Coach Dale

 In his long and decorated life, Gene Hackman, who died this week, drove race cars, flew planes, got off one of the funniest ad libs in one of the funniest movies ever made (See: "Young Frankenstein"), and played narcotics agents and submarine commanders and psychotic western sheriffs and every other damn thing. And did it as well as anyone ever did.

But if you live in Indiana, he was one thing and one thing only.

He was Coach Dale.

He was the guy who told the refs "My team's on the floor" ... and the guy who proved the rim in Hinkle Fieldhouse was 10 feet above the floor ... and the guy who got himself thrown out of a game so Shooter could run the picket fence at 'em. He was the guy who got Jimmy Chitwood to play, and the guy who knew Ollie was gonna make those free throws.

If you're a Hoosier, the only movie Gene Hackman ever made was "Hoosiers." And we will brook no argument to the contrary.

The irony, of course, is Hackman hated "Hoosiers" while he was making it, thought its creators, Angelo Pizzo and David Anspaugh, were amateur hacks, crabbed about this and that the entire shoot. Told Dennis Hooper, who played Shooter, it was a career-ender. Figured it would play to empty theaters everywhere but Indiana.

He was, in short, a perfect ass, according to people who were around the production. He was also as wrong as a man can possibly be.

Because "Hoosiers", an earnest little film about a high school basketball team in a small town in Indiana in 1952, became a smash hit. It earned Hopper an Oscar nommy for Best Supporting Actor and Jerry Goldsmith an Oscar nommy for Best Original Score. And to this day, 39 years later, it remains at or near the top of any list of the best sports movies ever made.

And Coach Norman Dale?

Right up there on the most memorable fictitious coaches list, too.

Get people naming all of them they can remember, it'll only be nanoseconds before they get to Coach Dale. Coach Eric Taylor of the Dillon High Panthers? Sure. Gordon Bombay of the Mighty Ducks? Of course. Ted Lasso, Jimmy Dugan, Morris Buttermaker, Lou Brown?

Absolutely.

But Norman Dale?

Now we're talkin'.

It wasn't Gene Hackman's most decorated role; in his obit this week, "Hoosiers" isn't even listed among the films in which he played. Doesn't matter. He's still Coach Dale, and around our state, "Hoosiers" is still the film everyone thinks of first when you mention Hackman's name.

When he was found dead in his New Mexico home this week, the old gym in Knightstown that was the film site for the Hickory Huskers gym honored his passing. It's a tourist site now, that old barn, and people come from all over the world to visit it. They make pilgrimages to visit it, for God's sake.

I can't think of any other Hackman film site where that happens. Maybe they exist, but if so I haven't heard about 'em.

That's why there was a special poignancy to the timing of Hackman's death this week, because it came the week before the start of the boys Indiana high school basketball tournament. The geezers and cranks will tell you it's not the same since they went to class basketball 28 years ago, but it still defines March in Indiana. It's the demarcation line between winter and spring in these parts, and it starts up again in four days.

Hickory vs. Terhune again, in the universe of "Hoosiers." Tip it up, boys, and remember to make four passes before you shoot. And, Buddy, stick so tight to Terhune's hotshot you can tell me what brand of gum he's chewing.

My guess is Dentine.