Coach Marvin Wood honored in Mishawaka
(MISHAWAKA, Ind.) -- The head coach of Milan's 1954 state championship team is being honored more than three hours away from Ripley County.
The City of Mishawaka has unveiled their newest park, Marvin's Garden, which is named after the late Milan coach Marvin Wood.
Wood led Bobby Plump and Milan over mighty Muncie Central in the state championship.
The local achievement is known worldwide as the inspiration for the 1986 feature film “Hoosiers.”
Wood moved to Mishawaka in 1969 and lived there until his death in 1999. He would also serve as a head basketball coach in Mishawaka and a city council member.
"We are thrilled to have been able to preserve such an important part of Indiana’s sports history and honor coach Marvin Wood, the real Hoosiers and the Milan 1954 team," the City of Mishawaka said.
The new park features a bronze statue which pays tribute to a scene from 'Hoosiers' where Wood and his team measure the basketball court in Hinkle Fieldhouse, to illustrate that it was the same dimensions as the team’s hometown school court.
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