The start of 2024 has been nothing short of amazing for the bus and '51 Chevy! The bus was featured at the Indianapolis Convention Center from 15-18 February for the NBA All-Star game Crossover festivities.
After this amazing event the next stop was the Horizon League Championships at the Coliseum at the Indiana State Fair from 10-12 March.
On 20 March the bus and '51 Chevy took off for Cincinnati for a celebration of the70th anniversary of the Milan Miracle" and the movie "Hoosiers." We were situated in "The Banks" between the Bengals and Reds Stadiums and near the Ohio River. Many thanks to Betsy Ross of "GameDay PR" for having us participate.
As we left Cincy we took the vehicles up to Milan, left them for a few days and came back for the Milan 70 year anniversary celebration. It was an amazing event with many of the original Milan players, cheerleader, trainor, Governor Holcomb, former Governor Mitch Daniels, and Brad Long (Buddy) and Steve Hollar (Rade) from the movie Hoosiers. There were also pre-recorded video clips from famed sportcasters Jim Nantz and Bob Costas. The event was emcee'd by Greg Rakestraw. Overall an amazing event put on by the Milan Museum.
To finish off the season the bus was featured at the NIT Championship game at Hinkle Fieldhouse on 4 April. Throughout both bus and '51 Chevy have been featured regularly at the Hoosier Gym in Knightstown for a wide variety of basketball games and events.
Come on out and watch the Gym's All-Star games on 27 April featuring the best of the best in men's and women's Indiana High School basketball teams. More photos of the various can be seen in the Gallery tab above.
23 March 2024 Milan Celebration:
Original Milan team members L-R: Rollin Cutter, Ray Craft and Cheerleader Patty Bohlke Marshall
L-R: Bobby Plump, Roger Schroder, Gene White
Governor Holcomb and Angelo Pizzo (write of "Hoosiers")
L-R: Jay Holsapple, '51 Chevy owner Bob Brown, and Gov. Holcomb
Cincinnati: At "The Banks"
Horizon League Championships 10-12 March at the Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Bobby Plump
Bobby's son, Jonathan Plump
Five Milan original team players attending the Horizon League Championship
NBA All-Star Game Crossover Event
A Polish film crew
Indianapolis "Superfan!"
Bill Benner. Longtime Indianapolis sportwriter and VP for Marketing for the Pacers for many years.
The bus...
Gene Hackman's '51 Chevy and the Hoosiers Team Bus participated in the 2023 Indy 500 Parade
A very animated crowd estimated at 200,000 people watched the parade and it will definitely be a highlight of the year!"
2024 Events
Regular events at the Hoosier Gym (All year)
NBA All-Star Game; Bus will be exhibited at the Crossover Experience at the
Indianapolis Convention Center
February 15-18
Indianapolis Convention Center
February 15-18
Horizon League Championship, Indiana State Fair Coliseum
March 10-12
March 10-12
Hoosiers Movie Showing, Game Day Communications, Cincinnati
March 20
March 20
Milan 70 Anniversary Event
March 23
March 23
NIT Men's Final, Hinkle Fieldhouse
April 4th
April 4th
Eclipse Activities, Hoosier Gym "Hoosiers" movie nights, Hoosier Gym
April 5th, 6th, 7th
April 5th, 6th, 7th
Indiana High School All-Star game, Hoosier Gym (boys and girls)
April 27
April 27
Hickory Classic Car Show: Knightstown, Indiana
May 18
May 18
New Castle Memorial Day Parade
May 27th
May 27th
Laporte 4th of July Parade
July 4th
CofC Markle, Indiana State Fair
July 14
Indiana State Fair, Pioneer Village
August 2nd-18th
Little Cousin Jasper Festival, Rensselaer, Indiana (proposed)
6-7 September
Coaches Clinic at Hoosier Gym
September 13-14
July 4th
CofC Markle, Indiana State Fair
July 14
Indiana State Fair, Pioneer Village
August 2nd-18th
Little Cousin Jasper Festival, Rensselaer, Indiana (proposed)
6-7 September
Coaches Clinic at Hoosier Gym
September 13-14
Falloween Festival, Walkerton, IN
September 20
September 20
Riley Parade, Greenfield, IN
October 5
October 5
Brandywine Cruisers Car Show, Greenfield, IN
October 6th
October 6th
Lake Summit Touch a Truck
October 12th
October 12th
If you'd like to donate to help preserve the Hickory Team Bus (now a registered 501c3) you can easily by scanning the QR code below.
The Hickory Bus and the Gene Hackman Car will be a regular display at
Hoosier Gym Events.
To know if the Bus and the Car will be at the Gym on the day you are visiting check the Gym's social media.
Instagram: @hoosiergym
Twitter: @thehoosiergym
Facebook: facebook.com/thehoosiergym
"After nearly a quarter century I'm thrilled that the Hickory Team Bus is coming back to Indiana. It has been an amazing journey, and labor of love, since we began restoring it in 1996. I'm looking forward to partnering with the Hoosier Gym to support Indiana basketball at all levels, Hoosier sports across the board, and a variety of charity events and festivals around the state. I hope everyone has a chance to see the bus, and enjoy the family and movie stories of this most recent addition to the rich history of Indiana basketball."
- Darryll Baker, Owner of the Hickory Husker Bus
Hickory Husker Bus
Famous for appearing in the movie, Hoosiers, this bus has been beloved by many. It returned home to Knightstown recently and is owned by Darryll and Kathy Baker of Greenfield Indiana. The bus has participated in many different events from parades for the Indy 500 to the Pacers and now it will be part of the Hoosier Gym events in the future.
Gene Hackman Car
The 1951 Chevrolet Deluxe two-door car was used by the academy-award winning actor Gene Hackman in the movie Hoosiers. It can be seen in the four-minute opening credits of the movie: youtu.be/r74qegjbF28
It has returned home to Indiana and is owned by Bob and Jan Brown of Seal Beach California and Greenfield Indiana. The car is often parked at the gym on special event days or it may randomly show up on a sunny Indiana day.
It has returned home to Indiana and is owned by Bob and Jan Brown of Seal Beach California and Greenfield Indiana. The car is often parked at the gym on special event days or it may randomly show up on a sunny Indiana day.
