Franklin Wonder Five

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. 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.

Franklin, Indiana · United States