Basketball Coaches of IU: Branch McCracken

Written by: Bill Murphy (@Williamindiana2)

Branch McCracken,  the sheriff,  the big Bear,  Mac, or as known to one young relative “the twig”, he could only remember that part of Branch’s name was a part of a tree thus twig.

Branch came to IU as a school boy legend from Monrovia, Indiana.  Like his head basketball coach at IU, Everett Dean, Branch would score a touchdown in football for IU before scoring a basket in basketball. 

In his sophomore year, he became the first player ever to score a point in what was at the time the new Fieldhouse. He would also out score the entire Chicago team 24 to 11 in an Indiana victory his sophomore year as Indiana won their second Big Ten title. His senior year, Branch became the Big Ten’s all-time scorer and an All American.  

McCracken would go to Ball State and coach basketball for eight years including leading  Cardinals to their only victory ever over Indiana. Twice he would be named small college coach of the year.  

In 1938, he would become the Hoosiers head coach replacing his old coach Everett Dean.  In his first year at Indiana, Coach McCracken would guide the Hoosiers to a second place finish in the Big Ten. 

In his second year as head coach in 1940, he would again lead Indiana to a second place finish in the Big Ten. However, as a result of beating Purdue twice that year, Indiana was invited to the second ever NCAA tournament. The Hoosiers would literally run through the opposition and be crowned National Champions.  The Hoosiers remained a dominant force in the nation throughout the 40s and 50s .

They would go on to repeat as National Champions in 1953 over Kansas again.  Indiana would be crowned Big Ten champions again in 1957 and 1958. Twice McCracken would be named National Coach of the year while at IU. 

McCracken would coach more Indiana Hall of Fame players than any other coach in Indiana history. 

To this day, Coach McCracken remains the youngest to win an NCAA basketball championship by more then three years. He was 31 years, nine months, and 21 days old when the 1940 team beat Kansas for the title.  

Branch was selected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball hall of Fame in 1960, the Helms Hall of Fame in 1958, the Indiana basketball Hall of Fame in 1963, and the IU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1982. 

The floor of Assembly Hall would be named after Branch McCracken on December 18,1971.

McCracken would, himself, write his best tribute when he wrote in his book "A coach is not paid in money or winning teams, but in the men his players become. "

In 24 years at Indiana, he won 354 games a winning percentage of 74 percent.  In his 24 years in Bloomington, his teams finished first or second 12 times. He held a winning record against every Big Ten team including Purdue, Kentucky, and Louisville.