Don Hoke
01-21-2007, 04:49 PM
This is a bit of a fishing expedition. I'm hoping someone may remember what became of the "Dope Bag" award. The following is from a 1940 article.
Dope Bag--Origin, History
The Southwestern Indiana Dope Bag, which Princeton high school received Saturday night by a basketball victory over Jasper in the local gym has an origin and history of unusually interesting nature.
The Dope bag proper is a black satchel inside of which is a black metal box, designating the award started ten years ago by Franklin Hunt, then sports editor of an Evansville newspaper. In the box is a black book, designated as the Dope Bag log, giving the dates of the games played by the possessor in which the award is involved, the names of the winning coach and captain, losing coach and captain, scores of the games, attendance and remarks pertaining to sportsmanship.
With this log is an envelope containing the typewritten law, which lists the rules pertaining to the award.
The law sets out that the Bag is considered an honor to possess and it is hoped to keep it as a tradition in Southwestern Indiana high school basketball play, in creating better sportsmanship among the teams and thus being an award for which for which the teams can fight in addition to victory on the basketball court.
Counties involved
The Bag is not to leave Southwestern Indiana. In order to be eligible to receive it, teams must have at least eight games scheduled with Southwestern Indiana teams and these must be in Vanderburgh, Warrick, Gibson, Pike, DuBois, Perry, Posey or Spencer counties. No other counties are involved thus the bag is not at stake again until Princeton plays at Mt. Vernon on Feb. 10. Teams eligible to receive the bag must be members in good standing in the IHSAA or a similar body such as the state Catholic association.
The Bag is eligible for change only in regularly scheduled games and county tournaments. It is not involved in sectional, regional, semi-state or state tourneys.
The team possessing it must take it to all games involved and if losing, must present it to the captain of the winning team. Each school possessing the Bag must take utmost care in preserving it. The holder at close of the season must maintain it until the opening of the following season schedule and again place it in circulation. Saturday night’s game here was the 120th listed in the Dope Bag log.
Started at Mount Olympus
The Bag was started on November 1, 1929, at Mt. Olympus when that school defeated Union 23 to 6. Charles Robinson was coach and Edmond Daubenspeck was captain of the Mt. Olympus team. The school lost the Bag in game No. 5 at Huntingburg, when the score was 19-16. Glen Traw was coach and Tom Traw was captain of the winning team.
The Hunters kept the award until beaten by Oakland City 18-16 on Dec. 13, 1930. Fred Wilder was coach and Hayes Skidmore was captain of the winning team. The Oakland City Acorns gave up the Bag on Jan. 16, 1931 when beaten by the Petersburg Indians 27-23, but the next week, Petersburg lost to Huntingburg 29-19. Evansville Bosse won the Bag a week later in beating Huntingburg 27-19, and on Feb. 13 of that same year, Bosse lost to Evansville Central 17-10. A notation in the log states that somehow or other, the Bag did not change possession, but Coach Harry King, with a team that went to the semifinal round of the state tourney, asked that it be started again in circulation. Accordingly, Tennyson was awarded the Bag and kept it until losing to the Winslow Eskimos , 26-24 on Feb. 26 1932 at Winslow.
The following night, Huntingburg at home, recaptured the Bag with a 21-16 victory over Winslow. On Dec. 9 1932, Cannelton defeated Huntingburg 25-23 in an overtime battle to claim the Award. Cannelton held the Bag until losing to the Tell City Marksmen 39-28 in the Perry County Tourney Jan. 21, 1933. On Feb. 17, 1933 Evansville Memorial claimed the Bag defeating Tell City 37-27 and on Dec. 9, 1933 Memorial was beaten by Rockport 17-11. Cannelton defeated Rockport 34-26 on Dec. 15, 1933 then lost to Tell City 22-20 on Jan. 20, 1934. Huntingburg later claimed the Bag from Tell City.
Princeton first received the Bag Feb. 23, 1934 beating Huntingburg 23-21 then lost it to Bosse here 24-23 on Jan. 5, 1934. Almost immediately Memorial defeated Bosse 22-18 then Mt. Vernon edged Memorial 20-19.
Huntingburg recaptured the Bag in a 43-34 win at Mt. Vernon on Jan. 31, 1936. It was game No. 82 listed in the log. Ray Scott was coach and Bob Behrens was Captain of the Hunters.
From that date on, Huntingburg held continuous possession of the Bag until Nov. 3, 1939 (game No. 117 in the Dope Bag log) when Jasper, in their new gym, nosed out Huntingburg 31-29 in overtime. The Wildcats kept the Bag against 2 attacks from Tell City until losing to Princeton here Saturday night.
Source: Princeton Clarion Democrat 22, January 1940.
Dope Bag--Origin, History
The Southwestern Indiana Dope Bag, which Princeton high school received Saturday night by a basketball victory over Jasper in the local gym has an origin and history of unusually interesting nature.
The Dope bag proper is a black satchel inside of which is a black metal box, designating the award started ten years ago by Franklin Hunt, then sports editor of an Evansville newspaper. In the box is a black book, designated as the Dope Bag log, giving the dates of the games played by the possessor in which the award is involved, the names of the winning coach and captain, losing coach and captain, scores of the games, attendance and remarks pertaining to sportsmanship.
With this log is an envelope containing the typewritten law, which lists the rules pertaining to the award.
The law sets out that the Bag is considered an honor to possess and it is hoped to keep it as a tradition in Southwestern Indiana high school basketball play, in creating better sportsmanship among the teams and thus being an award for which for which the teams can fight in addition to victory on the basketball court.
Counties involved
The Bag is not to leave Southwestern Indiana. In order to be eligible to receive it, teams must have at least eight games scheduled with Southwestern Indiana teams and these must be in Vanderburgh, Warrick, Gibson, Pike, DuBois, Perry, Posey or Spencer counties. No other counties are involved thus the bag is not at stake again until Princeton plays at Mt. Vernon on Feb. 10. Teams eligible to receive the bag must be members in good standing in the IHSAA or a similar body such as the state Catholic association.
The Bag is eligible for change only in regularly scheduled games and county tournaments. It is not involved in sectional, regional, semi-state or state tourneys.
The team possessing it must take it to all games involved and if losing, must present it to the captain of the winning team. Each school possessing the Bag must take utmost care in preserving it. The holder at close of the season must maintain it until the opening of the following season schedule and again place it in circulation. Saturday night’s game here was the 120th listed in the Dope Bag log.
Started at Mount Olympus
The Bag was started on November 1, 1929, at Mt. Olympus when that school defeated Union 23 to 6. Charles Robinson was coach and Edmond Daubenspeck was captain of the Mt. Olympus team. The school lost the Bag in game No. 5 at Huntingburg, when the score was 19-16. Glen Traw was coach and Tom Traw was captain of the winning team.
The Hunters kept the award until beaten by Oakland City 18-16 on Dec. 13, 1930. Fred Wilder was coach and Hayes Skidmore was captain of the winning team. The Oakland City Acorns gave up the Bag on Jan. 16, 1931 when beaten by the Petersburg Indians 27-23, but the next week, Petersburg lost to Huntingburg 29-19. Evansville Bosse won the Bag a week later in beating Huntingburg 27-19, and on Feb. 13 of that same year, Bosse lost to Evansville Central 17-10. A notation in the log states that somehow or other, the Bag did not change possession, but Coach Harry King, with a team that went to the semifinal round of the state tourney, asked that it be started again in circulation. Accordingly, Tennyson was awarded the Bag and kept it until losing to the Winslow Eskimos , 26-24 on Feb. 26 1932 at Winslow.
The following night, Huntingburg at home, recaptured the Bag with a 21-16 victory over Winslow. On Dec. 9 1932, Cannelton defeated Huntingburg 25-23 in an overtime battle to claim the Award. Cannelton held the Bag until losing to the Tell City Marksmen 39-28 in the Perry County Tourney Jan. 21, 1933. On Feb. 17, 1933 Evansville Memorial claimed the Bag defeating Tell City 37-27 and on Dec. 9, 1933 Memorial was beaten by Rockport 17-11. Cannelton defeated Rockport 34-26 on Dec. 15, 1933 then lost to Tell City 22-20 on Jan. 20, 1934. Huntingburg later claimed the Bag from Tell City.
Princeton first received the Bag Feb. 23, 1934 beating Huntingburg 23-21 then lost it to Bosse here 24-23 on Jan. 5, 1934. Almost immediately Memorial defeated Bosse 22-18 then Mt. Vernon edged Memorial 20-19.
Huntingburg recaptured the Bag in a 43-34 win at Mt. Vernon on Jan. 31, 1936. It was game No. 82 listed in the log. Ray Scott was coach and Bob Behrens was Captain of the Hunters.
From that date on, Huntingburg held continuous possession of the Bag until Nov. 3, 1939 (game No. 117 in the Dope Bag log) when Jasper, in their new gym, nosed out Huntingburg 31-29 in overtime. The Wildcats kept the Bag against 2 attacks from Tell City until losing to Princeton here Saturday night.
Source: Princeton Clarion Democrat 22, January 1940.