Even 100 years ago, rivalries were still rivalries

First appeared on March 9th, 2010

in The Lebanon Reporter

 

For the Lebanon Tigers the start of the 1910-11 season was overshadowed by a visit from former President Theodore Roosevelt. During a barnstorming trip that brought him to Lebanon via Crawfordsville, Roosevelt was introduced to a large gathering by Major S.N. Cragun on October 13^th, 1910. Campaigning for Republicans prior to the November elections Roosevelt didn't speak long, according to the Lebanon Patriot he had only "fifteen minutes to show his teeth and sound political tocsin".

            A few weeks later the focus shifted from politics to the hardwood in anticipation of the upcoming basketball season. Despite the fact they were returning only one starter, early indications should have pointed to Head Coach F.O. Anderegg having a strong "quintet" after his Lebanon Tigers defeated an alumni team in a preseason contest. Most chalked it up to luck however and it wouldn't be until much later in the year that fans would realize just how special the 1910-11 Tigers would be.

            Their schedule included home and aways with Kokomo, Anderson and Crawfordsville as well as a few head to heads with other teams. One hundred years ago the Lebanon-Crawfordsville rivalry was just cutting its teeth. In 1909 the two teams had split a pair of games and controversy swirled after Lebanon's challenge for a tie-breaking match-up was publicly rebuffed by Crawfordsville.

            During the 1910-11 season the Athenians were one of Lebanon's final home games. Much to the chagrin of Tiger fans, one of their starting players had transferred to Crawfordsville over the summer. When the Athenians returned to Lebanon that following season, the Patriot called the crowd that turned out "the largest…ever assembled in this city…".

In an ugly game that saw more than one penalty for "unsportsmanlike demeanor", one Tiger was sent out for stitches and another broke a finger. When the official at the scorer's bench fired his revolver to signal the end of the contest, Lebanon had suffered a heartbreaking loss. If the Patriot is any reflection, the community was noticeably shaken as the paper railed how the Tigers "drank from defeat at the hands of the Athenians". Of course nobody in the stands that night could have realized that just a few short weeks later those same two teams would play for Indiana's first state title.      

            The Lebanon Pioneer called Crawfordsville and Rochester the favorites heading into the twelve team state tournament. Given little chance of success, Lebanon was nonetheless invited to represent District 7. The Tigers took Bloomington by storm fighting their way to the championship game by defeating Valparaiso 23-11 and New Albany 28-10. The victories set up a rematch with Crawfordsville.

            Played in the original Assembly Hall, the game was billed as a curtain raiser for a match-up between the Indiana Hoosiers and Wisconsin Badgers men's teams. Under the direction of Head Coach Dave Glassock, Crawfordsville had racked up a 15-2 record to that point. Now the only thing standing between Glassock and a place in history were the Lebanon Tigers. 

            According to the Patriot the Athenians outweighed the Tigers "ten pounds to the man" and were the more experienced team having "seen the smoke of battle before". The size disparity reportedly made Lebanon the crowd favorite as the Pioneer called the whole scene "nerve-racking". The Tigers countered Crawfordsville's size with a lightning fast attack that featured sharp passing and team play. Correspondents used words like furious and breathtaking to describe Lebanon's style.   

After trailing for most of the game, the Tigers mounted a second half run as the play of Lebanon guard Clark Berry brought fans to their feet. The Indianapolis Sun praised Berry for having a cool head and excellent passing skills. Despite outstanding play from the All-Tournament Team selection Berry and their All-State forward Porter, the Tigers were unable to cage the Athenians as Crawfordsville won the first State Championship 24-17.

            Despite winning praise from Indiana's head coach as one of the "brainiest quintets" he had ever seen, watching the Athenians accepting their silver loving cups had to be salt in the wound for Lebanon. Despite the loss, the Tigers would rally to beat Franklin in the title game a year later sparking a run that would see Lebanon capture 3 of the first 8 state championships.

In an era when distant news trickled in from places like Monkeyville, Raccoon and Ratsburg via correspondent, a horse overturning a buggy and a foiled chicken thief were shocking events. This being said, basketball was still front page stuff. Even 100 years ago the passion and innate understanding of the game Hoosiers are still known for today can be found in the writing of the correspondents.

As the IHSAA celebrates the 100^th anniversary of high school basketball, we should all take a moment to share our favorite memories with younger generations.