Franklin Wonder Five

This small town about 20 miles south of Indianapolis produced a team that captured the Indiana State Basketball Championship three years in succession, 1920–1922.

After their high school successes, most members of the team followed Wagner to Franklin College, where he became basketball coach.

The "Wonder Five" team took on those of large universities, including Notre Dame, Illinois, Purdue, and Wisconsin.

It was not until February 1924 that the team suffered its first defeat, by Butler University, ending a string of 50 consecutive victories over a 2-season span.

Coach John Wooden, of UCLA fame, considered Fuzzy the greatest high school basketball player he had ever seen.

Cover of the 1986 book, The Franklin Wonder Five: A Complete History of the Legendary Basketball Team . Team members pictured are Robert "Fuzzy" Vandivier and Carlyle Friddle (front row), Johnny Gant and Jimmy Ross (2nd row), Harry King, James Wendell "Ike" Ballard, Charlton "Butter" Williams and Hubert Davis (3rd row), and coach Griz Wagner in the back.
Robert "Fuzzy" Vandivier, Indiana native Hall of Fame basketball player, 1920s.