The Real Hoosiers - by Jack McCallum (Hardcover)

About the Book

"For far too long the storyline of Indiana basketball has been dominated by Hoosiers. Framed as the ultimate underdog, feel good story, there has also long been a cultural debate surrounding the film, and The Real Hoosiers sets out to illuminate the narrative absent from the film. This is the story of the real life team that inspired the team that most have long assumed was Hickory High's championship opponent. They were Crispus Attucks, an all Black team playing in the 1950s in a racially divided Indiana. Veteran sportswriter and the bestselling author of Dream Team, Jack McCallum, excavates the history of the Crispus Attucks Tigers. After a crushing loss to Milan High School (the real Indiana team Hickory High is based on) in the 1954 semi-final (not the final), Attucks went on to win back to back Indiana state championships led by a young Oscar Robertson and an African American coach who recognized the seemingly insurmountable challenges of playing basketball in a state that was a bastion not only for the game but also for the Ku Klux Klan. This is much more than a sports story. The history of Attucks is rich, far beyond the basketball court, and filled with cultural influence and importance. The Real Hoosiers replaces a lacuna in the history of Indiana while dissecting the myths and lore of basketball; placing the game in the context of migration, segregation, and integration; and enhancing our understanding of this country's struggle for Civil Rights"--

Book Synopsis

The true story behind Crispus Attucks High School and the all-Black basketball team loosely depicted as the championship opponent in the beloved classic sports movie Hoosiers.

For far too long the mythology of Indiana basketball has been dominated by Hoosiers. Framed as the ultimate underdog, feel-good story, there has also long been a cultural debate surrounding the film. The Real Hoosiers sets out to illuminate the narrative that the film omits, the story of the unheralded Crispus Attucks Tigers, playing the game at the highest level in the 1950s in a racially divided Indiana.

After a crushing loss to Milan High School in the 1954 semifinal, which was the game that the final scenes in Hoosiers are based on, Attucks went on to win back-to-back Indiana state championships. That team was led by a young Oscar Robertson and coached by Ray Crowe, who fully recognized the seemingly insurmountable challenges of playing basketball in a state that was a bastion for not only the game but also the Ku Klux Klan.

Veteran sportswriter and the bestselling author of Dream Team, Jack McCallum, pulls back the curtain on that history, which is rich, far beyond the basketball court. The Real Hoosiers replaces a lacuna in the history of Indiana while dissecting the myths and lore of Hoosier hoops; placing the game in the context of migration, segregation, and integration; and enhancing our understanding of this country's struggle for civil rights.

Review Quotes

"Nobody writes hoop history better than McCallum and his latest is a worthy addition to his outstanding catalogue."--The Boston Globe

"This book is such a towering achievement.... An incredible blend of social history and sports.... The Real Hoosiers is my favorite basketball book now, which is pretty high praise because basketball has produced some of the most beautiful writing in the entire sports world."--Dave Zirin, "The Edge of Sports" podcast

"A must-read for sports enthusiasts, history buffs, and anyone interested in social justice."--Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

"Sobering, insightful."--Next Avenue

"The Real Hoosiers is the remarkable story of Oscar Robertson's high school team.... McCallum makes quick work of the movie's legacy to tell a much deeper and richer story about life under de facto legal segregation in 1950s Indiana.... The book goes well beyond simply resuscitating those Crispus Attucks Tigers and giving them their just due. The Real Hoosiers has a real edge to it.... [McCallum] pulls all the tricks from a Hall of Fame career out of his righteous writer's bag to show what these teenagers endured while compiling an 85-6 record in Robertson's three varsity seasons. He jumps back and forth in time, throws in fun footnotes about figures like Cab Calloway and Kurt Vonnegut, weaves in historical antecedents and ancillary tales, offers technical basketball analysis, and breaks the fourth wall with commentary and jokes, both grandpa groaners and one-liners dripping with animus at racial injustices past and present.... While filling out the brackets this year, consider getting your hoops mind right with [The Real Hoosiers]."

--The Washington Post

"Jack McCallum brings his 'A' game in his latest book.... The subjects McCallum interviews and the extensive research he did provide a deeper, richer portrait.... McCallum brings humor, snark and turns many a phrase in The Real Hoosiers, like dishing off no-look passes. His writing is every bit as breathtaking as Robertson's court demeanor.... McCallum offers a well-researched, balanced look at a basketball program that broke down racial barriers in a city that was loathe to change. He also offers a sobering look at prejudice that was still prevalent 70 years ago. Readers should be aghast and angry at what took place during the 1950s, and no feelgood movie is ever going to erase that."--Sports Bookie

"The narrative adroitly unfolded by Mr. McCallum...widens out to convey the particulars of the time and place: the mid-1950s, just after the Supreme Court ordered the desegregation of the nation's schools; and midcentury Indiana, a state in which the Ku Klux Klan was experiencing a resurgence and, at one time, might credibly have claimed the allegiance of the entire Indianapolis school board.... In making history, the Attucks players rewrote the customs, the rhythms and the character of the game in a basketball-mad state."--The Wall Street Journal

"[A] rousing history....McCallum emphasizes how the story reflects the social currents of the era....The historical research on how housing discrimination, school segregation, and anti-Black violence shaped mid-century Indianapolis makes the Tigers' achievements all the more noteworthy, and the accounts of key games excite....This stirring success story hits nothing but net."--Publishers Weekly

"Much of the folklore surrounding the groundbreaking Crispus Attucks High School men's basketball teams has been sanitized and glossed over. No longer. Jack McCallum, the dean of basketball journalism, does it again with The Real Hoosiers, exhaustingly excavating, and expertly crafting the true story of Hoosier basketball to deliver a jewel that resonates far beyond any hardwood court."--Jonathan Abrams, author of Boys Among Men

"I will never forget this team. This book. Crispus Attucks. Oscar Robertson. Willie Merriweather. Al Maxey. Ray Crowe. Remember these names. Our nation's best basketball scribe Jack McCallum has offered a profound and soulful account of one of the greatest basketball stories largely gone untold. May it never be written out of history again."--Mirin Fader, author of Giannis

About the Author

Jack McCallum was a senior writer at Sports Illustrated for thirty years and is still on the masthead as a Special Contributor. The author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller Dream Team, he was elected to the writers' wing of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005 and is best known for his coverage of professional basketball. His work has appeared in Best American Sports Stories, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other publications. He lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.