though, there was no longer anything to shield them from. He is the coach who succeeded in leading the boys high school . Marvin Wood played three years of varsity basketball at Butler get close to too many people during their two years in Milan. Garvin spent the last nine seasons as the head coach at Division 1 South Carolina State and was named the MEAC Coach of the Year in 2016. He didnt like me telling him what to do.. She was crying, saying shed been wrong. The biggest similarity between game and movie -- the final 18 seconds. in Indiana. The theatrical release of "Hoosiers" opened the Milan tale 0:04. Truitt died in 1988. Ros were calling her Ros moved here in 1956 with her husband, John, and their three kids. They grew up on a farm south of Fountaintown, a tiny town a few miles east of Morristown in Shelby County. remembered that Wood's favorite song was "Jesus Marvin Wood. One of the beaming faces threw him into philosophical mode. 816-235-1313. Then, Wragge was there as five of those players had a reunion: Watch CBS News As coach Norman Dale did in "Hoosiers," Wood closed practices to That was the big town.. View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. Wood wanted to Member, Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Basketball Coach. Class A:Morristown (27-2) vs. Southwood (25-3),10:30 a.m. Class 2A:Forest Park (26-4) vs. Oak Hill (25-5), 12:45 p.m. Class 3A:Evansville Bosse (25-4) vs. Culver Academies (22-6), 6 p.m. Class 4A:Warren Central (31-0) vs. Carmel (21-7), 8:15 p.m. 2023 www.indystar.com. Bobby Plump takes it from there. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Marvin Wood (7013)? cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Engel, Rollin Cutter, Glen Butte and then-Milan Principal All wore black and gold (school colors) (Bob) Engel, that corner. There, he says, is guard Ronnie Truitt. Up until that point, only a couple of teams had won Indiana 'I hate to In a precursor to the rampant transferring that would happen Head Coach Boys Track, Boys and girls Horizontal Jumps and Relays. No chance. 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. Wayne and Martha married in 1949. "That was a tough time," Mary Lou said. Portolese| |Margaret A cemetery posted a personal ad for a goose whose mate died. You have anywhere better to be? Tournament Game. I said, Wed be a lot better off if we go to coach and he could talk to us. When I tried to talk to John, it was like pouring gasoline on the fire. MILAN Bobby Plump is telling a story from 1954, a story about the Milan Miracle Ive never heard, a story hes never told, and hes smacking me on the arm when he delivers the punch line. He stopped after he learned that bone cancer, which had been in remission for more than seven years, had returned. He puts us in an alley about 4 miles west of Milan, an alley in Pierceville just off State Road 350, behind Schroders Store. We were just part of the community. Then he introduced himself. "He was able to convey the idea that he was the at their functions in the aftermath of the title. This week, Jordan Wood, who has committed to play college basketball at Michigan State University, put up some outstanding numbers that helped lead her team to a victory. ''We kind of grew up with him, because he's only eight years older,'' Plump said. Wayne drove a milk truck for several years before going to workat the Chrysler Plant off 30th Street and Shadeland Avenue. That came in 1994. So lets try that again: Doyel on Demand:The latest from Gregg Doyel, delivered right to your inbox. He would never scream, instead raising the level of his voice ever so slightly. Wood's high school coach at Inducted: 1975High School: Morristown 1946College: Butler University 1950. "good material" were Indiana's state basketball champions. During that he amassed a 139-36 record and state titles in 2017 and 2019. and specialize in coaching Milan's zone. ", "When you see the movie," Wragge asked Plump, "and (a character named) Jimmy Chitwood says, 'Coach, I could make it (the last shot),' do you wish you had? The year before, in 1953, Wayne had left the Air Force base in Waco, Texas, to see Milan play in the final four. Image. played his college basketball under coach Tony Hinkle. With a lead, Milan went into what was called a "cat-and-mouse" I thought you might like to see a memorial for Marvin C. Wood I found on Findagrave.com. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. LAFAYETTE, Ind. Two major images endure from the championship game. wife of 51 years, Mary Lou, their daughter, Deidra, and Try again later. "I'd like to be remembered as a good teacher," Gene White reflected. Woodson, 63, is an Indianapolis native who played for the Hoosiers and coach Bob Knight from 1976 to 1980. bench, for the Indians' next game. coach of year 1953 and 54named 1974 District 1 Coach of Year by Indiana Basketball Coaches Assnpast pres. Marvin Wood hired as Varsity Basketball Coach. This story of theirs has been fading, like the towns iconic black water tower with the words State Champs 1954 in white. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Milan's defense held Arley Andrews to nine points as they coasted to victory. That Please enter valid email address to continue. "We're excited. Description Description. took turns climbing the ladder to clip a section of net. Marvin . All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. 2023 www.indystar.com. scholarship player at Indiana University, scored eight points off This year's boys state basketball tournament, You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Tennessee Tech, the No. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. His widow, Mary Lou, is a 1946 Morristown graduate and resides in Mishawaka. "People will say, 'Did you expect to beat It was written as a call for help, for a museum that was dangerously close to dying, and she recoiled. "He was grown up when he was a little boy," says Mary Lou Wood, Verify and try again. It was the team's first contact with the enormity of their The "I didn't feel really close to more than about six people," Mary 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. Someone else told me that. John Wood went on to play two years at Indiana. Once you establish that, that's the main thing.". got any further than the regional.". We enjoyed the grandchildren.". outsiders. Finished Products. Until the four of us, nobody from Pierceville had ever won a varsity basketball letter from Milan. We wouldnt miss this.. Within six months, the cancer returned. Morristown, southeast of Indianapolis, Furr was the man who guided Marvin Evans. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. the birth of three grandchildren. It started when Ros and John bought the old King Hotel, a landmark since 1915, but falling into disrepair. Milan didn't attend the state ones. feet above the floor at Butler Fieldhouse, the arena where he had Marvin fought a valiant battle against his own inevitable death Milan. RICHMOND, Ind. It was the only ball we had!. "No," Plump responded. "Early Show Saturday Edition" co-anchor Chris Wragge took a trip back in time to recapture that iconic David vs. Goliath contest with the locals, before hosting a reunion of five of Milan's players in the host city of the 2010 Final Four, Indianapolis. 1993 - 2018 Doug Mitchell . He immediately annoyed townspeople by barring them from attending practices, a favorite local activity. Indianapolis. Milan defeated favored Muncie Central 32-30 on Plump's jumper with As the starting point guard, Jordan played in two Class 2A state championship games under Booth . #inline-recirc-item--id-a5ea682c-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d ~ .item:nth-child(5) { in him.". Wendelman, finding both to be out when he called. In the movie, Gene Hackman played a hotheaded coach at the end of a career scarred by hitting one of his players. The Bulldogs stunned perennial power Michigan State 5250 in the national semifinal to make it to the National Title Game, where they lost to Duke 6159. Evan Santos. But theres a basketball rim attached to the barn, so Butte is playing with three of his older buddies: Bobby Plump, Gene White and Roger Schroder, all in the seventh grade. '. But youre not ready to hear about Roselyn. Rev. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Oops, we were unable to send the email. were the inspiration for the hit movie Attucks, led by a sophomore hotshot named Oscar Robertson, down the What we were trying to do was shorten the game. There was no alcoholic assistant coach in '54, as there was in "Hooseirs" and, says Wragge, "there's still resentment in Milan, where people think the real story is better than the movie. Robertson would lead Attucks to the next two state Lets come back to Roger Schroder, proud member of the Pierceville Alleycats. that inspired one of the most popular sports movies of all time, "Hoosiers," which hit the silver screen in 1986. 1952-53 season, he put the 9:30 p.m. curfew he had imposed to the Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The film combined game play from both the 195253 and 195354 seasons, merging the 1953 quarter-final opponent, the South Bend Bears, with the scoring pattern from the 1954 championship win against Muncie Central. the players got to know their coach on a more one-on-one basis. And were the future. 3. with head boys basketball coach Jim Leon. After the game, there were seven uniforms draped over Grinsteads arm.. 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]. On Saturday, on the 65th reunion of the Milan Miracle, with the players and the memories growing older, the Milan 54 Hoosiers Museum announced the creation of the Roselyn McKittrick Endowment Fund. @WOODHOOPS. enrollment was 156. Jeff Carroll can be reached at jcarroll@nwitimes.com or (219) Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. John was probably the best player of the bunch. Woods's wife, Mary Lou, said the cause was lymphoma. He ended his coaching career guiding the women's program at tiny After the wood has passed these quality tests, it is made into window and door profiles. Marvin Menzies, hired last summer as associate head coach to Dan Majerle, seems like the logical guy President Brian Mueller would name to replace Majerle on a permanent basis. Baltimore, Maryland Area. service. [4] 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 5637 semifinal blowout to the Bears of South Bend Central High School. display: none; "We had seven really good years," Mary Lou said. With tonight's win 84-73 over St Joes Prep, Wood boys basketball advances to the PCL Semifinals to take on Roman Catholic - Wednesday 2.22.23 6:15PM @ The Palestra! Marvin was a freshman on that team, which entered the sectional with just a 7-9 record but won three games and upset host Shelbyville 24-22 in the sectional title game. said when he watched "Hoosiers" for the first reason we won.". Paridaen then said, "The real love of his life was This is a carousel with slides. suspended for the next game and sat in the stands, not on the a church pew, not a players' bench. "You get to know a person differently in that situation," Cutter A lot of good people in Morristown, Wayne said. Thanks for your help! He'd later live next door to Bobby Plump in Woody goes: Bobby, youre in the middle. Conduct at least 10 workouts per week. The 50th anniversary of the Indians' state championship, nice.". 0:02. tourney trail. "He was the reason for all of it," White said. Besides his wife, Wood is survived by a daughter, Deidra Juday of Kirtland, and three grandchildren. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. He is the son of Mary and Larry Korn. Doyel: Five days, five basketball gyms. Old-timers remember that '54 season like it was yesterday. Create and direct the . son Doug, who was only 26 -- the same age his dad was when he won College: Butler University 1950. Girls Basketball Varsity Assistant/JV. finals banquet on Friday night. Menzies was most recently the associate head coach at Grand Canyon University after stints as the head coach at New Mexico State and University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 1. Expectations were higher in the 19521953 season. "I can . Wood| Good basketball, too. The younger ones would go crying to mom when they got hurt.. the '54 state championship. Marvin Wood continued to coach basketball until 1999, the year of his death. was the MHS basketball coach during the Class of '68's Virginia "Jinky" (Voss) Craft, one of the school's three No Bobby Plump then proceeded to stand stock still, holding the ball for 4 minutes 13 seconds. The 50th anniversary has the feel of a final victory lap. This 47-year-old left a $800,000 salary to coach basketball - now his small school is headed to NCAA March Madness. The Milan story is beautiful as well, but nothing lasts forever, not without the proper care. "If you drew up your ideal coach, he'd be it," said Gene White, |Thelma The Indiana High School Athletic Association broke a longstanding tradition and awarded the Trester Award for mental attitude, sportsmanship, and character to a member of the winning team, Bobby Plump. "Here we were behind, holding the ball all that time," she said. For all the great things Hall of Fame coach Eddie Sutton did, one of the . shorten the game. His wife said he turned down an invitation to the premiere of ''Hoosiers.''. Though David Cooper. Anyone wishing to contribute to the Roselyn McKittrick Endowment Fund, to help preserve the Milan 54 Hoosiers Museum, can go to the museums website at. Ray (Craft), over there. Learn more about managing a memorial . Sorry! Anticipating a run deep into the later rounds of the Indiana High School Athletic Association boys basketball tournament, Milan expected to easily take the sectional before facing a tough test in the regional and a possible rematch against Aurora. C, 8.4 ppg, 11.1 rpg, Marvin . It was at Shelbyville and Columbus was there, too. accomplishment -- Wood had isolated them in the Pennsylvania Hotel, such accomplishments were rare, and needed to be cherished. 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. Fieldhouse, just before Milan took the floor in 1954 for I found this story on USA TODAY High School Sports and wanted to share it with you: Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. Try again later. 1952 -. man," White said. long-suffering coach Gerl Furr in the Butler Fieldhouse The next year the Indians went all the way, and Wood is remembered for one unusual coaching move in the championship game almost as much as for his game-ending strategy. The Mishawaka teachers who helped to shape me into who I am include Mary Hess, Ken Armel, Charles Karst, Thelma Martin, Ward Baker, August Baetsle, Marvin Wood, Bruce Chamberlin, Suzanne Kamm, Mildred Harden, Merle Blue, Robert Heck, and John Chelminiak, all from MHS; Robert Ernst, Judith Jones, Fred Buechner, and Edwin Metzler from Main Junior . Thats what everyone says when they talk about Roselyn McKittrick, the farm girl from Iowa. Not until the 1997-98 season did this division take place, and that decision remains bitterly controversial. Davidson| "A lot of people will ask me how I am doing and I will say that I am living a dream," said Wood, now in his 27th season as head coach for the West Lafayette . The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional. We offer industry-leading sizes, and our innovative window solutions deliver virtually endless style options. |A They wanted to fire Woody, Plump says again, nodding across the table to Mary Lou Wood, Marvins widow since 1999. The town wanted to fire him, Plump says. Ros was fascinated by the 1954 basketball team and started collecting memorabilia to display in the restaurant. Engel died in 2016. Dad would play too, Wayne said. In 1954, though, the building was home to the King's Hotel, Wood could be a tough disciplinarian. She fell in love with this town, this team, this story. With an enrollment of only 161, Milan was the smallest school ever to win a single-class state basketball title in Indiana, beating the team from the much larger Muncie Central High School in a classic competition known as the Milan Miracle. Weve updated the security on the site. and sometimes you just get to the point where you have to let go And Bob Engel said, 'Woody, that may be true, but they're gonna have to prove it to us.!" Marvin Wood. the Dennis clan down -- he didn't want to ruin the chemistry built Phone: 281-237-2800. A single calf, Im asking Butte? "He was the Marvin Wood went on to win 329 games as a high school coach and coached the women's programs at Bethel College and St. Mary's. He died in 1999 at the age of 71 and is buried at Asbury Cemetery . You have chosen this person to be their own family member. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. It is a big goal, bigger even than anything Roselyn McKittrick dreamed, and she dreamed up a museum whose guest registry has been signed by visitors from 38 countries and all 50 states. Marvin was the oldest son (1946 graduate), followed by Wayne (1947) and John (1949). With proper funding the museum, and the story, could outlive us all. cheerleaders and the woman who would go on to marry second-leading At the beginning of the series Marvyn was a . They gathered to honor the memory of an unsung hero of the Milan Miracle, a woman who has done more than anyone to perpetuate the storys memory over these last two decades. memory throughout the 50th anniversary celebration. Add to cart. Athletes have to work at things, and coaches must convince others why they should workfostering a belief within them that their work matters. Now to Gene White, and to 1952. South Bend Central won, 56-37. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. #mwefamily. Hess| |Charles Video Coordinator/Assistant Director of Operations. But when they gathered on Saturday, they made sure to lookforward. While coaching at the various high schools, he also coached women's teams at Bethel and St. Mary's Colleges. The historic Railroad Inn in "downtown" Milan is one of the Before host Valparaiso took to the balance beam, the team huddled up for a mini-cheer session finishing with saying Team in unison. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). White, at 5-11, was Milan's smallish starting center, Wood turned time, Mary Lou believes he was the oldest Indiana man to ever 3 Hammond Central survives scare from West Side, Hoosier Hysteria put on hold due to snow storm, Valparaiso wins sectional in dominant fashion, Serena Williams says her daughter doesn't like playing tennis, FIFA called "tone deaf" for appointing supermodel as ambassador, Lawsuit alleges NFL database contains lewd photos of fans and cheerleaders, Dan Snyder is under investigation over line of credit taken out by Commanders. 1965 - 1982 Arlan Lickliter. Coach starts the game. basketball," Butte said. And We were trying to get it down to the last couple of minutes.''. Bloomfield. (AP) Jaylen Sebree had 28 points in Tennessee Tech's 78-63 win over UT Martin the Ohio Valley Conference semifinals on Friday. "I think that we felt we were doing all we could and our life Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). which begins Tuesday, is the 50th that the IHSAA has held since Marv Wood "A Boy, A Ball, and a Dream," champions. But we really believe we can do this.. "It's going to be an absolute mess in the Region today.". of the many suitors, he selected New Castle, which promised to But weve got a lot of work to do., Says Tom Kohlmeier, the museum board president: Shes the reason were here today, still celebrating the Milan Miracle of 1954.. She wasnt from Milan. Time has moved on for Milan's men of '54. celebration, never won another regional championship. Chemotherapy put the disease in remission #inline-recirc-item--id-a5ea682c-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d, #right-rail-recirc-item--id-a5ea682c-8c88-11e2-b06b-024c619f5c3d { The Farmington High School Facebook page on Dec. 30 said Sanders passed away following a lengthy battle with Parkinson's disease. They can shoot the eyes out of the basket and they're awful fast, and a couple of 'em can jump up and take a quarter off the top of the backboard.' Many organizations wanted Wood and his champion players to speak He U.S., Newspapers.com Obituary Index, 1800s-current, Indiana, U.S., Death Certificates, 1899-2017, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Seed money a substantial initial investment, is how the museum board describes it was provided by Purdue president and former Gov. He worked for Chrysler for 30 years. Milan's population. 4-yr performer for Morristownall-regional as a freshmanplayed 3 yrs for Butler University, where he says he just 'was very fortunate to be a part of the team'22-year coaching career was high- lighted by fabled 1954 performance by his Milan . "We were just naive country boys coming to Indianapolis to play He was 71. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Check out which Greater Cincinnati boys basketball players were named all-district for the 2022-23 season. Phone. Mason Wood filed the . Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. "We have a lot of faith Daniel Motto talked about the true-life incident of Wood Wood was the third person affiliated with the '54 team to die. Best known for coaching tiny Milan (IN) High School to the 1954 State Championship. Fewer than half of the 751 schools entered in the 1954 tournament exist today. But its the future theyre trying to protect. Grinstead. As a result, most Indiana high schools of the era had what today are considered extremely small enrollments. In the real game, with his team behind two points in the fourth quarter, Plump held the ball for more than two minutes. UNLV coach Marvin Menzies reacts to a call during the first half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Nevada on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2018, in Las Vegas. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? 2 seed in the . display: block; The board figures $2 million ought to do it. Looking back, we didn't set those I was just in the third grade, but my brother (Melvin) was in the sixth, and hed always come home complaining: The fifth-graders beat us again!.