• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Assembly Call

IU Basketball Podcast and Postgame Show

IU basketball podcast and postgame show

Follow @assemblycall

  • About
    • Our Team
    • Contact
    • Support
    • Internship Program
    • AC on the Radio
  • Blog
    • Banner Morning
    • 6-Banner Sunday News Roundups
    • IU Artifacts
  • Community
  • Podcast
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
    • Assembly Call T-Shirts & Mugs
    • IU Tickets
    • Other AC Gear
You are here: Home / IU Artifacts / 1970-72 Steve Downing Game-Used Jersey (The Pick of a Lifetime!)

1970-72 Steve Downing Game-Used Jersey (The Pick of a Lifetime!)

January 13, 2017 By Chris Williams 1 Comment

1970-72 Steve Downing Game-Used Jersey (The Pick of a Lifetime!)

I’m going to preface this by saying that the story I am about to tell is straight out of “American Pickers.”

It involves digging through garbage, 40+ years of old moldy t-shirts, cardboard boxes, fossilized mouse turds, and anything else you could expect to find in an old garage.

Here’s what happened …

The Pick

I received a call a few months ago from a friend who knew a family in southwestern Indiana that was getting ready to sell their father’s home. Their father was getting ready to move to assisted living, and his children were going through his belongings.

He was in the sports equipment and apparel business for over 40 years, and his garage became a dumping ground for back stock that never sold, new old stock (NOS) of blank t-shirts and sweatshirts, and about every variety of jock strap known to man (yes, there are choices).

The family told me that he was friends with former IU basketball coach Bob Knight, and over the years he had accumulated lots of IU memorabilia including football schedule posters, photos, pocket schedules, and literally the largest collection of Antwaan Randle El mouse pads that I had ever seen. (Back in 2001, Indiana University advertised their star football player, and Heisman finalist on nearly anything they could find. To see over 200 of these mouse pads was needless to say, a little overwhelming.)

The mountain of moldy shirts that revealed a gem of 40+ years.
The mountain of moldy shirts that revealed a true gem in IU sports history.

Going into the situation, I didn’t have high expectations.

Finding some football schedule posters from the 70s and 80s would be neat, but they are fairly common. Nonetheless, I began digging.

There was a huge pile of t-shirts five feet high, and each layer was like going back in time.

It started with 1992 Copper Bowl t-shirts, then Liberty Bowl shirts, then All-American Bowl shirts, and a few hats. The occasional generic IU basketball t-shirt would show up during the dig, but the condition was rough. Nothing was really salvageable.

But then, things, got interesting.

The Find

I came to a group of plain white t-shirts that seemed to be used to wrap something up. I didn’t think much of it at first, and tossed them aside. However, something caught my eye in the stack: a vintage Rawlings basketball jersey tag. Given that the gentleman was in the sports equipment business, I thought it may have been a generic jersey.

However, I nearly fell over when I pulled it out from among the plan white t-shirts that had surrounded it for over 4o years and finally got a good look:

1970-71 Steve Downing
1971-72 Steve Downing game-used basketball jersey.

I knew right away that the jersey was worn from 1970-72.

In fact, the style of the jersey is one of my all-time favorites in Indiana University basketball history.

For some reason, though, I had the hardest time recalling who wore 32. I embarrasingly had to look it up, and I was astonished: the jersey was worn by former IU All-American Steve Downing during his first two seasons at Indiana: 1970-71 and 1971-72.

I presented all the items that I had found on the pick to the kids of the property owner, explained the significance of the jersey, and finalized the purchase. As a collector, it was one of the greatest feelings in the world. I rushed straight home.

Once the confirmation was made through photo-matching, I had so sit down at my house and do more research. I knew a lot about Downing, but wanted to know about every game that he played in wearing this jersey.

The Story

Steve Downing had arrived on campus in the fall of 1970 along with his former Indianapolis Washington High School teammate, George McGinnis. The 1970-71 season would be the last for IU head coach Lou Watson.

Even with the phenomenal scoring season of McGinnis, who averaged 29.9 ppg (still an all-time IU record), the Hoosiers struggled to a 17-7 record (9-5 in the Big Ten). Given the talent on the team of McGinnis and Downing (who averaged a solid 9.6 ppg, and 9 rpg), as well as fellow sophomores John Ritter and Joby Wright, the season was one of disappointment.

Watson would resign at the end of the season amid a cloud of negativity from his own players, and from Hoosier fans.

The 1970-71 Indiana Hoosiers. Photo: courtesy of Indiana University Archives.
The 1970-71 Indiana Hoosiers. Photo: courtesy of Indiana University Archives.

Bob Knight started his IU career in the 1971-72 season, which was Downing’s junior season. McGinnis had left Indiana for the ABA after one season, a huge blow for the Hoosiers. However, Ritter and Wright were be back, and Knight’s Hoosiers would handle the coaching transition well.

Downing, wearing the above jersey, would go on to have a great junior season.

In the very first game in the newly opening Assembly Hall, on December 1, 1971, the Hoosiers were victorious, 84-77. Steve Downing pulled down 26 rebounds, which to this day remains an Assembly Hall record.

Ten days later, against Kentucky, Downing had the type of performance that would be talked about for years to come (and still is). Having suffered a knee injury against Kansas on December 6th, Downing was not at 100%. However, in a game that would go to double-overtime, Downing played every minute, scored 47 points, and grabbed 25 rebounds, helping to defeat Kentucky, 90-89.

The Hoosiers of 71-72. Photo: courtesy of Indiana University Archives.
The Hoosiers of 71-72. Photo: courtesy of Indiana University Archives.

I was astounded to find out the significance of the jersey. It was the kind of experience (the pick, the discovery, and the research) that makes me appreciate the history of Indiana University basketball even more.

As a collector, it doesn’t get any better!

Filed Under: IU Artifacts, Recent Content

About Chris Williams

Chris is a 2006 graduate of Indiana University. He is an IU memorabilia historian, consultant, and avid collector, and posts regularly about IU sports memorabilia and history on Twitter under the handle @IUArtifacts. Email Chris at gloryforoldiu@gmail.com.

Subscribe today

Get more out of being an IU basketball fan.

Stay in-the-know with your Hoosiers. Get our weekly 6-Banner Sunday news roundups, as well as our postgame analysis emails.

It's all free.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. John Blazier says

    March 22, 2020 at 4:05 pm

    Loved this story! Congratulations on a great find. I went to all of the I.U. home games 1971-1972 and 1972-1973. I was a student then. Saw Downing wear this jersey many times. Lots of wonderful memories.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe today

Get more out of being an IU basketball fan.

Stay in-the-know. Receive our weekly 6-Banner Sunday news roundups and our postgame analysis emails.

It's all free.

Recent Posts

  • IU-Purdue Postgame Show: A New Nadir for the Archie Miller Era
  • IU-Nebraska Postgame Show: Hoosiers Claw Back to Even in Big Ten Play
  • IU-Wisconsin Postgame Show: Execution in OT Costs Indiana Elusive Kohl Center Win
  • Hoosier Time Capsule: December 5, 1998
  • IU-Maryland Postgame Show: Hoosiers Take Care of Business With Strong Second Half

Footer

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Blog
  • Store
  • Privacy Policy
jared-weyerbacherWhether basking in a signature victory or wallowing in a defeat, loyal Hoosier basketball lovers need a place where they can surround themselves with like-minded fans for intelligent postgame wrap-up. That place is The Assembly Call. -- Jared Weyerbacher (IU, '08)

Copyright © 2021 · The Assembly Call · Image credit: IU Communications