Milan in Ripley County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Milan Miracle
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 19, 2022
1. Milan Miracle Marker, side one
Hoosier Hysteria reached its pinnacle in 1954, when the Milan High School boys basketball team defeated then four-time state champion Muncie Central, a school ten times its size, for the state title. Building off a successful season the previous year, Milan used a stall offense, winning 32-30 when Bobby Plump sank a shot with seconds to go to clinch the championship.
An estimated 40,000 people flocked to the small town of Milan after the title game to celebrate the Cinderella team. Milan's story inspired the 1986 movie Hoosiers, filmed throughout Indiana. After years of debate, in 1998, the IHSAA divided the single-class tournament into four classes based on enrollment, ending the chance of another underdog story of this magnitude.
Erected 2022 by Indiana Historical Bureau and Milan 54 Hoosiers Museum. (Marker Number 69.2022.1.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1954.
Location. 39° 7.383′ N, 85° 7.922′ W. Marker is in Milan, Indiana, in Ripley County. It is at the intersection of West Carr Street and Franklin Street,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Indiana. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: General John Morgan (approx. 2.2 miles away); Moores Hill College (approx. 2.2 miles away); Moore Hall (approx. 2.2 miles away); Moore's Hill United Methodist Church (approx. 2½ miles away); Union Noose Tightening (approx. 2.6 miles away); Exhausted Morgan Troops (approx. 6 miles away); Gordons Leap (approx. 7.1 miles away); The Hanging Tree (approx. 7.2 miles away).
Another marker is no longer nearby. Whitlatch Clinic (was about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been confirmed missing).
Also see . . . Milan 1954 Museum.
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 19, 2022
2. Milan Miracle Marker, side two
On a cold March night in Butler Fieldhouse, the Indians of tiny Milan High School (enrollment 161) defeated the mighty Muncie Central Bearcats (enrollment 1,662) to win the state championship and secure their place in Hoosier Folklore.(Submitted on September 24, 2022.)
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 19, 2022
3. Milan Miracle Marker
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 19, 2022
4. 1954 Milan Indians Marker
Marker facing Franklin Street inside a window of 201 W Carr Street, cattycorner from this marker. Being inside the building, it does not qualify for its own marker page. It reads,
The only Ripley County basketball team to win the one-class state tourney. The Indians defeated the Muncie Central 32 to 30 at Butler Fieldhouse. The Indians used strong defense and Coach Marvin Woods Cat and Mouse offense to advance through the state tourney. The 1986 fictional movie Hoosiers was based on the Indians success.
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 19, 2022
5. 1954 Milan Indians Marker
It is in the rightmost window.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 11, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 24, 2022, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 532 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 24, 2022, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 4, 5. submitted on October 11, 2022, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
