Images of Sports

The 1950s and early 1960s are considered by many to be the Golden Era of Racing at the Indianapolis 500, and photographer Ben Lawrence was on hand taking photos of the Greatest Spectacle for the Indianapolis Times.

During that era, Ben captured many images of the race and race events that surrounded the Indy 500. He was there when Bill Vukovich met his fate in 1955. He photographed the first Indianapolis 500 Parade, which has become an annual event. He captured A.J. Foyt winning his first race at the Brickyard. He was on hand to photograph the breaking of the 150-mph barrier. Then he saw the transition from the front-engined Offenhauser to the rear-engined Lotus-Fords, which ended the Golden Era.

Indianapolis has been home to eight professional hockey teams in four different leagues off and on since 1939. In that span, seven championship cups (1942, '50, '58, '82, '83, '90, and 2000) were claimed by the Circle City, and dozens of Indianapolis icemen went on to win the coveted Stanley Cup in the NHL. And it was at Indy's Market Square Arena that the legendary Wayne Gretzky--the "Great One"--began his professional career, skating for eight games with the Indianapolis Racers in 1978 before joining fellow ex-Racer Mark Messier to dominate the NHL in Edmonton. Indianapolis Hockey tells the story of the teams and players who have created such a rich hockey history in the state capital, from the earliest Capitals teams of mid-century through the Indianapolis Ice of today.

From the Indianapolis 500 Motor Speedway to the dirt oval tracks in small Indiana towns, thousands of Hoosiers frequent the raceway of their choice each year. Today, there are an estimated 40 asphalt, clay, and dirt-covered oval tracks in Indiana where race fans cheer local drivers, often navigating jalopies pieced together from junkyard parts, to victory lane. Though many racetracks remain in operation throughout the state, dozens have fallen to the wayside over the past 100 years. Forever in remembrance are the famous and not so famous Indiana-born drivers who thrilled fans at those now defunct tracks. Evansville native Charlie Wiggins won the Gold and Glory Sweepstakes four times. Bob Kinser from Bloomington raced over 40 years and is an inductee of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, and Tom Cherry of Muncie won the Little 500 four times.

Since 1918, Ball State men's basketball has gone from a small athletic endeavor at a teachers college to a highly respected Division I program in the Mid-American Conference and the NCAA. On several occasions during the past two decades, the team has participated in post-season tournaments. Using over 200 images and insightful narrative, Ball State Men's Basketball, 1918-2003 examines the evolution of this popular program and focuses on the coaches, players, and traditions that played a part in the development of this American pastime in Indiana.

Intercollegiate football was played in Muncie, Indiana for the first time in 1924, when the Hoosieroons of Ball Teachers College played their first game against the Indiana State Normal School and their first home game against Central Normal College. The Hoosieroons became the Cardinals of Ball Teachers College in 1927, and then Ball State Teachers College in 1929, and finally Ball State University in 1965. Over the course of the next 75 years, Ball State's football program grew from essentially a small college enterprise to its present status as a respected member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and a participant in NCAA Division I football. The echoes of cheering fans can be heard, even in an empty stadium. Using over 200 vintage photos, E. Bruce Geelhoed explores how football grew and developed at Ball State University. Spanning from 1924, when Ball Teachers College was a branch campus of the Indiana State Normal School, to the present day when Ball State is a comprehensive regional university, this book tells the stories of the players, coaches, and traditions that characterize this American pastime in Indiana.