(1-8-26) Another high school boys basketball team story from Indiana.

At the same time, Doud’s apple orchards in Cory, Indiana were flourishing and the sport of basketball was gaining momentum in Indiana. Ten boys made up Cory High School’s first basketball team, which was among the first teams in the Wabash Valley. The school did not have a gym, so players walked five miles to an old, unheated store building to practice. They covered the windows with chicken wire and turned the building into a gym. Doud bought the team their uniforms and equipment, and they called themselves the Cory Apple Boys, after Doud and his orchards.

1963-64 Cory Apple Boys Basketball Team

After Doud’s death in 1965, the orchards were sold and eventually closed.

The school was closed in 1967…and consolidated with Clay City…and the schools was turned into a community center. Needing a way to raise money to maintain the building and grounds, the idea of a community-sponsored festival was born — hence the Cory Apple Festival.

The first festival was held in 1970 and has been an annual event ever since. Today, it’s a way to remember Cory’s history and the money raised funds the Cory Volunteer Fire Department. The festival always includes an apple stand with cider, apple slushies and apples from Ditzler’s Orchard for sale. The Cory Apple Boys name lives on and is sold on t-shirts and apparel at the festival.

Thanks to johnharrell.net

Cory was a part of the Tri-County Conference (1963-1967) until the closing of the school.

Preserving History in the Present: Cory, Indiana

1947 Cory Apple Boys. Front row (l-r): Jack Reece, Don Stevenson, Leroy Baker, Joe Thomas. Middle row: student manager, James French, Joe Fisher, Bob Carrithers, Dale Loudermilk, Kenny Reagin. Back row: principal, Carleton Brown, Jerry Barrett, Jack Knust, Lloyd Heck, coach Dick Oglesby.