Robert P. "Fuzzy" Vandivier (December 26, 1903 – July 30, 1983) was an American

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

and collegiate

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player during the 1920s. At Franklin High School he led a squad nicknamed "

Franklin Wonder Five The Franklin Wonder Five was a 1920 basketball team from Indiana's "Hoosier Hysteria" era. With basketball king in Indiana, the team from Franklin was dubbed the "Wonder Five". This small town about 20 miles south of Indianapolis produced a tea ...

", a team that compiled an 89-9 record, won three state championships (1920, 1921, 1922) and is considered the greatest Indiana High School team of all-time. Vandivier was named All-State three times (1920, 1921, 1922), becoming the first player ever to achieve this feat (since then, John Wooden,

Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson playe ...

and

George McGinnis George F. McGinnis (born August 10, 1950) is an American former professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted into the ABA from Indiana ...

also achieved this level of success). Hall of Fame coach John Wooden considered Vandivier the greatest high school basketball player of all time. Following his outstanding high school career, Vandivier attended local Franklin College (1922–26). In each year he was named All-State, and in 1926 he was an All-Midwest College All-Star. Due to a painful back ailment in his senior year, Vandivier's playing career was cut short. After graduating from Franklin, he returned as basketball coach to his high school. Vandivier coached the Franklin High School basketball team from 1926 to 1944. In 1939, under his leadership, they earned a place in the Indiana state finals.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vandivier, Fuzzy 1903 births 1983 deaths Basketball players from Indiana Franklin Grizzlies men's basketball players High school basketball coaches in the United States Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees People from Johnson County, Indiana Sportspeople from the Indianapolis metropolitan area Franklin College (Indiana) alumni