Indy Standard

U.S. Senator Todd Young commemorated the 70th anniversary of the Milan Miracle, a historic event in Indiana high school basketball, on the Senate floor today. The Milan High School team, with an enrollment of just 161 students, defeated Muncie Central to win the Indiana High School Boys State Championship on March 20, 1954. This victory made them the smallest school ever to win the single-class tournament in Indiana and inspired the movie "Hoosiers," released in 1986.

Senator Young remarked on the enduring legacy of this achievement: “The memory of Milan lasts because their team and town symbolizes what keeps our communities together…And it’s an inspiration still, across small towns, and struggling places, waiting on their own miracle, where the basketball team brings people together and makes them feel proud of the place they call home. That is why we still celebrate little Milan beating mighty Muncie Central 70 years on.”

He shared anecdotes about visitors from around the world who come to Milan, Indiana, drawn by its rich basketball history. Young recounted how Bobby Plump's game-winning shot secured Milan's victory as time expired in front of a crowd of 15,000 fans at Butler University's Fieldhouse.

Young also highlighted how the community rallied around its team during that era: “Milan was a place where when a student needed a winter coat, locals took up a collection at the drug store and bought him one…a place where the kids who didn’t have a lot of money could eat for free at Rosie’s.”

Reflecting on changes over time, he noted that although Milan has not won another championship since 1954 and faces challenges like many small towns, its story remains inspirational. The championship trophy still resides at Milan High School as a testament to teamwork and community spirit.

Senator Young concluded by emphasizing that Milan's story is about more than basketball: “That trophy in the newly refurbished lobby of Milan High’s gymnasium is a symbol of more than just a state championship. It’s proof how much we can achieve when we work together towards a common goal and resolve to hold our own no matter the odds.”

Visitors continue to flock to Ripley County in search of this legendary tale encapsulated by historical markers and local landmarks celebrating "the new capital of Indiana" as declared by newspapers back in March 1954.