Central 32 - 30.
Strong Teams
Sports writers have written reams about the Milan Miracle of
1954 and the on court heroics have inspired a major Hollywood
movie starring Gene Hackman. The Milan Miracle was not the anomaly suggested in
the movie. Milan had a history of
strong basketball teams and a tradition of beating teams from bigger schools. They
had to; they were one of the smallest teams in the Ripley County Sectional and
the second strongest team in the Ripley County Sectional in the early 1950's.
Neighboring Batesville had advanced to the final game of the Semi-State in 1951
and Milan had gotten to the State
Championship in 1953, losing in the semi-final contest. the 1954 team contained
all the 1953 players, plus the previous year's experience in the state
championships. Muncie Central was a basketball powerhouse, having won four
state championships, the last one in 1952. Thus, when Bobby Plump lined up and
took that shot from the top of the key, the swish of the net can still be heard
decades later.
From the author's book:
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