Bluffton (Old) (4,000) Built 1954
March 17, 2025
I tell my third graders all the time when we're working on writing that a good descriptive writer is able to put their audience right in the setting that is being described. I tell them that if they can close their eyes and imagine they are there, and experience it in their minds with all their senses, that they're reading a good piece of descriptive literature. That seems to make it click for 8 and 9 year olds at a basic level. I've read just about every book ever written about Indiana high school basketball, and while I tend to enjoy all of them, some do a better job of this than others. Two stick out to me in particular. One is the first book I ever read about the topic, called Hoosiers by Philip Hoose. That book opened my eyes to what the peak of Hoosier Hysteria was like in other parts of the state. The second book is one I read in the months leading up to starting this blog, Hoosier Hysteria Roadbook by Dale Lawrence. Dale doesn't go into a big description of every gym or game environment like I do here, he just talks about what sticks out to him at different schools. What's amazing about the book is that it's mostly informational, but he injects his personal observations and humor into random places where he sees fit, and it works perfectly. I read it cover to cover before each season like a narrative story, but also reference it all the time throughout the year for it's factual information. A great example of his style is found in his entry about Bluffton High School. He wrote the book right as the decision was being made to move from the old gym I'm writing about here to the new one that I wrote about HERE. He describes the warmth of the color scheme, the noise, the incredible pep band, and most importantly, the fans at the old gym. These are all of the elements that created one of the most electric game night atmospheres anywhere in the state. It's like taking a time machine back to the late 90s. He also talks about the public fight that happened during that time over whether the old gym should be shuttered or not. This entry in the book was my introduction to the old Bluffton gym, and it left an impression on me. Ever since I've started my blog I've also gotten the same question from people around the greater Fort Wayne area: Have you been to the old Tiger Den yet?
For way too long, the answer to that question was: Not yet, but it's on the list! I've been meaning to make it here for what feels like forever. Honestly I think I sometimes don't prioritize the northeast part of the state because that's where I'm from, it doesn't feel as exotic to me maybe. That's the wrong attitude to have though, because there are some treasures up there, starting with this one. Bluffton moved into this gym in 1954. I'm not exactly sure where they played before that, but if anyone knows please let reach out! It was given the name of the Tiger Den and served the Bluffton Tigers for over half a century, and it served them well. From what I read in Dale's book and from what other people in town have told me, there was nothing quite like the energy that existed during the heyday of the old gym. The community support was on another level. It was not a fun place for opposing teams to play when it was packed and rocking. Bluffton turned out 15 sectional and 2 regional titles while playing here. Most of those sectional championships came right here on their home floor. Someone in Hoosier Hysteria Roadbook described the gym to Dale as a "miniature Wigwam." That's about as high of praise as you can give a gym in my book, but I felt it when I walked in. There's an aura to the place that is palpable. I felt something akin to it when I walked into the old Peru gym. It lingers in the air. People who know Hoosier Hysteria know what I'm talking about, and the old Tiger Den has it.
When a high school abandons an old gym, there's a myriad of things that can happen to it, and many of them aren't good. The old Bluffton gym actually "suffered" a decent fate. It was bought by Life Community Church, who graciously has preserved it all these years. I'm sure there is signage and other things that has been taken down over the years, but it has been left relatively untouched. I know they've even held a throwback game or two here over the years, which I would love to see more of. This is technically a horseshoe gym, but it's not super comparable to other horseshoe gyms across the state because of its size. Most horseshoe gyms feature 8-10 rows of permanent wooden bleachers along three sides and two corners of the gym facing a stage along one baseline. That's the setup here, but there are 17 rows of beautiful wooden bleachers wrapping around the court, with even more in the far upper corners. The bleachers are red on the sides, so it looks like a red wave moving around the court when looking across the gym. The bench seats are plain wood and have seat numbers painted on each one. The steps leading up the stands are white which creates a nice contrast. In the two corners of the gym opposite the stage, the bleachers continue to go up 4 extra rows while getting narrower and narrower as they reach the top. At the very peak in both corners are little landing areas where a press/broadcasting table sits. It provides quite the view from up there. Big windows line the tops of the three walls that have bleachers. They're still intact, but now have big white covers over them to presumably help with heating and cooling costs.
There are entrances to the gym in the two corners beside the stage. The doors come out from under the bleachers above. There is another entrance in the center of the bleachers directly opposite of the stage. The main baskets here are the rollaway kind. The wooden practice baskets on the sides hang from the ceiling which means their supports are absurdly long because of the roof here which feels a mile high. The gargantuan beams run over the court horizontal to it. They are red as well, matching the rest of the gym. An old school scoreboard hangs among them along one sideline. The baseline wall that houses the stage is one of the biggest you'll find in any gym, and the stage is as well. It's not the most ornate, but it's massive in both height and width. I'd love to have seen it back when it still had its original curtain up. The playing floor is a golden-yellow color that reminds me of field corn for some reason. I'm sure it's been refinished since the gym stopped hosted varsity basketball games. The last thing I want to point out is the original scorer's table which is still here. On the bench behind it are unique little seat backs for the people who would keep the scorebook and time clock. There's also a little window in one corner of the gym that was probably a concession or ticket window that now has a popcorn machine in it.
I walked out of the gym on the side away from what is now the church into what was probably one of the main foyers. The only light came from the big entrance doors. It cast a dim projection onto the wooden doors that lead into the gym. There were also big concession stand windows on each side of the entrance with sliding doors that have long since been shuttered It was quiet, the only sound coming from the pickleballers knocking their glorified wiffle ball around in the gym. As thankful as I am this gym has been preserved so well, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret as I looked back on this scene. I'll never experience the environment Dale described so eloquently in his book. This gym was meant to hold big crowds for big games. Outside of the random throwback game, those days are long gone. It's a feeling I know all too well by now when visiting these old gyms. It's one I'm sure I'll have again soon. I'm thankful that the people of Bluffton who lived in and loved this gym over the years still have the memories that will stick with them forever, because memories of a place like this never fade.
