Branch mccracken court

(Contributor: Rob Jiang)

Branch McCracken Biography

Branch McCracken was a basketball player and coach from Monrovia, Indiana who left a tremendous legacy with Indiana University. Branch McCracken was the first coach to win a national championship for the Indiana University Hoosiers and he would win two championships (1940 and 1953) as the head coach for Indiana basketball. Branch McCracken played for the Hoosiers for three seasons between 1928 and 1930. He passed away on June 4th, 1970 at the age of 61.

• Name: Emmett Branch McCracken
• Position: Center / Forward / Guard
• Nationality: USA
• Birthday: June 9, 1908
• Died: June 4, 1970 (61 years old)
• Hometown: Monrovia, Indiana
• High School: Monrovia High School
• Height: 6’4″ (193 cm)
• Weight: 200 lb (91kg)
• Seasons as a Player: 3 (1928-1929, 1928)
• Seasons as Indiana Basketball Head Coach: 24 (1938-1943, 1946-1965)

Accomplishments, Awards, and Accolades

• Big Ten Most Valuable Player (1928)
• Big Ten First Team (1928, 1929, 1930)
• Consensus All-American (1930)
• NCAA Champion (1940, 1953)
• B
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  Emmett B. "Branch" McCracken

  About The Hall

  Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level. The Hall of Fame has more than 450 inductees and 40,000 sq. ft. of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame Museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad.  

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  The beating heart of basketball: Two county natives stand out for championship coaching accomplishments

  While baseball is often considered America’s national pastime, in Indiana, basketball reigns supreme.

  The sport’s inventor, James Naismith, once wrote that basketball may have been invented in Massachusetts, but it “really had its origin in Indiana.”

  In fact, Indiana’s love for all things basketball ultimately earned the state its own expression to capture the fervor — Hoosier Hysteria.

  That fanatacism will be on display for the world to see in the coming weeks, as the state of Indiana plays host to the entire 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament — the first time a single state has hosted the entire tournament in its 82-year history.

  Morgan County’s connection to the tournament runs deep, with several natives and former residents having participated in it over the years.

  Martinsville High School graduate Jerry Sichting was on the 1977 Purdue Boilermaker team that appeared in the tournament before going on to play in the pros.

  Ryan Wolf, a 1991 graduate of Mart