November 8, 1987
By Susie Dewey
Vigo County Historical Society
Ball recalls part of Hoosier history
The deflated, wrinkled ball with the words “City Champs” imprinted on the deep brown, chestnut leather goes to the heart of the Hoosier sport: Basketball.
Garfield High School in 1922 was the stage for a drama that few can remember but many revere. The boys’ and girls’ basketball teams won the city championships and took the name Garfield to the pinnacles of the state tournament. The 1922 “Benedictus,” the Garfield yearbook, not only is dedicated to the teams, it also tells the story, with which any Hoosier could empathize.
The viewer’s first reaction to the ball is that is isn’t a basketball because the lacing is clearly evident. The first basketballs were soccer or rugby balls. In the only major sport of wholly U.S. origin, James Naismith in 1891 used what he had at hand. In an understatement, one critic stated that the balls were not suitable for dribbling.
The 1922 ball had evolved into an official basketball. Spalding was the maker of the official ball, and the ball in the museum bears the name of the company. Not until 1928 did sporting goods manufacturers introduce a concealed-lace ball. Until then, crazy bounces at unexpected times occurred on all courts.
Ray Hanna, the boys basketball coach, selected his team from 50 candidates who came out in the fall of 1921. The immortals selected were Ross Woodburn, guard; Harold Wheeler, captain and forward; Stanley Torr, guard; Fred Medlow, forward; Lester Bolin, forward; Arthur Reinking, forward; William Amour, center; and John Gault, guard.
This team in 1922 was deemed the most successful in the history of Terre Haute. It was defeated in the finals of the state tourney 15-26 at Indianapolis. In the Wabash Valley it suffered its only defeat to Normal. In addition to letters for their school, team members were awarded small gold basketballs at the end of the season.
Coach Gertrude Steepleton, a physical education teacher, selected her team from 100 candidates who tried out. The schedule consisted of 14 games. Evansville, which Garfield played twice, was the only team to defeat the girls. The first time Evansville won 22-21, the second time 22-14.
Members of the team who received letters were Margaret Kalen, Center; Margrette Corban, forward; Undine Cooley, guard; and Sara Moore, captain and forward. These girls received small silver basketballs on “an almost equal basis with the boys team.”
The manager of both the girls and boys teams was J.J. Maehling, who was a science and chemistry teacher at Garfield. Maehling later became principal of Woodrow Wilson Junior High School in Terre Haute. He was widely acclaimed as one of the influential leaders of Indiana.
In addition to the story of dedication to sport and school that the 1922 basketball evokes, it tells the story of the development of the ball itself and the state game of Indian. It was given to the museum by Woodburn Printing in 1979 by Ross Woodburn.
Many Garfield alumni in the area remember that it occupied a prominent place in the trophy cabinet of the school, until reorganization of schools united Garfield and Gerstmeyer into Terre Haute North Vigo High School.
The term basketball (one word) became official in 1920. Until then the correct usage was two words, but by 1920 the game and the ball were sufficiently recognized and unique to get their own word. In 1905 the choice of the brand of the ball was left to the teams or the league.
The size of the ball has changed many times since 1894 when the first basketball was manufactured by the Overman Wheel Co., maker of bicycles, in Chicopee Falls, Mass. The ball has been as big as 32 inches in circumference and has weighed as much as 23 ounces. Contemporary basketballs are 29 1/2 inches to 30 inches in circumference and weigh 20 to22 ounces. Rubber-covered balls were approved for high school, college or AAU games in 1955, provided both teams approved. Until then leather was the only approved material.
The defeat of the Garfield boys team in the finals of the state tournament is described in all its glory and agony in the 1922 “Benedictus.” The team already had played two games that day and was tired when it met the Franklin Wonder Five. The spirit of the captain, Harold Wheeler, in adverse circumstances was commended in sports columns in newspapers in Indianapolis.
The yearbook also contains a dedication to the boys and girls basketball teams who won city championships while they maintained high standards and sacrificed pleasure to play for their school. Such an accolade exemplifies the best traditions of Hoosier Hysteria.
Basketball fans (and that includes nearly every Hoosier) will feel a kinship to the Garfield teams and fans of 1922. They also will marvel at the evolution of the ball into the sleek, modern design from a wrinkled, deflated leather memento now on display in the museum.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.