The Real Hoosiers: Crispus Attucks High School, Oscar Robertson, and the Hidden History of Hoops, McCallum - B

            In 1927,  Indianapolis opened Crispus Attucks High School. It was during the era that the KKK dominated Indiana politics. The objective was to remove all children of color and isolate them in a segregated school. Attucks was a very good school and it also had a pretty good basketball team. The Robertson's moved to Indianapolis from Tennessee in 1942. Indianapolis was the most segregated city in the north. The Robertson's lived in an unheated tarpaper shack with an outdoor privy. Oscar's brother, Flap, was three years older and played for the first Attucks team to rise to prominence. Oscar made the varsity team as a sophomore in 1953. Attucks appeared in the state semi-final against the most legendary team in state history, Milan. Milan had only 73 boys in the entire school. They beat Attucks and went on to beat Muncie in the finals as immortalized in the film 'Hoosiers. From the first game of the '54-'55 season, it was obvious that the Crispus Attucks Tigers were going to be special. They began a two year run that saw them go 62-1, and put Black basketball front and center in Indiana. A loss in February did not prevent them from facing an all-Black Roosevelt in the final. Attucks won by a blowout. They were the first Indianapolis and the first Black team to win a state title. A year later, they were undefeated on the way to their second crown in a row. Oscar was Indiana's 'Mr. Basketball.' He finished his high school career by leading Indiana over Kentucky in their annual All-Star game.

        The Big O distinguished himself as a pro by taking on the presidency of the Players Association, testifying before Congress, fighting for the players pension plan, and acting as the named plaintiff in an anti-trust action against the league. He was a man committed to justice for players. He also was one of the greatest to ever play the game. This book details the racism that haunted the state that was home to the KuKlux Klan and also provides an excellent history of Hoosier basketball.