Attucks!: Oscar Robertson and the Basketball Team That Awakened a City

by Phillip Hoose

The true story of the all-black high school basketball team that broke the color barrier in segregated 1950s Indiana, masterfully told by National Book Award winner Phil Hoose.

By winning the state high school basketball championship in 1955, ten teens from an Indianapolis school meant to be the centerpiece of racially segregatededucation in the state shattered the myth of their inferiority. Their brilliant coach had fashioned an unbeatable team from a group of boys born in the South and raised in poverty. Anchored by the astonishing Oscar Robertson, a future college and NBA star, the Crispus Attucks Tigers went down in history as the first state champions from Indianapolis and the first all-black team in U.S. history to win a racially open championship tournament—an integration they had forced with their on-court prowess.
From native Hoosier and award-winning author Phillip Hoose comes this true story of a team up against impossible odds, making a difference when it mattered most.

Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, History, Basketball, Race, Middle Grade, African American

224 pages, Hardcover

First published October 23, 2018

About the author

Phillip Hoose is the widely-acclaimed author of books, essays, stories, songs, and articles, including the National Book Award winning book, Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice.

He is also the author of the multi-award winning title, The Race to Save the Lord God Bird, the National Book Award Finalist We Were There Too!: Young People in U.S. History, and the Christopher Award-winning manual for youth activism It's Our World Too!.

The picture book, Hey, Little Ant which began as a song by the same title was co-authored with his daughter Hannah. The book is beloved around the world with over one million copies in print in ten different languages. Teaching Tolerance Magazine called it, "A masterpiece for teaching values and character education."

Phillip's love of the game is reflected in his acclaimed books, Perfect Once Removed: When Baseball Was All the World to Me which was named one of the Top 10 Sports Books of 2007 by Booklist and Hoosiers: the Fabulous Basketball Life of Indiana.

A graduate of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Sciences, Hoose has been a staff member of The Nature Conservancy since 1977, dedicated to finding and protecting habitats of endangered species.

A songwriter and performing musician, Phillip Hoose is a founding member of the Children's Music Network and a member of the band Chipped Enamel. He lives in Portland, Maine.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/philli...

Reviews

[Erin Cataldi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This seriously might make my Christmas card list. This book was SO GOOD! I learned so much about Oscar Robertson, Crispus Attucks, race relations in Indianapolis, and Ray Crowe. This was well written and would appeal to both younger and adult readers. I loved the format, I loved the photos and the newspaper articles, and I love the way it was written. I knew that the Klan had deep roots in Indiana but I never realized how directly it impacted Indianapolis' schools and for HOW LONG. Crispus Attucks had to fight for years to even be allowed to play in the state tournament and once they did Black Hoosiers finally had something of their own to succeed in. At first it was a novelty for whites, but then as Atttucks turned into an unstoppable power house - it became something that they too took pride in. Attucks was an Indianapolis team and for years Indianapolis just couldn't compete with the rest of the state. Like Joe Louis and Rosa Parks; Oscar Robertson and the two time undefeated state champion Attucks team became a rallying cry for integration and better race relations. Eye opening, insightful, and empowering; far more than just a basketball book.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received this book from Goodreads.com. Thanks
This story is about a breakthrough in how the blacks awakened a city on the basketball scene.
This period ranges in the 40s-60s when the blacks had little opportunity to be able to do what they wanted to do with the rest of the white basketball players- to play basketball in high school and college.
I grew up during this period and am familiar with Oscar Robertson and others that just wanted an opportunity to play at a higher level.
A great story.

[Corey Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for my Literature and Resources for Young Adults Class

As someone who doesn't like sports very much, and also doesn't really get down on Basketball as far as sports go, I was nervous to jump into this book. It just seemed like it was going to bog me down. That was not the case at all! This is a really engaging history of some of the most powerful and important moments in Basketball history and civil rights history.

I was drawn in by the engaging portrayals of the people behind some of the most successful basketball team ever, and gladly read up on where they went after Attucks High in the back of the book. Well written and engaging all the way through, anyone would enjoy this tale of perseverance and triumph.

[Courtney Stroup · Rating 5 out of 5]

A somber story of how racist Indiana was — yet an inspiring story showing how a HS basketball team finally pushed Indiana past its prejudices.

Not a huge non-fiction fan…. But this one kept my attention almost the whole time.

A story that needed to be told + needs to be read!

[Carol Tilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Hoosier learned some new history.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 2018 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
NOTE: Also published under the title UNBEATABLE!

Attucks! appears to be just a story about a 1950's era basketball team, but it is much more than that.

it is the story of Jim Crow style racism in a northern state. It is the story of an underdog school getting its chance to compete at the highest level. It is the story of one amazing player, a great coach, and Indiana's famous single class basketball system.

First - the single class basketball system. Back in the 1900's, Indiana had a single class basketball system. This means that every team was in the same playoff system together - no matter how big or how small. This was highlighted in the based-on-a-true-story movie Hoosiers. The true story had Milan High School (161 students) beating Muncie Central (1600+ students) in 1954. Usually, it wasn't that dramatic of a disparity, but small town schools did very well from 1911-1954. The biggest city in the state, Indianapolis, won zero championships during that time.

This is where the story of Crispus Attucks High School comes in. Attucks was an all African-American segregated high school smack dab in the middle of the city of Indianapolis. Indianapolis was a late arrival to the Jim Crow practice of segregated education (Attucks opened in 1927.) The school was named for the Crispus Attucks, an African-American and the first person to die in the Boston Massacre and possibly the American Revolution.

Attucks was prohibited from playing in the high school tournament until 1942 because...well, there really was no legal reason so we can just chalk that up to racism.

The book focuses on the development of the Attucks basketball program until it became a powerhouse in the 1950's. It's not just that though. This was the first really good team to come out of Indianapolis. It was all African-American in a highly segregated city. It had style, class, and pride in its underdog status. It had perhaps the best player to come out of Indianapolis ever - Oscar Robertson (no kidding - he was astoundingly good.) They won 45 games in a row and won back-to-back state championships in 1955 and 1956.

How good was this team? The author tells the story of a game that Attucks won 123-59. A player on the losing team was crying after the embarrassing loss. His father told him, "You might as well stop that crying. Because can't nobody beat them. You ought to be glad you ever played against them." (p. 152)

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5. It is very readable and told the human side of the story very well.

https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2024...

[Carli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this 10/23/18 nonfiction release. I wanted to read this ahead of time not to decide if I was going to purchase it for my collection, but to see how many copies I would need. Answer: multiple.
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This book tackles a LOT in just 160 pages, which is kind of why I went with 4 stars instead of 5. The ending felt kind of rushed. Anyway, the author traces the history of Indianapolis’s Crispus Attucks High School. He covers its role in the continued segregation of schools in 1950s Indianapolis long after other areas were integrated and how a special coach and group of players made its basketball team one of the best in the state, becoming the first all-black school to win an IHSAA state title. He specifically follows the family of Oscar Robertson, who is regarded as one of the best to ever play the game. As a native Hoosier who is well familiar with the prominence of the boys’ basketball tournament, I was fascinated by this part of its history. I was similarly struck by the local history and of the city I have called home for 11 years. This book is a must-purchase for all middle school collections. I will be buying several.

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

2020 bk 204. First - if you are not from Indiana you need to know this one thing. Basketball is not a sport here, it is a religion. One that has been diluted by the creation of class / population championships. But once upon a time....the state shut down in March, not because of Covid, but because of the yearly fever known as Tourney Time. Brackets were filled. High School arenas larger than most college basketball arenas around the country were filled with, well everyone from every town. Attucks High School is legend in that Indiana basketball scene. It had the first all black team to win the State Basketball Championship. Hoose, for a non Hoosier, does an excellent job of recreating the 1930's through the 1950's, the Klan backed segregation that affected both whites and blacks. It was insidious, designed to keep blacks, Catholics, Jews, and other areas those from Michigan/Ohio/Kentucky/Illinois from finding work, places to live, and places to eat. In such a divisive era - basketball was the one area in which people could talk across lines, forgive each other for their dna, and find common ground. A good read and a reminder of how restrictive life could be. Excellent Read.

[Abby Johnson]

An excellent sports history book that demands a place on all Indiana library shelves. This nonfiction book tells the true story of Crispus Attucks High School, an African American high school in Indianapolis that rose to glory in the 1950s as their powerhouse basketball team began winning state championships. There's plenty of play by play action to please sports fans, but this is also an interesting commentary on race relations and equity in a major American city. This book is especially relevant to Indiana libraries since the history is so local.

Hand to basketball and sports history fans.

Readalikes: Undefeated by Steve Sheinkin for another fast-paced sports history book featuring culturally-diverse sports stars who changed their sports. The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin for another true story of African American racial injustice.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was six years old and living in Indianapolis when the events in this book took place. I had not idea that Indianapolis was so racist and treated blacks so badly when I was growing up there. I am so glad that Crispus Attucks turned out to be an excellent school for black students instead of simply serving the needs of the whites who did not want them in schools with white students. Those racists must have freaked out when their basketball team managed to win the state championship--something no school in Indianapolis had ever done. It is a great story of courage and triumph and how a group of young people with an incredible coach (Ray Crowe) changed the history of basketball and proved that blacks could excel in basketball. It is hard to believe that anyone ever thought they couldn't. The book was written for young adults but can be enjoyed by anyone.

[Megan Sanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't like basketball, but I enjoyed reading this book! A great look at the history of racism in Indiana and school sports.

Also, it made me understand why everyone in Pawnee was so mad at Ben Wyatt for trying to get rid of youth basketball teams in season 3.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! A story with so many layers, including how a group of Black basketball players overcame so many hardships and so much discrimination to achieve greatness. It is also a story of a great teacher who sacrificed so much for his students. A great book for every Hoosier, young and old, as well as basketball fans everywhere. And they might learn a bit about racial inequality with their basketball story. I recommend adding it to library collections with Congressman John Lewis's MARCH trilogy.

[Carin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been trying to brush up on my understanding and knowledge of the history of blacks in America over the last many years, and I'm finding more and more that children's nonfiction books are the way to go. They are robust, they often can cover lesser-known incidents due to their shorter length, and they do it in a very easy to understand and accessible way.

Turns out I didn't even know the history of Crispus Attucks, which this all-black high school in Indiana was named for. He was a freed slave who was the first person killed at the Boston Massacre, therefore also the first person killed in the American Revolution. When Indianapolis decided to build a single high school for all the African-Americans in town, they wanted to name it after Thomas Jefferson or some other president, but the African-Americans refused to do that and instead named it for this prominent and impressive young man. (And really, after a president who owned slaves? Come on.)

In the 1950s, a teacher and coach came to Attucks high school who understood that the students needed to start playing basketball younger, and that fundamentals, while important, were not everything, and if you found an outstanding player of impressive talent, you shouldn't try to force him into a model of who you think a good basketball player should be--let him be himself. For years Attucks was not allowed to play the other (white) Indianapolis high schools. They had to travel all around the state to fill their game roster, playing tiny rural schools and a lots of Catholic schools (also prohibited from playing public schools). And they really had to travel as they did not have a home court where they could play games. Eventually, after many years of persuading and pushing, Attucks finally got permission to play in the Indianapolis state-wide high school championship. As you may remember from the movie Hoosiers which also takes place in the 1950s and is based on a real story, for many decades, Indiana was proud that its state championship was the only one in the country which let everyone play on a level playing field. They did not separate out schools based on size. So a tiny rural school with barely enough players to field a team could play a huge urban school with thousands of students.

From the first year they were allowed to play in the championship, Attucks went very far in the playoffs to the semifinals. The next couple of years they also came close. And then finally, a young man by the name of Oscar Robinson was playing for them, and they won the whole thing. They were the first all-black school to do so (also the first school from Indianapolis). That's a feat in and of itself. A number of the players got college scholarships or went on to play in the Harlem Globetrotters or NBA including Oscar. But there was an interesting outcome to this game. When African-Americans started really dominating basketball, the coaches from the white schools started recruiting them. Thanks to Brown versus Board of Education, the law had changed (even though reality had not) and African-American students were now allowed to attend high schools other than Attucks. And so coaches wanted some of these players on their teams, at other schools. So they started desegregating, by themselves, without a court order, because they wanted to. Granted, it was in a pretty small way, but that was really cool. For the first time ever, African-American students were wanted. So this might be a blip in the Civil Rights movement, but it's still a really amazing story.

[Luke Grabowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luke Grabowski
Mrs. Brooks
CP English 11
27 Jan 2020
Book Review-Attucks
Attucks Book Review
"You know," Oscar Robertson said, "when the Ku Klux Klan started our school, they really didn't understand what they were doing." This quote that really sets up this book perfectly comes from a Sports Illustrated interview with Oscar Robertson, the star player of the all black Attucks High School basketball team.
“Attucks! Oscar Robertson and the Basketball Team That Awakened A City” by Phillip Hoose is a Sports book that was published October 23rd, 2018 consists of 10 chapters along with 5 end sections. It is a true story about the 1950s Indiana all-black high school basketball team that fought through segregation and racism to win the State Championship, told by National Book Award winner Phil Hoose. The author Phillip Hoose was born May 31, 1947 in South Bend, Indiana, which is near Attucks High School. He attended Indiana University and was a graduate of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. On top of being a 37 year staff member of the Nature Conservancy, he was an author, singer, and songwriter.
So far in this book, Oscar Robertson and the Attucks basketball team are struggling with racism in high school basketball and life. The Klu Klux Klan politicians and many other politicians voted to segregate high schools in Indiana, which caused large protest in the African American community at the time. Yet, the law passed and it created Crispus Attucks High School. The school was Established in 1927, but it wasn’t until 1933 that the Attucks High School Basketball team was allowed to begin playing official Indiana high school basketball games. Finally in 1942 Attucks was granted membership and welcomed into the state basketball tournament. The team is viewed as no threat to the strong teams in Indiana, no one believed they could go anywhere. But, the Attucks Basketball team had one thing for sure, heart. They played and practiced everyday with a chip on their shoulder. Very quickly, the teams heavy practicing and talent starts to pay off, and the Attucks basketball team goes on a huge winning streak, proving to teams that they can beat anyone, no matter their race. Oscar Robertson is the star of the team, and looking like the best talent in Indiana.
The book cover relates to the book, as it is a picture that Attucks High School basketball team took after becoming the first all black high school team to win a state championship, specifically the Indian State Championship in 1955 for them. I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars because it was a very well told story about the Attucks High School basketball team overcoming the challenges of being an all black team and winning 3 state championships.

[Kyra Nay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The inspiration for this book came from a comment that college and NBA basketball-legend Oscar Robertson made in 1986, when Hoose interviewed him for a Sports Illustrated piece on Indiana basketball. Over the next 30 years, Hoose personally interviewed more than 2 dozen players, students, coaches, historians, sportswriters, etc. Five full pages of additional resources include films, books, newspapers, periodicals, and special collections. The detail and depth of his research is evident throughout the book. Hoose has earned 3 previous Sibert honors - I think this has a strong chance at winning his first Medal.

In 1921, David Curtis Stephenson was hired to build a Klan presence in Indiana – more than 250,000 joined in 3 years, fueled by white resentment over the large influx of black Americans moving North from the Deep South. By the 1924 elections, Klan-backed candidates had won the governorship and dozens of local offices from judges to mayors to the Indianapolis school board, which voted to formally segregate the city’s high schools. Crispus Attucks High School opened in 1927. When the school opened, respected community leaders lobbied for Attucks’s membership in the all-powerful Indiana High School Athletic Association, which ran the immensely popular state basketball tournament. Attucks, along with other segregated and Catholic high schools, were barred from the tournament until 1942.

With this background, Hoose chronicles the incredible rise of the 1955 championship team, coached by Ray Crowe and led by Oscar Robertson, who went down in history as the first state champions from Indianapolis and the first all-black team to win a racially-open tournament.

Hoose makes particularly effective use of newspapers as a primary source – Indiana basketball was front page news, extensively covered in thrilling detail. Well-chosen photos capture the players and the immense crowds of basketball fans. I read this as ARC – the final copy might introduce more color to the overall book design, although most of the photos will still be black and white.

Hand this to basketball fans, budding sports writers, or teachers looking for unique additions to Civil Rights units. It’s an especially great pairing for fans of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court, who grew up admiring Oscar Robertson before they won an NBA Championship together with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who knows much about basketball is already aware that the state of Indiana is almost rabid when it comes to the sport. Author Phillip Hoose makes that abundantly clear in his description of the attendance and hoopla associated with the sport, but his focus here is how the Crispus Attucks Tigers won the state high school basketball championship in 1955 and 1956. Not only was the team the first all-black squad in the history of this nation to win an open championship tournament, but the team was they were the city of Indianapolis's first state champs. In this thoroughly-researched book, Hoose blends his love for basketball with his passion for civil rights, and his fondness for the underdog to provide a fascinating look at how basketball changed during the late 1940s and 1950s when the Attucks teams began to dominate the sport, in part due to the prowess of future NBA star Oscar Robertson. Those were segregated times and segregated schools, and Attucks was actually intended to be a part of the segregated education system that flourished during those times. But from the start, it boasted strong academic programs and well-qualified teachers. The state championship victory was no mean feat since it put to lie the notion held by some prejudiced individuals that blacks weren't finishers, would fold under pressure, and weren't smart enough to play a thinking game of basketball. Arguably, the two state championships changed that way of thinking as well as prompting other high schools in the area to recruit black players for their teams. Readers will be fascinated with the coaching of Ray Crowe and hands-on approach to the lives of his players off the court and the descriptions of the poverty endured by many of his players, several of whom lived in Frog Island, a particularly dismal part of the city. It's amazing to see how many of these young men went on to successful careers in basketball. Archival photographs and newspaper clippings, supplemented by interviews with many individuals who lived during that time, make it clear that basketball helped dismantle the unfair Jim Crow practices that existed then. The exuberance and joy found in the book's cover photograph show victorious players and coach, having won a game and tournament but also have triumphed in other ways as well. This is yet another excellent book by Hoose; it will appeal to basketball fans but also students of history.

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent nonfiction for basketball fans. It follows the rise of the basketball team at Cripus Attucks High School in Indianapolis in the 40s and 50s. The Robertson family moved from Tennessee to Indianapolis hoping to escape the racial prejudice in the south. What they found in Indianapolis was more of the same. They lived in a run-down, black neighborhood and attended Crispus Attacks, an all-black high school. Since they didn't have a lot of space, basketball became the sport of choice. This is fitting for the state of Indiana which has always been more obsessive about basketball than any other sport.

Early in Attucks history, black schools were lumped with parochial schools, and not allowed to play public schools. They had to travel far distances to play other black schools and could not compete for the state championship. Despite this, Attucks basketball team continued to excel. When the Board of Education finally agreed to allow Attucks to play public schools, the city of Indianapolis witnessed a champion team in the making. No Indianapolis team had ever won a state championship. The team rose to the top, winning two state championships in a row. Indianapolis overlooked their prejudice, eager to cheer on one of their own. Many people credit the Attucks basketball team with putting school integration on the fast track in Indiana. The all-white high schools suddenly wanted black players on their basketball teams.

This is a must book for every middle and high school library. It reads like a story rather than a textbook. We need more sports nonfiction like this for kids. Still looking for a comparable kids narrative about baseball.

[Patsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting history, easy to read, & great pictures.
Many details of how the Indls. has changed & why.

At this 1-11-19, Warren Central, a big school in Indpls. extended their basketball winning streak to 45 games and tie Crispus Attucks for third on the all-time state list.

1-14-19 Warren Central did break the winning streak record to pull ahead of the 1956 Crispus Attucks basketball winning streak.

[Margaret Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

4/3/2019 ~ Read it for the history of race-relations in the U.S. Read it for the history of high school basketball. Read it for the exquisitely researched and gorgeously written long-form nonfiction. Whatever brings you to this book, just read it. It's amazing.

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie’s Picks: ATTUCKS!: OSCAR ROBERTSON AND THE BASKETBALL TEAM THAT AWAKENED A CITY by Phillip Hoose, FSG, October 2018, 224p., ISBN: 978-0-374-30612-0

“Now I’ve got a love so deep in the pit of my heart
And each day it grows more and more
I’m not ashamed to call and plead to you baby
If pleading keeps you from walking out that door”
-- One of Oscar Robertson’s favorite songs (Temptations, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” 1966)

[In the early 1950s] “an African American man named Bernard McPeak applied for membership in the Indiana Officials Association, a statewide professional organization of high school basketball referees. McPeak hoped to become Indiana’s first black referee, and he thought he was surpassingly well qualified. He had refereed for fifteen years in his home state of Pennsylvania, officiating four state championship games. He was respected as one of Pennsylvania’s top referees. But he was rejected in Indiana by a vote of 40-7. The organization’s president, Clayton Nichols, matter-of-factly explained the reason to a reporter: ‘It was because of his color.’
Officiating had bedeviled Attucks year after year. The Tigers never saw a black referee. ‘When Attucks started going good, some of those [referees] were absolute bigots,’ recalled Bob Collins, then a sports columnist for the Indianapolis Star. ‘When there was a minute left to play in a close game, once that black hand came around that white hand to slap the ball away, the whistle would blow.’
Some of the referees’ calls were downright comical. Attucks played a game against Lafayette Jefferson High in which the referees called five fouls against [the Tiger’s star player] Willie Gardner in the first eight minutes of the game, disqualifying him from further play. Dejected, Gardner walked to the bench and sat down. Moments later, there was a scuffle under the basket and a referee whistled yet another foul on ‘number thirteen.’ Gardner raised his hand from the bench. ‘I guess they just wanted to make sure,’ he quipped.”
-- from ATTUCKS!

Magic Johnson
Stephen Curry
Oscar Robertson
Isiah Thomas
Jason Kidd
Jerry West
Steve Nash
John Stockton
Russell Westbrook
Bob Cousy
-- from the NBA website article, “Ranking Ten Point Guards in NBA History”

“In the 1961-62 season, Robertson became the first player in NBA history to average a triple-double for an entire season, with 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists. Robertson also set a then-NBA record for the most triple-doubles during the regular season with 41 triple-doubles; the record would stand for over half a century when, in 2016-17, Russell Westbrook recorded 42 and joined Robertson as the only other player to average a triple-double for an entire season.”
-- from the Wikipedia article, “Oscar Robertson”

For more than one hundred years, high school basketball has been a big deal in Indiana. As we learn in ATTUCKS!, during the Roaring Twenties, many towns built high school gyms for hosting basketball games that seated more people than their entire town.

But Indiana in those days, despite being a so-called “northern” state, was dominated by the Ku Klux Klan:

“By 1924, nearly one-third of Indiana’s white male population--about 250,000 in all--were Klan members, and Indiana was known far and wide as the Klan State.”

It was in this setting, during the Great Migration, that the Klan-infested Indianapolis school board voted to build a blacks-only high school in order to rid the other city high schools of black students. Community leaders tried to stop it in court, but all they could accomplish was getting the new school named after the black Revolutionary hero Crispus Attucks (instead of the slaveholder Thomas Jefferson).

ATTUCKS! features a lot of basketball and a lot of racism. It’s centered around Crispus Attucks High School, its famous basketball coach, Ray Crowe, and its most famous basketball player, Oscar Robertson. It was Ray Crowe’s innovation, playing Robertson at guard, despite Robertson’s height and shooting ability, that led to the evolution of the modern point guard position in professional basketball.

And it was the 1954-55 basketball season--played in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision--that made all-black Attucks High School, Coach Ray Crowe, and star player Oscar Robertson all famous.

“Remembering that city officials had deliberately squeezed nearly all the city’s black athletes into a single school, some whites asked one another: What have we done?”

In the end, the other high schools in Indianapolis were integrated because Indiana was a basketball-crazy state and the other Indianapolis high school basketball teams could only become competitive by recruiting promising black players to their schools.

A triumphant story, ATTUCKS! features exciting sports writing and high-interest nonfiction at its best.

P.S. This Saturday, November 24th, Oscar Robertson celebrates his 80th birthday.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com

[Ptarrant5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The greatest basketball story to come out of Indiana was not the "Milan Miracle", the 1954 improbable state champion that the classic movie "Hoosiers" is loosely based on, but the two time state champions from Crispus Attucks High School In Indianapolis. They were state champions the two seasons after the Milan team in 1955 and 1956 and were led by the Hall of Famer, Oscar Robertson.
The Great Migration of African Americans North to escape the abuses of the Jim Crow South sent thousands of Black families across the Ohio River into Indiana in the 1920's. The Klu Klux Klan went into overdrive to suppress the new African American residents and put pressure on the Indianapolis school board to build a segregated Black high school and named it after Crispus Attucks, a Black man killed in the Boston Massacre who was considered the first casualty of the American Revolution. The high school attracted Black scholars who had trouble finding employment in other schools and helped the school become known for its excellence in Academics. The school also became known for its athletics and the basketball team became a force to be reckoned with in the 1940's despite the challenges of finding schools that were willing to put them on their schedule. Despite the obvious basketball talent that was walking through the halls of the high school, they didn't have any real success in the state tournament until Ray Crowe became the head coach at the school in 1950.
Basketball in 1950 was beginning to evolve in light speed, moving from a deliberate, half court style of play, to the fluid, improvisational fast paced game, that it is today. CCNY, the school that became infamous for the point shaving scandals of 1951, won both the NCAA and NIT championships in 1950, with two African Americans in the starting lineup and playing a open court, fast pace style of basketball that ran opposing teams off the court and paved the way for what the sport was to become in the 50's and 60's. When Ray Crowe became the Coach at Attucks he moved them from their more deliberate style of play to an aggressive, fast breaking style that utilized their speed and quickness in the open court. He insisted that no matter how poorly they were treated, or how poorly their games were officiated, that they had to conduct themselves on the court with the highest levels of sportsmanship and discipline. The team had disappointing runs in the state tournament until Oscar Robertson became a member of the team and he became probably the greatest player in the storied history of Indiana basketball.
My life has revolved around basketball seasons for more than 50 years and I've never scene a more fundamentally sound basketball player than Oscar Robertson. There was not one wasted movement and no flash in the game that he learned first from his older brother, and then his influential high school coach who insisted that his players play a fast paced game, but play it with adherence to the fundamentals at both ends of the court. They were the first all African American team to win a state championship in 1955, then the first team in Indiana state basketball history to complete an undefeated season in 1956. Oscar Robertson remains bitter that his teams were forced to reroute their victory parades after both championships, but is convinced that the success of his teams at Crispus Attucks played a major role in the integration of public schools in Indianapolis. Whites and Blacks came together to support the first state champions from Indianapolis. A remarkable chapter in Indiana Basketball history.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

One does not have to be from Indianapolis, Indiana or witnessed the crazy love of Indiana High School basketball during the one class IHSAA, which is no more by giving way to class basketball (a mortal sin in my opinion), or even enjoy the sport itself to read the most astonishing account ever happening in any sport. The IHSAA format made it's impact on this nation that even today, the NCAA March Madness brought that tested format and made it their tourney foundation.

This intriguing work by Phillip House will tell a descriptive tale of one Crispis Attucks High School and the impact that transformed Indiana basketball into a national spotlight. Born and raised in Indianapolis, graduating from one Cathedral High School of the only schools that would play Attucks because like Attucks who was banned from the IHSAA for the reason of color and my school because it was a Catholic and all boys. In the 20's, 30's, 40's there was a heavy presence of Ku Klax Klan across the board here in Indiana that despised one of color, religion and whatever. However, Attucks HS rose up beyond hatred and their prow less and success in winning the 1st State Championship in America (1955) ever for an all-black team only to repeat the crown the following year.(1956)

This work will open the eyes on the determination of one coach, Ray Crowe, the best ever, honed for a squad of black ballplayers, many like Oscar Robertson and others who migrated from the South seeking a new way of life and acceptance only to doused by the same hatred and nonacceptance in which they left. This is a very moving story but one that will make any reader smile in the results and finally how they did indeed "Awakened a city."

I have personally called games at Attucks (Tigers) for a local cable company and even had the distinct honor in playing in The Bailey Robinson Memorial Tournament when my brother a '59 grad of Cathedral asked me to take part in this classic tournament that included not only Attucks & Cathedral but Shortridge, Tech, George Washington all school's banned from that unforgettable IHSAA decision on blacks and Catholics. The team of Tigers we played were coached by Oscar himself and many on the two teams that were state champions. Being the youngest, a 1970 grad, for many players were in their 60's or older. Ray Crowe and another icon, George McGinnis announced the game made it more special. True sportsmanship and class all the way just like Ray brought to his Tigers.

Time was slow back then and the many changes that took place in this great nation were yet to be founded. This is what makes Phillip's book so very special because it introduced the many that transformed this states antiquated rules by their proud color. Ray, the best high school basketbal coach, Oscar who defined basketball not only in Indiana, University of Cincinnati and then the NBA. There is a ton of cast of characters not only from Attucks, local sport writers but across this nation. ATTUCKS! Oscar Robertson and the basketball team that Awakened a City will astound a reader with it's rich history and a change that a single group of black basketball players changed a nation in the sport they loved.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

All the stars possible for this riveting and fascinating book. Hoose once again writes a exemplary nonfiction book that reads like a fast-paced novel with richly depicted characters, setting and relevant issues.

This book has very personal connections for me as I have long had a powerful case of Hoosier Hysteria. Not only do I love basketball, but the setting for this book is home court for me in so many ways and this story was full of places and schools I've been in often as a teen. At the same time, this is a story that is humiliatingly new to me! I went to high school in a tiny county school just outside West Lafayette, 60 miles north of Indianapolis. I was a freshman in 1962, just 7 short years after the 1955 Attucks team made history by winning the Indiana state basketball tournament. Crispus Attucks was still a powerhouse team then dominating high school basketball but what I am ashamed to admit is that I had NO idea of the deeper story here - the shameful history of racism and prejudice that Hoose chronicles so powerfully. This eye-opening story has helped me see my home state with different eyes.

Hoose does so much well here. The history and significance of the events really shine here but it is also a fabulous compelling sports story with an wonderful you-are-there look at a remarkable coach, his truly gifted players and several historic seasons. For basketball fans this is a tremendous treat and for history buffs a little known treasure about a significant civil rights change agent.

On a personal level it was fascinating to step back into that time that Hoose depicts so well. Indiana had no school size distinctions in sports competitions at that time so tiny schools like mine played huge schools and the potential for Davids to knock off Goliaths was a mindset of fans, although extremely rare by then. My little school lost every year to Lafayette Jeff in one of the huge gyms mentioned in the book and as a cheerleader, I've cheered in so many of the book's locations including Pine Village, where the Pine Knots lost so spectacularly to Atucks in the early 50's.

Thanks, Philip Hoose for a remarkable and incredibly readable book. Great sports, fascinating characters and a little-known but deeply important historical story. And for me, a walk down memory lane with new awareness of what was around me.




I went to high school in a tiny county school just west of Lafayette in a time when Indiana school athletics had no size differentiation. In the big state tourney, little schools played big schools

[Jordan Jensen]

Name _________Jordan Jensen________ Date __2/28/20-3/2/20__________ Class ___2___
The Honest Truth
An absolutely honest book review

Title: _____________Attucks____________________________Pages ____179___
Author: ______Phillip Hoose____________ Publisher ______Farrar Straus Girous ______
Genre: __Nonfiction___ ISBN _________9780374306120___________ Price __19.99_____

Give a summary of the book- without giving away the ending.
This novel covers the topics of racism, poverty, and overcoming adversity. Oscar Robertson was once a player and the coach later on in his career, he was one of the best players the community has seen. He worked his butt off, during the summer he gained about 20 pounds of muscle and grew about five inches every summer. In his high school career he was able to win his two state championships. After his high school year he got a scholarship to go to cincinnati.

Check one: Explain why you selected the description you did and
I loved this book! why you rated the book the way you did.
I enjoyed this book. __I rated the book like that because I really liked it and thought that I learned a lot about
the history of basketball and how segregated it was back then but at the beginning of the book I feel like I didn’t really connect to the book very well and didn’t understand it that well. That is why I rated that book that why.
I did not enjoy this book.
I abandoned this book.

✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰


Who would you recommend this book to and why?
I recommend this to my mom because she likes
reading about how the past was and how
segregated it was back then and I feel like she
would really like this book..
If you liked …
➔____Basketball________
➔____Black history______
➔_people accomplishing great things
...then you might like this book, too!

[Randy Renteral · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Attucks dives deep into the story of ten black teens in an Indianapolis basketball high school team that made history in 1955. Overall, this book was remarkably interesting to read, and it talked about how the Attucks managed to make a difference in their community. One thing that made this book incredibly good was that the Attucks were the first all-black team to win a championship tournament. This book talks about how Oscar Robertson went on to become the star player on their team. The book also talks about how Crispus Attucks high school came to be and how black people were treated in the past in Indianapolis.

Another concept this book also goes on to talk about is Ray Crowe. Ray was the oldest child out of eleven siblings on the farm he grew up on. Ray was also known for basketball and was a freshman guard when he was a fifteen-year-old. Then eventually after he graduated, and even after he was a math teacher, he became the Attucks coach for the team. He guided the Attucks to compete in tournaments and win their championship tournament. Ray also helped the team try out new methods to shooting the ball to try and have an advantage during the tournament.

One last thing I want to cover is that in the book the Attucks are known to try and compete in many tournaments and championships. And that they manage to get very fair in the state championships for Indiana. And the Attucks Tigers got to go to the state finals on March 19, 1955, when they went up against New Albany in the semifinals. After beating them they went to face Gary Roosevelt in the finals and beat them, winning the 1955 Championship and being the first all-black team in history to win a racially open championship tournament.

[Deaken Begay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really great, it is an inspiring book that caught my attention. It caught my attention from the start, kept me on my toes the rest of the book. The book "Attucks!: Oscar Robertson and the Basketball Team That Awakened a City" is a book that touch your heart as a Big basketball fan. The book is about an all African American high school basketball team in Indianapolis, who had to deal with challenges on the court and off the court like Poverty, Gang Violence, Racial Comments from people, and being treated differently. This book centers around their Star player that led them to the State Championship and winning the state champion that changed the way people view them as individuals and change history forever. He is a NBA legend, he name is "Oscar Robertson". The victory was more than a game to them, it was more beyond sport for this team. He inspired black communities around the world. What I liked about this book was its about basketball, I am a huge basketball fan, and it inspired me to do my best very day on the court and off. It taught me how to be humble, and be grateful for what you got, because many people around the world doesn't have what some of us may have. I also liked how the book has visuals and I like the people in the book, especially Oscar Robertson. What I disliked about the book was it was kinda to long but it wasn't that bad, it didn't really touch on what they did to win those games, the strategies they used and if they talked more about basketballs games it would've been very much better. So, if you are a huge basketball fan like myself, you want to be inspired, and you want to learn a little about Oscar Robertson high school days then i recommend you read this book. Who knows you may love it too!!

[Ciara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me say that first and foremost, this book was not for me. I am not a basketball fan whatsoever, yet despite this, Attucks was still an excellent read.
The book starts out by explaining how the school Crispus Attucks was viewed by the white neighborhood, and the history behind the creation of the school. IE segregation in large Indiana cities, a prominent KKK in most parts of the state, and outdated ideas that stereotyped African American residents.
I can't help but think as a Hoosier myself, how much of the history mentioned in this book was left out of my public education. I had always viewed Indiana as a Northern state, but the realities of this book showed how Southern post Civil War viewpoints were embossed in the everyday lives of Hoosiers. I had never known that African Americans used to need to registrar themselves and pay a fee before they could live in Indiana. I never even knew that there were so many "sundown towns" in Indiana.
This book talks about racism in a way that is not preachy. Nor does it focus on a few Civil Rights leaders that schools seem to love because of their peaceful message. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to learn about the racism in Indiana more than I would someone that wanted to read about basketball. Because in truth, that is the focus of the book. While there are many long strung out (for me) sections that discuss how this team revolutionized basketball with their new moves. I can't help but feel that these sections are not as relevant when I am reading. However, I'm sure that a basketball lover would feel differently lol.

[Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Crispus Attucks Tigers basketball team, a strong basketball force, caused the state of Indiana to become less segregated the more they won. The Attucks basketball team not only defeated tough opponents, but defeated segregation. “Attucks! Oscar Robertson and the Basketball Team That Awakened A City” written by Phillip Hoose, is a young adult nonfiction/sports book that describes an all-black high school basketball team who fought through Indiana’s segregation. During the early 1920’s, African Americans who faced cruel segregation in the South, moved to Northern states. The Ku Klux Klan almost entirely controlled Indiana and proposed to build a new school in Indianapolis, the school would be for black students only. The Attucks Tigers basketball team were forced to play teams far away because they weren’t welcome at most places.
The Attucks team was coached by Ray Crowe who was a fierce high school basketball player. Attucks played tremendously with Coach Crowe and players such as Oscar Robertson. Oscar had a strong basketball passion. He played smart, aggressive, and was in control of the game. Oscar led the Tigers to two state titles in a row. Their second one came after an undefeated regular season. After every game, Attucks players weren’t allowed to use locker rooms. The players also experienced discrimination from the referees. Attucks’ basketball program made them famous in Indiana and throughout the nation.
Phillip Hoose, author of “Attucks! Oscar Robertson and the Basketball Team That Awakened A City” successfully told the history of the Attucks high school in his young adult nonfiction book. Hoose made the significance of the topic felt while describing Attucks’ basketball highlights. Readers who enjoy sports related books or those who play sports would enjoy and relate to this story. The tone of the book was somber in the beginning, however, as the story went on it gave a more triumphant tone which paired seamlessly with the author’s intentions. As the Tigers started winning more “Indianapolis was slowly opening doors to the boys who wore green-and-gold letter jackets with a big A” (129). Indianapolis started to welcome the Attucks players which eventually led to less segregation in Indiana. The author included numerous facts regarding segregation and discrimination giving the book more meaning and purpose. After the team won their first state title, Phillip Hoose inserts a picture of the players hoisting their coach off the ground. All of them looked as if they felt “Victory! Indianapolis’s champions carry their coach on their shoulders in jubilation” (142). Overall, I don’t have any criticisms towards the book. It be worth the money to buy this book to read again and lend it to others to enjoy.

[Sean Kottke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Selected to fulfill the Read Harder 2020 challenge #1: Read a YA nonfiction book.

I lived in Indiana from 1981 to 1990, moving to West Lafayette in the middle of 4th grade and relocating home base in the middle of my freshman year at U of M as my parents moved back to Michigan. I was aware of the existence of the sport of basketball when we moved to Indiana, but it didn't take long before I discovered what an all-consuming aspect of Hoosier life it truly is. I - and the world - also quickly discovered that despite above average height and a budding interest, I had no talent for the game. That didn't stop me from enjoying it avidly as a spectator, and getting as excited as everyone else when Hollywood came to town to make "Hoosiers."

Little did I appreciate that the real marquee story of Indiana high school basketball in the 1950s was very different. That's how white supremacy works; rather than acknowledging and honoring the real-life remarkable achievements of the first all-black team in U.S. history to win a racially open championship tournament and the struggle it took to get there, I was caught up in the fictional story of an all-white team from the sticks upsetting an integrated big-city team. The story of the Crispus Attucks Tigers and Oscar Robertson may have been in the active discourse of people more conversant in sports history andnl fandom than I was. For me, it was Larry Bird first, then Magic Johnson for most of the 80s. This book is a long overdue correction to my schema for sports history, and an essential read.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sports books are so hard to do well. How do you keep the reader's attention as the winning gets repetitive? How do you avoid the play-by-play recaps? And how do you bring the players to life, especially when you've got a whole team of people to describe?
Attucks! by Phillip Hoose captures and holds the reader's attention by keeping the pacing brisk, using lots of newspaper primary source material, and by constantly upping the stakes. Hoose makes the case for the impact the team had in the larger context of civil rights--and he makes a very compelling argument. He also builds a suspenseful narrative around the team's success amid the huge adversity they faced. In addition, Hoose makes the people, especially Oscar Robertson and coach Ray Crowe, leap off the page. He doesn't focus on every player (a smart choice) and those he does focus on, he makes sure to include short anecdotes that the reader will remember. Hoose also knows how to pull on the heartstrings, and how far to go without the narrative becoming overly sentimental. Yes, I have some minor quibbles (the pacing of the ending is not as tight as the beginning, some details could use more focus or explanation (e.g. the Attucks gym...or lack thereof), and the overuse of the word 'jubilant' (it's a great word, but 6 times in 13 pages? Yes, I'm the type of reader who notices and keeps a tally)), but overall this book is extremely engaging and thoughtful. And you don't even have to be a fan of the sport--I'm not a basketball fan and yet I did not want to put this book down.