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Franklin Wonder Five

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Location: 642-674 Grizzly Dr., on the east side of the Franklin College Fitness Center, Franklin (Johnson Co., Indiana) 46131

Installed 2020 Indiana Historical Bureau, Johnson County Historical Society, and Franklin College

ID#: 41.2020.1

Visit the Indiana History Blog to read about the Franklin Wonder Five making their mark on Indiana basketball.

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Side One:

The Franklin Wonder Five dominated Indiana basketball in the 1920s as the sport’s popularity grew dramatically. The team won an unprecedented three consecutive state championships at the high school level from 1920-1922. After graduating, many players followed Coach Ernest “Griz” Wagner to Franklin College, where they won state collegiate championships in 1923 and 1924.

Side Two:

The Wonder Five attracted crowds from across the state to the small town of Franklin as “Hoosier Hysteria” took root. Considered among the best in the Midwest at the time, the team included future Indiana Basketball Hall of Famers Burl Friddle, John Gant, Coach Wagner, and Robert “Fuzzy” Vandivier, who was also elected into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1975.

Annotated Text

Franklin Wonder Five[1]

The Franklin Wonder Five dominated Indiana basketball in the 1920s as the sport’s popularity grew dramatically.[2] The team won an unprecedented three consecutive state championships at the high school level from 1920-1922.[3] After graduating, many players followed Coach Ernest “Griz” Wagner [4] to Franklin College,[5] where they won state collegiate championships in 1923 and 1924.[6]

The Wonder Five attracted crowds from across the state to the small town of Franklin as “Hoosier Hysteria” took root.[7] Considered among the best in the Midwest at the time,[8] the team included future Indiana Basketball Hall of Famers Burl Friddle, John Gant, Coach Wagner, and Robert “Fuzzy” Vandivier, who was also elected into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1975. [9]


Note: All newspaper articles were accessed via Newspapers.com unless otherwise noted. For more information on this topic see Franklin High School and Franklin College Yearbooks accessible at the Johnson County Museum of History n Franklin, Indiana and Phillip Ellett, The Franklin Wonder Five: A Complete History of the Legendary Basketball Team (RLE Enterprises, Inc., 1986).

[1] [Untitled], Brazil Daily Times, January 8, 1923, 4; “Victory over Butler Puts Baptists on Top,” Franklin Evening Star, March 2, 1923, 1; “Franklin Quint Gives up Vacation to be in Trim for Meanwellmen,” [Madison, Wisconsin] Capital Times, December 31, 1923, 9; “Wagnerites Defeat Strong Badger Team in Thrilling Game,” Franklin Evening Star, January 3, 1924, 1; [Untitled], Richmond Palladium-Item, January 4, 1924, 10; Phillip Ellett, The Franklin Wonder Five: A Complete History of the Legendary Basketball Team (RLE Enterprises, Inc., 1986), 1-2.

The Franklin Wonder Five era represented an eight-year period from 1918-1926, wherein Franklin, a small town just twenty miles south of Indianapolis, dominated the state basketball scene. Despite their nickname, the Wonder Five comprised more than five young men, though not every player on Franklin’s rosters between the years 1918 and 1926 earned the distinction of being part of the Wonder Five. According to Phillip Ellett, author of The Franklin Wonder Five: A Complete History of the Legendary Basketball Team, Wonder Five teams all featured player  Robert “Fuzzy” Vandivier and Coach Ernest “Griz” Wagner. Additionally, “to be considered a member of the Wonder Five, a player must have been on at least one of the three high school state championship teams.” Using this as a benchmark, Ellett identified fourteen players that he considered to be members of the renowned team.

Newspaper articles began referring to the team as the Franklin Wonder Five, Hoosier Wonder Five, and even the Wonder Five of America during the 1922-1923 basketball season.

[2]James H. Madison, The Indiana Way: A State History (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1986), 254-256; James H. Madison and Lee Ann Sandweiss, Hoosiers and the American Story (Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press, 2014), 208-211; Phillip M. Hoase, Hoosiers: The Fabulous Basketball Life of Indiana, 3rd edition (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2016).

[3] “Franklin High Looms Up,” Indianapolis News, November 13, 1919, 25; “Rushville Easy for Franklin,” Franklin Evening Star, December 13, 1919, 2; “Franklin Drops Big Game,” Franklin Evening Star, December 25, 1919, 1; “South Gains Comment for Splendid Playing,” Indianapolis News, January 26, 1920, 16; “Franklin Trounces Jefferson, 31 to 13, for State Net Title,” Indianapolis Star, March 14, 1920, 26; “One of Few to Enter Tournament as Favorite and Emerge Victor,” Indianapolis News, March 15, 1920, 16; “Franklin on Way to State Finals,” [Seymour] Tribune, March 18, 1921, 1; “Franklin Wins State Basket Ball Honors,” Logansport Pharos-Tribune, March 21, 1921, 8; “Franklin Retains State High Title,” South Bend Tribune, March 21, 1921, 13; “Is Expected to Again Place Franklin High in Running,” Indianapolis News, December 17, 1921, 14; “Want County to Nail Three Championships,” Franklin Evening Star, December 3, 1921, 1; “Franklin is Favorite,” [Elwood] Call-Leader, March 17, 1922, 6; “Franklin’s Three Titles in a Row Sets Mark for Hoosierland High Schools to Shoot At,” Indianapolis News, March 20, 1922, 22.

Franklin lost only one game during the 1919-1920 season and were early favorites to win the state championship. After winning the sectional tournament, they dominated their first few opponents in the state tournament. Franklin narrowly defeated Anderson in the semi-final game 14 to 12, but beat Jefferson of Lafayette 31 to 13 on March 13, 1920 to claim the state high school title.

With four of the team’s five starters graduating that spring, leaving only junior Robert “Fuzzy” Vandivier, few could have expected the school to claim another title the following year, but Franklin had another strong season, losing just four games. Franklin defeated Anderson High School 35-22 on March 19, 1921 in front of more than 10,000 fans at the Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds for its second consecutive state high school championship.

At this time, no Indiana high school had won three consecutive basketball titles. Newspapers reported on the enormous task ahead for Franklin, but the team did not disappoint. Franklin defeated Terre Haute’s Garfield High School 26-15 on March 18, 1922 to claim its third straight championship. This remarkable feat would not be matched for over sixty years, when Marion won three straight state titles from 1984-1987.

[4] "Franklin Coach Awarded Purse," Columbus Republic, March 18, 1920, 6; "All Eyes on Franklin Athletics This Year," Franklin Evening Star, September 8, 1922, 1; Ernest B. "Griz" Wagner, Find A Grave; Ernest "Griz" Wagner, Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame; Ellett, Franklin Wonder Five, 6-7.

[5] [Untitled], Richmond Palladium Item, April 5, 1922, 11; “’Griz’ Wagner Signs to Coach Franklin C.,” [Muncie] Star Press, May 1, 1922, 8; “Griz Wagner to Coach at Franklin College,” Richmond Palladium Item, July 29, 1922, 5; “All Eyes on Franklin Athletics This Year,” Franklin Evening Star, September 8, 1922, 1; “Franklin College Has Bright Hopes,” [Rushville] Daily Republican, September 19, 1922, 5; “Coach Wagner Begins Work of Recruiting College Team,” Franklin Evening Star, November 10, 1922, 1.

In late April 1922, Coach Wagner became athletic director and basketball coach at Franklin College. Franklin High School graduates Fuzzy Vandivier, Johnny Gant, Carlyle Friddle, and Ike Ballard all joined him in hopes of keeping their team intact. The four freshmen joined other newcomers from across the state as they worked to earn their place among a strong veteran Franklin College team. They quickly proved that they could compete with any in the state and soon assumed starting roles on the team.

[6] “Local Freshmen Barred in I.U.-Franklin Game,” Franklin Evening Star, November 18, 1922, 1; [Untitled], Indianapolis News, January 11, 1923, 6; “Hard Schedules for Hoosiers in Week-end,” Indianapolis News, February 1, 1923, 22; “Franklin College Wins State Championship,” Franklin Evening Star, Mach 2, 1923, 1; “It is Franklin; Hits Butler 25-17,” Muncie Star Press, March 2, 1923, 10; “Last Word in Basketball,” Indianapolis News, March 2, 1923, 36; “Wagnerites Defeat Strong Badger Team in Thrilling Game,” Franklin Evening Star, January 3, 1924, 1; [Untitled], Richmond Palladium-Item, January 4, 1924, 10; “Butler Quintet Does Impossible,” Richmond Item, February 29, 1924, 5; “Franklin Wins State Title,” Franklin Evening Star, March 5, 1924, 1.

[7] “Franklin Fans Frolic for Champion Quintet,” Indianapolis News, March 15, 1920, 16; “Big Game at the Gym Friday Night,” [Martinsville] Reporter-Times, December 16, 1920, 1; “Electric Score Board is Ready for H.S. Games,” Franklin Evening Star, October 20, 1921, 1; “Franklin Does Honor to Quintet Champion,” Richmond Palladium-Item, March 22, 1921, 11; “Hoosier Hysteria is on Again at Most Any Town,” Valparaiso Vidette-Messenger, November 14, 1932, 7; James H. Madison, The Indiana Way: A State History (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1986), 254-256; James H. Madison and Lee Ann Sandweiss, Hoosiers and the American Story (Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society Press, 2014): 208-211; Phillip M. Hoase, Hoosiers: The Fabulous Basketball Life of Indiana, 3rd edition (Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2016); S. Chandler “All for Lebanon!”: A Retrospective of the 1917 Indiana High School Basketball Championship,” Indiana History Blog , March 16, 2017.

[8] [Untitled], Indianapolis News, January 11, 1923, 6; [Untitled], Richmond Palladium-Item, January 17, 1923, 11; "Last Word in Basketball," Indianapolis News, March 2, 1923, 36; "Basket Eyes Focus on Franklin Title Team" Indianapolis News, November 27, 1923, 24; "Franklin Champs Take Butler into Camp, Score 35-19," Franklin Evening Star, December 24, 1923, 1; "Another Record," South Bend Tribune, March 30, 1924, 13; "Five Times Champions in High School and College," Indianapolis News, March 8, 1924, 16.

Some sources claim that by winning the state championship (twice), Franklin College was also the national champion during this period. Because the NCAA tournament did not start until 1939 and there was no other official national tournament at this time, it is difficult to definitively claim Franklin as the national champion. In fact, other schools like Kansas also try to lay claim to the “national” 1922 title. Regardless of the national title claim, Franklin College did gain a national following during this time and was regarded as one of, if not the best in the Midwest during this period. The team played and defeated teams such as Wisconsin, Marquette, Notre Dame, and Michigan State.

[9] "Forwards of Winning Franklin Gain Places on News All-State," Indianapolis News, March 15, 1920, 16; "Vandivier Leads Champs," Muncie Star Press, March 29, 1920, 8; "Many Good Players in High School Basketball Tournament Just Held," Muncie Star Press, March 21, 1921, 9; [Untitled], Indianapolis News, February 4, 1922, 14; "Franklin's Three Titles in Row Set Mark for Hoosierland High Schools to Shoot At," Indianapolis News, March 20, 1922, 22; "Five Named to State Basketball Hall of Fame," Indianapolis Star, March 15, 1962, 50; "Five More Join Hall of Fame, Stars of 1942 Also Honored," Indianapolis Star, March 17, 1967, 29; "Honor Friddle, Wheeler, O'Neill, Lyle, Wakefield," Indianapolis Star, March 20, 1969, 64; "Fuzzy One of State's Greats," Indianapolis News, April 29, 1975, 21; Hall of Fame Inductees, Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame; Robert P. "Fuzzy" Vandivier, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame .