We've done team-by-team lists of the best players to wear each jersey number before. This "Who wore it best?" is different. Instead of one team, we're going statewide, all sports, all genders.
We've compiled a list 00 to 99 that we'll reveal later this week. But some numbers were just too close to call. Throughout the week, we'll ask for your help on some of the tougher decisions. And remember, we're only considering achievements while wearing the specific number while playing for an Indiana team. Damon Bailey doesn't get credit for his work as No. 22 with IU; only No. 32 in high school.
Here are your candidates for the best No. 32 in state history.
Damon Bailey, Bedford North Lawrence boys basketball
Bailey was named National Player of the Year and won IndyStar Mr. Basketball in a landslide in 1990 after he became the state’s all-time leading scorer with 3,134 points. He capped off his career by leading Bedford North Lawrence to a state championship in front of 41,096 fans at the Hoosier Dome. He scored the final 11 points for BNL as the Stars closed on an 11-2 run to knock off No. 1 Concord, 63-60 for the state title, forever etching his name among Indiana basketball royalty.
"I was not going to get beat — plain and simple," Bailey said afterward. "Anytime you grow up as a kid in Indiana you dream of a night like this."
"That's why he's the best player in the country," BNL coach Dan Bush said. "We'll never have another one like him. But nobody else will, either."
In Bailey's four years, Bedford North Lawrence was 99-11 and made three trips to Indiana's final four. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 and the National High School Hall of Fame in 2019.
Dale Davis, Pacers forward
He never averaged more than 11.7 points per game but he also never averaged less than 1.0 blocks or 7.8 rebounds. Think of those teams and Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose, Rik Smits, even Mark Jackson come to mind. But it was Dale Davis — and Antonio Davis — who allowed the Pacers' stars to flourish, even as Pat Riley and the New York Knicks were turning the East into a nightly bar fight.
Katie Douglas, Purdue women's basketball
She had a starring role on the Boilermakers' 1999 NCAA championship team.
She was a two-time All-American, the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2000 and 2001 (the latter a unanimous selection) and winner of the Chicago Tribune Silver Basketball in 2001 as Big Ten MVP.
Douglas also received the 2001 Big Ten Suzy Favor Award, which is given to the conference's female athlete of the year across all sports.
She nearly led Purdue to a second national championship as a senior in 2001, before losing to Notre Dame in the title game.
Steve Downing, IU forward
An All-American in 1973, he led the Hoosiers in rebounding in 1972 and 1973. His 15.1 per game average as a junior is third-best single-season in school history. He won the Chicago Tribune's Silver Basketball award as the Big Ten's top player in 1973 and led the Hoosiers to the Final Four, losing to eventual champion UCLA. He's a member of the IU Athletics Hall of Fame and Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. He served as an associate athletic director at IU before building Marian University into a NAIA power as its athletic director, a position he currently holds.
Edgerrin James, Colts running back
The Colts used the No. 4 overall pick of the 1999 draft on James, while many fans clamored for Ricky Williams. James made an immediate impact, leading the league in rushing as a rookie with 1,553 yards. James’ 2,139 yards from scrimmage in 1999 are the second-most by a rookie in NFL history, and the most since Eric Dickerson had 2,212 in 1983.
James also led the NFL in rushing his second season (1,709 yards). It was the second of his four seasons with more than 1,500 rushing yards. The only other NFL players to have that many 1,500-yard seasons are Hall of Famers Walter Payton, Barry Sanders and Dickerson. James joined them in the Hall of Fame earlier this year.
Johnny Lujack, Notre Dame quarterback
He won the Heisman Trophy, was a two-time unanimous All-American and helped Notre Dame win three national championships. In between, he helped hunt Nazi submarines.
Lujack started the final four games of the 1943 national championship season, after Heisman winner Angelo Bertelli was called into duty with the Marines. Lujack joined the Navy after the season and served in the English Channel for nearly three years. He returned to lead Notre Dame to two more national titles (1946, '47) and finished his career 21-1-1 as the Irish's starting quarterback.
Anthony Thompson, IU running back
One of the most prolific rushers in college football history, Thompson, at one point, held NCAA records for both rushing yards in a game and career touchdowns. Thompson combined for 51 TDs and 3,479 rushing yards his junior and senior seasons.
A two-time Big Ten MVP, Thompson won the 1989 Maxwell and Walter Camp awards, but finished second in one of the closest Heisman votings ever with a 2.54% voting margin between Thompson and winner Houston QB Andre Ware. It's the closest any IU football player has come to winning the award.
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IndyStar deputy sports editor Nat Newell and sports reporter Kyle Neddenriep contributed to this story.
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Indiana By The Numbers: Who wore it best? No. 32 - IndyStar
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