Sports Archives - indyencyclopedia.org

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500 Festival

In 1957, four civic-minded businessmen–former Indianapolis mayor alex m. clark; Joe Quinn, Safety Director of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; J. Worth Baker, Shrine Potentate in 1957; and Howard Wilcox, promotions… Read More »500 Festival

Richard (Dick the Bruiser) Afflis

(June 27, 1929-Nov. 10, 1991). Born in Lafayette, Indiana, Richard Afflis was raised in Delphi before moving with his family to Indianapolis during World War II. He attended Shortridge High… Read More »Richard (Dick the Bruiser) Afflis

James A. Allison

(Aug. 11, 1872-Aug. 4, 1928). Allison was one of the founders of the INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY and the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. He also established a machine shop that became two… Read More »James A. Allison

Amateur Athletic Union

Established in 1888, the Amateur Athletic Union is the largest not-for-profit volunteer group for the promotion and development of amateur sports in the United States. In 1969, desiring to be… Read More »Amateur Athletic Union

Amateur Sports Governing Bodies

Indianapolis has been the home of eight Olympic sport international and national governing bodies. The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), established in 1888, was the first amateur sports governing body to… Read More »Amateur Sports Governing Bodies

Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Unlike many NBA arenas with sleek modern architecture, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, originally named Conseco Fieldhouse, was designed with an intentional retro style. Ellerbe Becket, an independent Minneapolis-based architectural, engineering, interior design,… Read More »Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Bass Photo Collection

The largest surviving collection of photographs of 20th-century Indianapolis, the W. H. Bass Photo Company, commonly known as Bass Photo, traces its beginnings to 1897 with the establishment of the… Read More »Bass Photo Collection

Bicycling

The earliest appearance of the bicycle in Indianapolis was a demonstration on the Circle of the high-wheeled “ordinary” in 1869. Within a few years hundreds of men were riding the… Read More »Bicycling

Thomas W. Binford

(Apr. 6, 1924-Jan. 14, 1999). Thomas W. Binford played important roles as a civic and civil rights leader and was an important figure in downtown development in Indianapolis during the… Read More »Thomas W. Binford

Bowling

Bowling is a popular sport and recreational activity that evolved from European ninepins and skittles. Often associated with taverns and gambling during the early 19th century, bowling gradually became a respectable… Read More »Bowling

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A product of the Indianapolis Bicentennial effort (2020–21), the digital Encyclopedia of Indianapolis integrates and accesses the explosion and fragmentation of knowledge created both as born-digital information and as a large new digital archive.

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