Hoosier Hot Shots: 1953-54 Big Ten Champs

I have to open today’s post with a heartfelt thank you to our mail lady. On…of all days… “National Thank a Mail Carrier Day”, she braved a cold, winter ice storm in our area to deliver this glorious “scrapbook” to me today. The only reason I know about this is because my wife told me so…and asked me to insert a nice ‘thank you’ note into our mailbox.

I’ve seen a copy of this available here and there…and had an opportunity to pick this up a couple of years ago. I regretted not buying it then when I had the chance, but I’m thrilled to finally have one find its place in the vault. This is a pretty rare item from the 1953-54 Big 10 championship season, titled “Hoosier Hot Shots”. This IU basketball squad would go 20-4 overall and 12-2 in the Big Ten, bowing out in the NCAA tournament to LSU in the regionals when many thought this team to be a safe pick to repeat as NCAA Champ like the year before.

The magazine showcases newspaper clippings from every game of the season in a “scrapbook” format. The nostalgia here is amazing with full coverage of each game accompanied by plenty of game photos. The cover graces the likes of Dick Farley, Don Schlundt, Bob Leonard, Charley Kraak, Burke Scott, and Dick White.

There’s a great feature inside profiling Coach Branch McCracken and his wife, Mary Jo, providing a glimpse of the life of a basketball family outside of the court and the intimate relationship between the coach, his wife, and his 20-25 “sons”. Another interesting item to highlight from my initial, quick read…with all of the success that McCracken’s team had during his time at the helm of the Indiana University basketball program, I was surprised to see him profiled as the “Head Coach of Worry” in the featurette. It was said he was known to pace the floor for hours thinking about games yet to be played and even suffered from insomnia. That anxiousness behind the curtain is what seemed to fuel the charades and antics that became part of his coaching persona.

Completely off-subject — and per the norm — I always find it comical to look at the advertisements from sponsors to see how much things cost back in the day. This magazine was a whole 50 cents (oh, the time value of money)….and on the inside cover, a roll of “Pep O Mint” Lifesavers was “still only 5 cents”.