'Gentleman of the game.' Gene Milner remembered for contributions to basketball
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Gene Milner’s contributions to Indiana high school basketball are literally for the record books.
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Milner, who died on June 30 at age 80, edited and published the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Boys Record Book for 42 years – from 1983 to 2024. It was one of his many duties for the IBCA. Milner also served as the IBCA Job Placement Director from 1984 to 2026, the website coordinator from 2004 to 2026 and coordinated and produced the IBCA/IHSAA Top 100 Showcase books, boys and girls, for nearly 20 years.
“Gene spent years giving back to the game of basketball,” said Steve Witty, who worked alongside Milner for more than 20 years the executive director of the IBCA. “He was a very important member of our coaches association behind the scenes. It wasn’t always easy for him to get to our clinics and showcases but he always made that effort. Even at 80 years old, he wasn’t in a rocking chair somewhere. He was still really active and involved.”
Milner was a star player at Rossville High School in the early 1960s, averaging a state-leading 30.6 points per game with four games of 40 points or more. He graduated with 1,641 career points, a record that stood for 25 years and is currently No. 3 on the school’s all-time list. Milner was featured in Bob Collins’ “Shootin’ the Stars” column in the IndyStar near the end of his senior season.
“At times this season he has been every bit as easy to stop as a wounded rhino,” Collins wrote. “I remember one coach telling me, ‘We did everything but hit him on the head with a hammer and he still kept pouring ‘em in.”
Milner went on to play for Tony Hinkle at Butler, where he was named to the Indiana College All-Star team in 1967. “Gene is as good of a shooter as there is around anywhere,” Hinkle said of Milner, who averaged more than 13 points per game as a junior and senior.
In the summer of 1975, the 29-year-old Milner suffered injuries in an automobile accident that nearly claimed his life. He coached Rensselaer Central from his wheelchair the following season, in 1975-76, before giving up coaching and turning to farming. But Milner soon found another outlet for his basketball passion through his work for the IBCA.
Milner coached as an assistant at Clinton Central (1967-70) and Harrison (West Lafayette) (1970-73) before he coached three seasons at Rensselaer Central for three seasons.
“Gene really cared about the history of the game and preserving it in a way that will be there forever,” said Pat McKee, the Director of Special Projects for the IBCA. “He touched so many lives, particularly high school coaches and players.”
Milner was recognized by the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988 to the Silver Anniversary Team. He was named the IBCA Virgil Sweet Award winner in 2006 and inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Milner is survived by Carrie (Blue) Milner, his wife of 61 years. He is also survived by his son Chris, daughter Laura, four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.
Arrangements are being handled by Bittles & Hurt Funeral Home, Greencastle. A Celebration of Life will be held by the family at later date.
“Gene runs the full gamut in the game of basketball,” Witty said. “He was really a gentleman of the game. From high school to college to coaching and then what he did for the IBCA, he spent years in the game and truly was a great guy.”
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 'Gentleman of the game.' Gene Milner remembered for contributions to basketball