Butler University Athletics

Hinkle Plays Host
While known as the heart of Butler athletics, the Fieldhouse has also played host for other memorable moments since 1928.

3-D Artifacts on display

1. 1942-45 World War II Training Center - Navy cap with photos
   To aid the war effort, Butler University agreed to allowed the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army to use its facilities for training purposes. The Navy stationed 800 sailors at the Fieldhouse in June, 1942. A year later, The Army Air Corp installed 700 cadet air crewmen who attended training courses on campus. Sleeping quarters with 3-man bunks were arranged in the main gym, while a kitchen, medical center, and mess hall were tucked beneath the bleachers.
2. 1937: 6-day Bike Races – program and ticket with photo
   The Fieldhouse hosted a six-day bicycle race in February, 1937, that lasted for 11 hours and 45 minutes each day. The banked wooden track constructed for the event was described as “the fastest in the country.” Riders rested in bunks arranged in the infield of the track between races, and a reported 30,000 spectators attended over the course of the six-day race.
3. 1987 US Pan American Men’s Team - autographed volleyball
   During the 1987 Pan American Games, 14,500 fans crowded into Hinkle Fieldhouse to watch the United States defeat Cuba in the men’s gold medal match.  Removed last sentence due to new headline.
4. 2021 NCAA Tournament - mask
   March 2021: During the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions forced the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament to be held entirely in the state of Indiana. Hinkle Fieldhouse had the distinction of hosting 16 games that included first, second and Sweet 16 rounds. All staff and participants were segregated and were required to wear face coverings or masks. 

1. Presidential Visits - 1932-2006
   Six U.S. presidents have spoken in the fieldhouse, beginning with Herbert Hoover, who gave a campaign speech on October 28, 1932, to an overflow crowd of 23,000. On September 9, 1952, in his first visit to the Fieldhouse, candidate Dwight Eisenhower told a capacity crowd he was running because he could not watch the country become "the prey of fear-mongers, quack doctors, and bare-faced looters," On October 15, 1954, President Eisenhower gave a nationally broadcast speech centered on farm policy prior to the mid-term elections. Less than a month earlier, on September 23, 1954, Eisenhower’s running mate, Vice President Richard Nixon, made a campaign stop in an effort to rally Republicans. President Gerald Ford made a campaign speech followed by a Q&A on April 22, 1976. More recently, after their terms in office, Bill Clinton (November 6, 2005) and George H.W. Bush (March 2, 2006) came to help the University celebrate its 150^th birthday. While he never spoke inside the Fieldhouse, candidate Barack Obama made an impromptu visit in the parking lot during Indiana’s primary elections on May 6, 2008.
2. IHSAA Girls State Tournament Finals 1976-1979
   With a reported 9,000 in attendance for the first-ever IHSAA girl’s State Finals, Warsaw topped Bloomfield, 57-52, to finish a perfect 22-0. Warsaw’s Judi Warren was named the Mental Attitude Award winner and was later crowned the state’s first Miss Basketball. The annual event was played at Hinkle through 1979, with Warsaw winning again in 1978.
3. Professional Basketball 1931-2022
   1931: Long before the formation of the NBA, early professional leagues were represented by Indianapolis teams which played at then Butler Fieldhouse. Several former Bulldogs played on these teams, including Bob Dietz, Jerome Steiner, Ralph“Buckshot” O’Brien, and more. In 1931, a local grocer formed the Indianapolis Kautskys of the National Basketball Professional League. After a league change, the Kautskys won the World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1947. Renamed the Indianapolis Jets, following another league change in 1949, the team folded after that season.
   1940: In a two-night stand, the Harlem Globetrotters defeated the Indianapolis Kautsky’s in both games. Early “Trotters” teams, made up entirely of black players, were highly competitive, winning the World Professional Basketball Tournament in 1940. After WWII, their world travels, entertaining with their signature showmanship, included several stops at the Fieldhouse.
   1949: The Indianapolis Olympians, the city’s first NBA team, included four members from the 1948 Olympic squad who also played at the University of Kentucky. After two players admitted to a point shaving scandal while playing at UK, the team began to lose favor and folded in ’53.
   January 9, 1968: Hinkle Fieldhouse hosted the inaugural American Basketball Association (ABA) All-Star Game which featured three players from the Indiana Pacers. Larry Brown (New Orleans Buccaneers), was voted the game’s MVP and would later serve as head coach of the Indiana Pacers from 1993-1997.
   2022: The WNBA’s Indiana Fever played four games at Hinkle Fieldhouse while their home arena, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, underwent renovations.
4. Grand Piano Recital
   May 3, 1936: To open National Music Week, a professional music association brought 125 pianos to the Fieldhouse, where 825 pianists performed and were accompanied by choirs from Butler University.  Nearly 25,000 spectators attended the recital over two performances. We have several photos to choose from
5. NCAA Basketball Tournaments - 1940-2024
   March 1940: Eastern Regional
   In the NCAA Tournament’s second year, Butler hosted the Eastern Regional which featured Indiana, Duquesne, Western Kentucky, and Springfield. Indiana advanced to the finals in Kansas City and earned its first national championship. Tony Hinkle served on the tournament selection committee that season.
   2021: 1st & 2nd Rounds, Sweet 16
   Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA created a “bubble” in Central Indiana, allowing March Madness to continue after a one-year hiatus. Hinkle Fieldhouse served as one of six venues for the event, hosting 16 tournament games.
   2024 NIT and WBIT
   In March and April, 2024, the Fieldhouse was the site of the semifinals and championship games of the 2024 men’s NIT and the inaugural WBIT for women’s basketball.
6. All-Star Games
   1968, 1970, & 1980: East-West College All-Star Games
   The March 30, 1968, game featured “Pistol” Pete Maravich (LSU) playing for the West squad and Purdue’s Rick Mount, playing for the East team. Maravich scored 16 points and was selected the game’s MVP before the game ended. But Mount’s 24 point total and late game heroics, which primarily occurred after the voting, led the West team to a 95-88 victory. Two years later, Mount scored 25 points, leading the East to victory over the West, 116-102.
   1965: United States All-Stars vs. Soviet Union National Team Basketball Game
   The U.S. All-Star Team, coached by Tony Hinkle, played the Soviet Union National Team at then Butler Fieldhouse on April 28, 1965. The college stars defeated the Soviets, 78-73, in overtime, before a crowd of 13,790.

1. 1930s - 1960s: Various Roller Derby events
2. 1936: Olympic Basketball Team Tryouts
3. March, 1938: Elephants, ponies, and horses paraded through the Fieldhouse during the Shriner’s Indoor Circus, which also included a trapeze and high wire act.  
4. October, 1952: The Fieldhouse was transformed into an ice rink to host an ice show headlined by Sonja Henie and a cast of 200 ice skaters.
5. October, 1959: Evangelist Billy Graham visited Hinkle Fieldhouse and delivered a speech to students. Afterward, he visited with students and faculty of the nearby Christian Theological Seminary.
6. 1966: the first of several Sertoma Charities College North-South All-Star Games
7. 1986: The final scenes of the movie Hoosiers, loosely based on the 1954 “Milan Miracle” state championship, were filmed at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
8. IHSAA Indoor State Track Meets
9. Butler University socials and dances
10. Butler University commencements
11. Bill Tilden tennis event
12. Jack Cramer tennis events
13. Ann Curtis swimming exhibition
14. Fred Waring and his Pennsylvanians (music)
15. various variety shows
16. parade grounds