IU Artifacts

Collector’s note: Press passes are a unique piece of memorabilia, as many did not survive. Most often, passes were tossed after each game as a member of the media would receive a new pass each game. More often than not, those that did survive tend to be more from football games than basketball games. IU basketball press passes especially from the 1970’s and prior are rare and hard to come by.

With the departure of Jay Edwards (declaring for the NBA Draft), who was Indiana’s leading scorer at 20 ppg and a First Team All-American selection, the 1989-90 Hoosiers struggled to adjust. It was one of the youngest teams in the Bob Knight era. 

Fortunately, a strong crop of sophomores and returning veterans would be able to bounce back. [Read more…] about 1991 Indiana v Michigan Press Pass

Collector’s note: Painted trophy balls have been around since the late 1800s, and have been used to commemorate sporting achievements. Indiana University began painting game balls from victories in baseball, basketball, and football in the early 1900s, through the 1930s. These would be first displayed in the old “Trophy Room” upstairs in the old Men’s Gymnasium (now part of the IU School of Public Health), and were later relocated to the Commons of the Indiana Memorial Union.

Indiana University trophy balls occasionally come up for auction, but are scarce. This is especially true for footballs, and even more for baseballs. In my time as a collector, I have only seen around ten footballs, and only two baseballs.

The first 21 seasons of Indiana basketball are not often referred to as the “Glory Years.” [Read more…] about 1922 Indiana v Northwestern Game Ball Trophy

Collector’s Note: For many years, Chevrolet has awarded honors for a “player of the game” in college basketball. The collegiate athlete honored would have a donation made in his/her name at their college or university by Chevrolet. Additionally, three plaques would be created: one for the student athlete, one for the university/college, and one for Chevrolet. From time to time, these awards will come up for auction, but for the most part, they are rare and sought after.

The 1984-85 season was not kind to Coach Bob Knight and his Indiana Hoosiers. [Read more…] about 1987 Steve Alford Chevy Player Of The Game Award

Collector’s Note: The early 1990s provided some very exciting years for Indiana University basketball fans, so memorabilia from that era is desirable. Given the success of the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons especially, signed items are out there. However, team-signed basketballs from the early 1990s don’t always surface for sale, and when they do, they usually command strong prices. Ticket stubs from that era have also seen a surge in demand in recent years, but still remain somewhat easy to find. Basketball tickets, in general, however, have always been less desirable for collectors due to the sheer number of games per season versus that of football games.

The “Magnificent Seven” Arrives

Following Indiana’s somewhat surprising Big Ten Championship in 1989, the Hoosiers were hoping for continued success with the arrival of what many considered to be head coach Bob Knight’s greatest recruiting class in his time at Indiana. In fact, the incoming freshmen for the 1989-90 season, dubbed the “Magnificent Seven,” were tabbed by some as perhaps the greatest all-time recruiting class in college basketball history — Lawrence Funderburke, Calbert Cheaney, Greg Graham, Pat Graham (no relation to Greg Graham), Chris Reynolds, Chris Lawson, and Todd Leary. [Read more…] about 1990-91 Indiana Team Signed Basketball and Ticket Stub

Collector’s note: IU media guides are one of those items to me that you either go all in and attempt to collect every year, or you don’t even bother. I have collector friends who do not have any interest in IU basketball media guides at all. To me, media guides are fascinating, especially from around 1980 and prior. The biographical information is a great read, and, what’s always interesting (especially in the versions from the 1950s and 60s) is the season outlook provided by the head coach.

The seasons of 1961-1965, which were the final four seasons for head coach Branch McCracken, never amounted to a great deal of team success for the Hurryin’ Hoosiers, as no team finished higher than 3rd in conference play. [Read more…] about 1963-64 Indiana Basketball Media Guide

As you may recall, a while back I put together a guide to collecting Indiana University basketball game-used jerseys.

In this piece, I’m going to talk about the other half of the gameday uniform: shorts.

All in all, game-used equipment is probably my biggest IU collecting passion — researching the history of when the item was worn and by whom, as well as the changes in style, color, and design is very interesting.

In general, coaching changes at IU have signaled changes in the design of the uniforms. This is especially the case with coaches Branch McCracken, Lou Watson, and Bob Knight. [Read more…] about A ‘Short’ History of Indiana Basketball