[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 102 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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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;
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'';
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 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 All-Star 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
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) The Hoosier Gym, which is celebrating its 100th
anniversary in 2021, continues to remain an important
historical and cultural location for the State of Indiana,
Henry County, the Town of Knightstown, and the nearly 80,000
basketball enthusiasts and tourists throughout Indiana, the
United States, and the world that visit the location every
year;
(2) the film ``Hoosiers'', which is celebrating its 35th
anniversary in 2021, continues to remain one of the top ranked
and most influential sports movies of all time, highlights the
love of basketball in the State of Indiana, and provides a
better understanding of ``Hoosier Hysteria'' to the world;
(3) both the film and this historical location deserve
recognition for the continued legacies that greatly enrich the
State of Indiana, its local communities, and its citizens by
providing the world with a better understanding of the love of
basketball in Indiana and what it means to be a Hoosier;
(4) continued admiration for this film and historical
location reinforces the quote by Dr. James Naismith,
basketball's inventor, after visiting an Indiana High School
State Basketball Championship game that ``Basketball really had
its beginning in Indiana which remains today the center of the
sport'', and such admiration continues to promote throughout
the world a better understanding of the motto ``In 49 States,
it's just basketball, but this is Indiana''; and
(5) the anniversaries of the film ``Hoosiers'' and The
Hoosier Gym should be recognized due to the historical and
cultural significance each had and continue to have in
introducing the State of Indiana and its love of basketball to
the rest of the country and the world.
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