[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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