III 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 102 

Recognizing the 100th anniversary of The Hoosier Gym and the 35th 

anniversary of the release of the film ‘‘Hoosiers’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 10, 2021 

Mr. BRAUN (for himself and Mr. YOUNG) submitted the following resolution; 

which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the 100th anniversary of The Hoosier Gym and 

the 35th anniversary of the release of the film ‘‘Hoosiers’’. 

Whereas The Hoosier Gym is a basketball gymnasium, museum, and community center located in Knightstown, Indiana, and is famous for being a filming location for the 

1986 basketball movie ‘‘Hoosiers’’, starring Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper; 

Whereas, in 1920, the Knightstown Community School had 

no gymnasium; 

Whereas, in February 1921, a half dozen Knightstown businessmen met to discuss the fact that Knightstown was 

lagging behind other towns in the development of children’s athletic education; 


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Whereas, after much debate, a plan to build a ‘‘gymnasium 

and community house’’ was developed and approved; 

Whereas, to help fund the new gym, the Knightstown businessmen raised more than $14,400 in donations from 

more than 250 citizens and several local businesses; 

Whereas, on December 1, 1921, construction of the gym was 

completed; 

Whereas, at 105 feet (32 meters) long and 80 feet (24 meters) wide, the new gym was big enough to accommodate 

not only basketball games and spectators (with bleacher 

seating around the sides and ends of the playing floor), 

but also many civic and community-oriented events; 

Whereas it was not long before arrangements were made for 

several professional basketball teams to play on the new 

floor, including the EmRoes, the Michigan Rails, and the 

Baltimore Orioles, and the town even persuaded players 

from various colleges to compete against local teams; 

Whereas, by 1966, the gym had become obsolete with the 

building of a new high school and gym; 

Whereas the Panthers of Knightstown played their last official regular-season basketball game at the gym in February 1966; 

Whereas, after 45 years of serving the community and providing a place for its young people to grow and develop, 

the gym was closed, and for the next 19 years, the gym 

saw little use; 

Whereas, in 1985, interest in the gym increased when a film 

crew descended upon Knightstown, Indiana, looking for a 

place to film ‘‘Hoosiers’’; 


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Whereas ‘‘Hoosiers’’ is an American sports film written by 

Angelo Pizzo and directed by David Anspaugh in his feature directorial debut, and both individuals were raised in 

Indiana; 

Whereas the film tells the story of the unique phenomenon 

known as ‘‘Hoosier Hysteria’’—Indiana’s obsession with 

basketball; 

Whereas the film is inspired by the 1954 Milan High School 

team, which made an unlikely run to win the Indiana 

High School Boys Basketball State Championship, which 

consisted of a single class of high school basketball for 

all schools throughout the State; 

Whereas about 1⁄3 of the film was filmed in the gym, and the 

film included many Hoosiers, including players on the 

team and most of the stand-ins; 

Whereas Dennis Hopper’s role earned him an Oscar nomination, and Jerry Goldsmith was also nominated for an 

Academy Award for his score; 

Whereas the film ‘‘Hoosiers’’ is often considered the greatest 

sports movie of all time and was added to the National 

Film Registry in 2001 by the Library of Congress as 

being ‘‘culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant’’; 

Whereas, as a result of the success of this film, the old 

Knightstown gymnasium came to be known as The Hoosier Gym; 

Whereas The Hoosier Gym has kept the same look as it did 

when ‘‘Hoosiers’’ was filmed in 1985; 

Whereas, by 1988, the gym faced possible demolition when 

the 112-year-old school next door, then serving as an elementary school, was replaced by a new school north of 


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town, but Historic Knightstown and Historic Landmarks 

of Indiana stepped forward to help preserve the gym; 

Whereas now The Hoosier Gym usually hosts 80 high school 

basketball games with teams from throughout the country and over 100 games in total each year; 

Whereas, each year, the gym holds the Hoosiers Reunion AllStar Classic, where Indiana’s best high school athletes 

play against each other, with the teams named ‘‘Hickory’’ 

and ‘‘Terhune’’, as in the film; 

Whereas many of these athletes have gone on to play in the 

National Basketball Association and the Women’s National Basketball Association; 

Whereas ‘‘Hoosiers’’ and The Hoosier Gym have highlighted 

the cultural impact and importance of basketball in the 

State of Indiana to the world; 

Whereas, in 2021, The Hoosier Gym is celebrating its 100th 

anniversary, and the film ‘‘Hoosiers’’ is celebrating its 

35th anniversary; and 

Whereas the film ‘‘Hoosiers’’, The Hoosier Gym, Hinkle 

Fieldhouse, and all the other locations throughout Indiana used for filming highlight Hoosiers’ love for basketball and ‘‘Hoosier Hysteria’’ at its finest: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) The Hoosier Gym, which is celebrating its 

3 100th anniversary in 2021, continues to remain an 

4 important historical and cultural location for the 

5 State of Indiana, Henry County, the Town of 

6 Knightstown, and the nearly 80,000 basketball enVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:51 Mar 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR102.ATS SR102

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1 thusiasts and tourists throughout Indiana, the 

2 United States, and the world that visit the location 

3 every year; 

4 (2) the film ‘‘Hoosiers’’, which is celebrating its 

5 35th anniversary in 2021, continues to remain one 

6 of the top ranked and most influential sports movies 

7 of all time, highlights the love of basketball in the 

8 State of Indiana, and provides a better under9 standing of ‘‘Hoosier Hysteria’’ to the world; 

10 (3) both the film and this historical location de11 serve recognition for the continued legacies that 

12 greatly enrich the State of Indiana, its local commu13 nities, and its citizens by providing the world with 

14 a better understanding of the love of basketball in 

15 Indiana and what it means to be a Hoosier; 

16 (4) continued admiration for this film and his17 torical location reinforces the quote by Dr. James 

18 Naismith, basketball’s inventor, after visiting an In19 diana High School State Basketball Championship 

20 game that ‘‘Basketball really had its beginning in 

21 Indiana which remains today the center of the 

22 sport’’, and such admiration continues to promote 

23 throughout the world a better understanding of the 

24 motto ‘‘In 49 States, it’s just basketball, but this is 

25 Indiana’’; and 


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1 (5) the anniversaries of the film ‘‘Hoosiers’’ 

2 and The Hoosier Gym should be recognized due to 

3 the historical and cultural significance each had and 

4 continue to have in introducing the State of Indiana 

5 and its love of basketball to the rest of the country 

6 and the world. 

Æ 


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