Hoosiers

1986

Directed By: David Anspaugh

Written By: Angelo Pizzo

Starring: Gene Hackman; Barbara Hershey; Dennis Hopper

Hoosiers is a 1986 sports, drama film written by Angelo Pizzo and directed by David Anspaugh. It tells the story of a small-town Indiana high school basketball team winning the state championship. It is loosely based on the Milan High School team winning the 1954 state championship.

Gene Hackman stars as Norman Dale, a new coach with a spotty past. The film co-stars Barbara Hershey and Dennis Hopper, whose role as the basketball-loving town drunk earned him an Oscar nomination. Jerry Goldsmith was also nominated for an Academy Award for his music score. In 2001 Hoosiers was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”