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Indiana High School Basketball governing body pays tribute to the late Gene Hackman

Lawrence Andrew Fernandezby:Lawrence Fernandez•02/27/25•

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Gene Hackman
© Darryl Norenberg-Imagn Image

The governing body for Indiana high school basketball paid tribute to actor Gene Hackman, who passed away on February 26.

“Rest in Peace to the great Gene Hackman! And thank you for your contributions to the Indiana high school basketball as Coach Norman Dale in the 1986 movie ‘Hoosiers,’” the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s tweet reads.

Hackman died at age 95 at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The former United States Marine Corps private, his wife Betsy Arakawa, and their dogs were lifeless when discovered a day after their death. While their cause of demise is still under investigation, foul play and gas leaks have been ruled out.

Hackman endeared himself to Indiana high school sports for playing the said role, which earned him critical acclaim. While Hackman predicted the movie to be a “career killer,” it turned out to be a classic. The American Film Institute even included it in its Top 10 Sports Films list.

“Hoosiers” is about a small-town Indiana high school basketball team which won the state championship. Milan High School’s 1954 state title over Muncie Central inspired the story.

Back then, the state had a single-class tournament wherein all schools, regardless of student population, competed for the same championship. Though Milan had 161 students that year, the Marvin Wood-coached squad finished the regular season with a 19-2 record. Winning the championship improved their standing to 28-2.

However, the single-class system ended in 1996 as the IHSAA implemented multi-class state tournaments based on school size. Likewise, consolidation and urbanization led to the dissolution of close to half of the schools that participated in 1954.

Nowadays, Indiana has four high school basketball competition classes. Fishers are the defending Indiana high school basketball Class 4A champions, while Scottsburg won the Class 3A state crown. Brownstown Central and Fort Wayne Canterbury are the kings of Classes 2A and 1A, respectively.