​Indiana high school sports programs carry a rich history, not only in the glory days before consolidation when gyms were packed night after night, but also in the creativity and origins of the mascots themselves. More: Silence of the gym: Indiana woman searching for fight songs of 600 forgotten high schools. Looking back on 123 years of organized high school sports in Indiana means discovering some unique former nicknames and mascots. Here’s a look at the more interesting mascots that originated in and around the Lafayette area specifically. Readers can vote on their favorite mascots in the poll at the bottom of the page; it will remain open until the end of the day on Friday, July 17.
A scoreboard seen on Tuesday, March 18, once used in the movie Hoosiers, sits inside the Pizza King in Mulberry and has ties to Clinton Prairie as well as the IHSAA counter to the Berries that reside in Logansport. The Mulberry Berries became famous for eventually having their old scoreboard featured in the film “Hoosiers.” Mulberries are edible, known for their dark purple color and soft texture.
Before consolidating into modern-day Harrison, the Tomahawks roamed Battle Ground; today they exist as a middle school. Buck Creek once had the Cobras slithering around Washington Township in Tippecanoe County. Today, the area has 181 residents. The community was originally named Transitville in 1858.
Part of a lost history of Indiana lies in Clinton County, where there once was a summer baseball club that traveled across the state. A drug store existed along with a restaurant called Roy Blackburn, according to the “History of Scircleville, Indiana” on the Facebook page.
A program with deep basketball history, the Pine Knots wore blue and orange and was once home to 6-foot-5 forward Bax Brutus, who towered over opponents. Brutus died in 1972 at the age of 17 in a farming accident, just as the Pine Knots were beginning an inspiring run, becoming the smallest school that season to capture a sectional title. Indy Star columnist Gregg Doyel chronicled the Pine Knots’ history in 2020.
Hard to imagine the chant, but the Hillers of Clarks Hill roamed the countryside of Lauramie Township in Tippecanoe County. Famed former residents of the town include Herschel Daugherty, a renowned dialogue director for films in the 1940s, who contributed to acclaimed works such as The Adventures of Mark Twain. Daugherty carried more than 100 credits in feature films and television.
The town of Ladoga reflected the local economy of its era, with the Ladoga Canning Company serving as a major producer of canned food products. They produced a wide array of goods, including canned pumpkins, country gentleman corn, golden bantam corn, evergreen sugar corn, tomatoes, tomato juice, tomato puree, asparagus, peas, pork and beans, red beans, lima beans, and other vegetables, all part of the region’s broader canning industry and supply chain. This history intertwines with the broader narrative of Indiana’s high school sports culture and the communities that supported it.