Plump’s Legendary Shot Still Lives

By Linda Karn
Bobby Plump calls it thebiggest instantaneous thrill of his life when he shot the winning basket that claimed the championship title to the 1954 Indiana High School Basketball State Finals. Fifty-two years later, Plump is still giving speeches about the victory that placed Milan on the map. Plump is talking about the legendary game where the Milan Indians defeated the Crispus Attucks Tigers with three seconds left on the clock.
Plump spoke to a packed audience of Speedway Lions Club members and Speedway High School Boys’ and Girls’ Basketball teams at the SHS cafeteria on Jan 28.
The word honor comes to Plump’s mind when he realizes that his winning shot is still talked about today. Moreover, it captured the attention of Hollywood screenwriter Angelo Pizzo who made the movie Hoosiers in 1986.
The movie is not an exactness of the game or players. “The team did not have to ride in a bus to the game. The Milan car dealer let us drive Cadillacs to the state finals,” he said.
The Milan Indians had never won a regional game, but in 1953 Coach Marvin Wood led the team to the semi-state. Although the team did not win, the success of making it beyond the sweet sixteen created basketball fervor throughout the town. By the next basketball season, the euphoria of the possibility of winning the state championship did not even fill the team players’ minds. Plump acknowledged that none of the players talked about winning the state title because they did not want any unnecessary pressure of expectation.
Plump credited Coach Wood for taking them to 1954 victory against the Crispus Attucks Tigers. Oscar Robertson was one of the players the Indians had to contain in order to claim victory. Plump said it was difficult to hold the team because the Tigers were the only ones that could break the cat and mouse offense, known today as the four-court offense. Plump credited this offense system to defeating the other teams.
Robertson and Plump later became friends and today are partners with Joe Wolfla in the Legends Real Estate Agency. Wolfla noted that he played against Robertson when he was attending Sacred Heart. “I am the guy that held Robertson to 62 points,” he quipped. It was Wolfla that encouraged Plump to write his book, convincing him he had a story to tell.
“It took me ten years to convince him to write the book,” Wolfla said.
Plump described the victory ride back home.
The team was given police escorts through small towns; however, this was only the prelude to what was waiting for them in Milan. Plump and his other team mates could never have imagined that while they were driving back thirty to forty thousand people were waiting to greet them. Plump described that people were everywhere as this mass of people tried to cram into a town of 1,100.
Plump even noted later that summer he was awakened to a scrapping noise outside of his house as a couple and their young son were trying to take the weatherboard from his house as a souvenir. “They told me they were only going to take a small piece,” he said.
After the speech, Plump autographed books and chatted with the high school players and Lions members. SHS Coach Charles Bennett said it was important for the players to know the history of basketball and to hear this legend’s story of the winning shot that spawned the movie Hoosiers.
“ I have always watched the movie Hoosiers. It is neat to see the realism behind the story,” said Shaley Angela of SHS Girls’ Basketball team. Carol Wilson, Lions member, asked Plump to autograph her book. She told Plump she became teary-eyed during his speech because she remembered watching the game on her grandmother’s television.
Frank Hamilton, retired SHS teacher, came to hear Plump’s speech In 1955, Plump came to IPS 55 to host a basketball clinic while Hamilton was coaching there. Plump was a freshman at Butler University. During the speech, Plump noted that he selected Butler to play under Coach Hinkle’s system.