Indiana: Hoosier Hoopla (basketball)

“Hoosier Hoopla” is a name for the annual high school basketball tournament that is held in Indiana in February/March. The term was popularized by the article “I’ll Take Hoosier Hoopla,” by William F. Fox, Jr., in the Saturday Evening Post on February 22, 1941.
 
February/March basketball has also been called “Hoosier Hysteria,” “Indiana Insanity,” “March Madness” and “Midwest Madness.”
       
 
14 February 1941, Hammond (IN) Times, pg. 1, col. 7:
William F. Fox, Jr., sports editor of the Indianapolis News, is author of the (Saturday Evening—ed.) Post’s article on “I’ll Take Hoosier Hoopla.”
 
Google Books
Newsweek
Volume 17
1941
Pg. 7:
Read “I’ll Take Hoosier Hoopla” and “New York Basketball’s Better Basketball”
(Advertisement for Saturday Evening Post.—ed.)
     
Google Books
Indiana Alumni Magazine
Volume 4, Issue 6
1942    
Pg. 22:
Motter Stars with Ft. Sill Basketball Team
TOM A. MOTTER, BS’41, one of the trio of Fort Wayne Central basketball stars on Indiana’s basketball teams from 1938 to 1941 (the others being Herm Schaefer and Curly Armstrong) , is showing the boys at Ft. Sill, Okla., just how they play the game back in the land of “Hoosier hoopla.”
 
17 November 1947, Hammond (IN) Times, “Speculating in Sports” by John Whitaker, pg. 11, col. 1:
Now that football season is over we can start preparing for what some folks refer to as high school basketball…and others as “Hoosier Hoopla.”
 
Google Books
Time
Volume 51
1948
Pg. 32
Hoosier Hoopla: high-school basketball tourney; frenzy of competition; winning teams
(The article appears on March 22, 1948, pg. 51.—ed.)
 
10 February 1949, Hammond (IN) Times, “769 Schools Enter State Cage Tourney,” pg. 19, col. 6:
INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 10—(UP)—Quite a few thousand students of “Hoosier Hoopla” at 769 Indiana high schools eyed February 24 on their calendars today and started flexing their basketball muscles for the state net tourney ahead.
 
19 January 1951, Lafayette (IN) Journal and Courier, pg. 13, col. 1 ad:
Dr. Naismith invented a great game,
Indiana (the State) adopted it…
Purdue and Indiana (the Universities) perfected it…
It became known as “Hoosier Hoopla”.
(Rose Glen Dairy.—ed.)
   
OCLC WorldCat record
The tourney express “rides” again to 4 thrill-packed weekends of Hoosier hoopla at Indiana state high school basketball tournament.
Author: Indianapolis Transit System, Inc.
Publisher: [Indianapolis], [1954]
Edition/Format:   Print book : English
 
6 March 1958, Bremen (IN) Enquirer, “On The Side,” pg. 1, col. 1:
They used to call this “Hoosier Hysteria ” and “Hoosier Hoopla” and “Indiana Insanity.”
 
15 March 1962, Bremen (IN) Enquirer, “On The Side,” pg. 1, col. 1:
For many years, the early fever that comes just ahead of the equinoctial storms of Indiana has been called Hoosier Hysteria, or Indiana Insanity, or Hoosier Hoopla, or some such name.
 
18 March 1967, Indianapolis (IN) News, “Big And Small All Keep Eyes On Hoop” by Wayne Fuson, pg. 17, col. 1:
Hoosier Hoopla has been the biggest schoolboy sports spectacular in the nation.
 
21 March 1975, Indianapolis (IN) News “Tomorrow in The News,” pg. 2, col. 2;
SPORTS—A look at the history of the Indiana high school basketball tournament that has become better known as Hoosier Hoopla.
     
Twitter
Tim Moran
@Tim_Moran39
Had a great time watching a pair of high school basketball games in Indiana today. First experience with Hoosier hoopla was a good one in MC
10:15 PM - 28 Dec 2013
 
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Atkinson Fine Art
@AtkinsonFineArt
Here is a 1975 LeRoy Neiman signed lithograph titled “Hoosier Hoopla” that would be the perfect gift for that Hoosier in your life.
8:01 AM - 30 Dec 2017