“Well, I was born in a small town, and I live in a small town. Probably die in a small town. Oh, those small communities” – John Mellencamp
By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
ORLEANS – Remember the theme song to the television classic Cheers? Sing along. You wanna go where people know, people are all the same. You wanna go where everybody knows your name. That’s the way of life in Orleans, the one-stoplight town where people have been the same forever. Everybody knows your name.
Everyone there has always known Tom Bradley. When he was young, he was John Bradley’s kid. His uncle Joe, a fixture at the hardware store, called him Honker because he thought the baby’s nose was big, and the nickname stuck for a lifetime. Now he’s the basketball coach of the beloved Bulldogs, the native son who returned and never left. One more win, and he will never be forgotten.
Orleans will chase immortality on Saturday when the Bulldogs compete in the IHSAA Class A state championship. The No.4 Bulldogs, 24-4 and fresh from upsets of No.2 Hauser and No.1 Clay City in the tough semistate at Seymour, will battle No.3 Clinton Prairie (26-2) in the final at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, seeking the first athletic state title in school history. It’s the first state finals appearance for Orleans since the pre-World War I era of 1912-14, when trains and horses were still the most common modes of transportation, before Hoosiers totally embraced the hysteria of the James Naismith game.
Life is crazier now, especially for the new town celebrities. Southern Indiana communities identify with the success of their high school like no other state, and Orleans exemplifies that better than any place on the map. The Bulldogs are the talk of the town as they celebrate their first semistate title and prepare – amidst all the fanatical fervor and free meals – to compete for the grand prize.
Bradley’s story is certainly worth telling. It’s the classic retelling of “local boy does good,” the cliche phrase that describes someone who grows up in an area and achieves success, bringing pride to the community. He graduated from Orleans in 1979, spent 12 seasons as an assistant boys coach and head girls coach at Paoli, then came back home to coach the Bulldogs in 1999 and has been a fixture for 26 years. His resume includes 424 career wins, 10 sectional titles (including six straight from 2003-08) and 10 seasons of 20-plus wins.
And there’s a bigger story in the background. What is the magnetism that keeps so many in Orleans? The answer is a look into the fabric of the self-proclaimed Dogwood Capital.
Orleans, in so many ways, is the prototypical symbol of mainstream Americana. Founded in 1815, its population (2,108 according to the 2020 census) has not changed in 45 years. The residents are loyal, tough and resilient, patriotic and religious. Seven churches are located within the town limits, and there’s more churches around the countryside. “We’re one of the few schools around that has a prayer before the national anthem,” Bradley said. “Before every game, we have prayer in the locker room. It’s the way a lot of these kids were raised, to make sure they do the right things in terms of their actions.”
“Educated in a small town. Taught to fear of Jesus in a small town.”
Common sense has become a new political slogan, but that’s always been a core characteristic.
Drive west out of town on Vincennes Road or Mt. Horeb Road, and it’s a snapshot of rural, salt-of-the-earth America, including Amish neighbors. Drive east on Ind. 337, and its picturesque farmland with more Amish families near the county line. “It’s quiet, working-class families with good people,” former coach Charles Denbo said. Having a Bulldog, a breed known for being kind but courageous, friendly but dignified, a well-muscled animal whose face is the universal symbol of courage and tenacity, as the team mascot is also appropriate.
Denbo is another who never left. When he arrived in 1968, his mandate from the school board was simple. Stay, and get the job done. Make Orleans his home. So he did. And he coached teams that are now mythical in program lore. Those Bulldogs, including legendary center Curt Gilstrap, won back-to-back sectional titles in 1972-73. Those team pictures, among the many that adorn the walls of the gymnasium, are still the most revered. Bradley’s older brother was part of that squad, so was Mike McClintic, Tim Wheeler and Mitch Marshall. Gilstrap signed with Louisville, and the day Denny Crum came to the school for a recruiting visit was unforgettable.
When Denbo got to Orleans, he started with a dozen basketballs (blackened from age and overuse) and an incomplete set of uniforms. When he retired 27 years later, he had over 400 career wins and a ticket to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. He credits former administrators John Lantis and Leonard Vaught for their support in making education and athletics a priority – in that order.
“Those two were the perfect people to have the kind of school the community wanted,” Denbo said. “They wanted discipline, they wanted kids to learn something. We’ve had successful people in every walk of life. People talk about how many doctors and lawyers a school has, and we’ve had our share of those. But we’ve had construction workers, we have a super successful farm community. And it’s been consistent.”
Consistency is key. Orleans has had only three coaches – Denbo, Gary McClintic and Bradley – over the past six decades.
“That’s really rare for high schools,” said Orleans athletic director Mark Wheeler, another alum (class of 1980) who doubles as an assistant coach. “A lot of that goes to the superintendents and school boards. They don’t pressure the coaches very much. They let the coaches coach, they let the coaches take care of their program. They don’t get involved. I’ve never seen a board member intercede or interfere at all. As a coach, you feel secure.”
“No, I cannot forget from where it is that I come from. I cannot forget the people who love me. Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town. And people let me be just what I want to be.“
The other reason for the community love is, like the produce from the surrounding farms, the Bulldogs are home grown. The same fans have sat in the same seats for years, the same fans are always the first in the door on game night. Seats aren’t reserved in the bowl gymnasium that was opened in 1958, but In reality they are, like the parishioners in their designated church pews. Those kids on the court might as well be their own. Everyone knows their names.
“That’s the thing, I couldn’t imagine raising a family anyplace else,” said Emily Brown, the owner of J&S Sportswear and another who never left after graduating in 1999. “Everybody knows your kid (and she’s got one on the current team), everyone wants you to do well.”
Her business is booming. Orleans shirts are in high demand, so the printing is constant. For a school with an enrollment of 262, for a town of its size, she is selling them as fast as they can be produced. Everybody is wearing red and black, and she’s processing overnight orders to other cities.
“It’s been insane,” said Brown, whose mother taught at the school, whose sister now teaches there. It’s definitely a family affair. “I don’t think our community has ever been so close. Everyone is coming together. Just winning the sectional is a big deal. This still doesn’t even feel real. How does this happen? This is Hoosiers right now. This is small town at its finest.”
This is Hoosiers right now. This is small town at its finest.
Emily Brown, J&S Sportswear
In fact, Orleans has a Hoosiers connection. Former coach Tom McConnell had a cameo appearance as the coach of Cedar Knob in the great film that captured the essence of Indiana hoops. There’s no David vs. Goliath finales now, after class basketball became the norm in 1998, but the thrill of victory would still last forever.
So basketball nights are a happening. The movie theater downtown burned down many years ago. The historic town square has been revitalized, and it’s got to be one of the few with a basketball court (which has seen thousands of games) on one corner. That’s about all the entertainment options. “There’s not a lot to do here,” Wheeler said. “It’s just a real community thing. That’s what we do.” It was a literal ghost town last week, and only those in charge of leaving the lights on will be around this Saturday morning.
The tradition has its own pulse. Orleans won its first sectional in 1953 (which included the two Bradley brothers), and that total has reached 16. Tom Bradley is a third generation Bulldog, and his son Trey was a key contributor to a pair of sectional championships. That history is a preseason sermon each year.
“When we have our first meeting with the team, we go through everything about behavior and grades,” Bradley said. “But we always ask them what they want to be remembered for, after you graduate. People will come in, look at those pictures, and say that kid got everything possible out of his time playing basketball. Or do you want to let it slide, where people remember a really good player who could have been but didn’t do the work. We try to get them to understand that those kids in the pictures got the most out of their ability.“
“Well, I was born in a small town. And I can breathe in a small town.”
So why stay in Orleans? “Why not,” was Brown’s simple answer. And she was correct. Bradley could have gone in search of greener pastures, even after starting his first season 0-9 and wondering if he would survive. Success was not far behind that rough beginning. He’s glad he stuck it out. “I just didn’t want to leave,” he explained, after hearing other offers over the years. “We were just having too much fun. As a coach, it’s just been amazing. It really doesn’t matter what kind of year you’re having, you get that support.“
Winning the state championship would fulfill a lot of dreams. For Bradley, who still works in a black suit and tie on the sideline, it would probably cement a future in the Hall of Fame. Only three Bulldogs – Denbo, former Seymour coach Donna Sullivan (class of 1966) and Betty Clark (1970) – are enshrined in New Castle. That’s not his driving force at all.
“It’s always a dream to get where we are now, to win a state championship,” Bradley said. “I have dreamed of the opportunity – not for me, I’m about the kids. I want them to experience that and be known for that. It would be absolutely tremendous. The community has come together so much, and I feel great about it for the kids. The players put in a lot of time, and in some towns not a lot of people show up for games. We’ve had that.“
Orleans will count on the same heroes from previous weeks. Rylan Crocker had 24 points, including the game-winner, and Alex DeWitt added 20 in the semistate win over Hauser, as Orleans rallied from a 12-point deficit in the second half. Dewitt and Bryce Jones both totaled 13 in the victory over Clay City. They could become the newest members of the Orleans immortals, an elite fraternity covering 114 years of basketball.
“I don’t think we’ll be content,” Wheeler said. “I’ve seen teams that I felt were content to get there and didn’t show up on Saturday. I think we’ll show up. This group does not feel pressure.”
“I know the other team will be going after the exact same thing,” Bradley said. “But it would mean so much for this community, to put a picture up there that says ‘state champs.’ We’re doing everything possible to get that done.”
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