Shelbyville's Harry Larrabee inducted into Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame

During his speech at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Indianapolis Wednesday evening, Harry Larrabee asked those present to challenge their imaginations. He then displayed the shorts he wore as a 1970 Indiana All-Star.

“Can you see me wearing these as a point guard back in the seventies,” said Larrabee.

The shorts may no longer fit; however, the honor stands as a most fitting tribute to an individual whose roundball journey began on a dirt court on Shelby County’s Morristown Road, was honed on the tile, wood and asphalt floors of the Boys Club and the Shelbyville Junior and Senior High Schools and culminated in the pinnacle of basketball success with inclusion into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

Larrabee was welcomed as a member of the 2026 18-member Hall of Fame class that included a number of basketball legends: Former Pacer John Barnhill; ex-Lebanon High School, Miami of Ohio standout and Pepperdine head coach Ed Schlling Jr.; long-time successful coach Jerry Bomholt, Crispus Attucks standout Richard “Boo” Ellis, and Jay Edwards who led Marion to three consecutive Indiana High School state championships and later starred for Bob Knight’s IU teams in the late 1980s.

Larrabee currently ranks second on the all-time Golden Bears scoring list. He was a two-time Paul Cross Award recipient and a 1970 Indiana All-Star who averaged 28 points per game his senior season. His Shelbyville teams compiled a cumulative three-year record of 55-20.

A Seymour sportswriter once described Larrabee as “an unassuming presence who stands out on a basketball court like a diamond among a string of broken beer bottles.”

Harry matriculated to the University of Texas and as a three-year starting point guard and two-time team captain played on two Southwest Conference championship teams. He was voted the Longhorns 1973 Most Valuable Player.

He began his college head coaching career at Alaska-Anchorage in 1979. The Shelbyville native returned to Texas to lead the Texas State program in 1986 and subsequently moved back to Anchorage to once again coach the Seawolves in 1991. Larrabee was named “The Basketball Times” 1992 NCAA Division II Coach of the Year.

In 2000, Larrabee returned to his hometown and coached the Golden Bears boys basketball program for eight seasons. His 2005-06 team finished 23-1 and recorded Shelbyville’s only undefeated regular season.

Larrabee stands as Shelbyville’s fourth winningest boys basketball coach with 102 victories (modern era since 1928).  He received five conference “Coach of the Year” honors at the high school and collegiate levels.

He was selected as a member of the University of Texas Athletic Hall of Honor and was named a member of the Texas Men’s Basketball 1970s All-Decade Team. He also is a member of the Alaska-Anchorage Hall of Fame and the Shelbyville High School Alumni Hall of Fame.

The former Shelbyville star credited his wife of 54 years, Betsy, with being his foundation and “the centerpiece of our family.” He recognized children Scott, Todd, and Sarah and thanked them for their constant support through the years. He proudly acknowledged his eight grandchildren as well.

Larrabee gratefully remembered his late parents, Gene and Betty. He recalled the fortitude his father routinely displayed while suffering through significant life difficulties and tragedies such as polio and the loss of his brother (Harry’s namesake) at the age of 15.

“He was my dad’s brother and best friend,” said Harry.

Larrabee also paid tribute to his high school coach Carl Hughes. He described Hughes as “a gifted leader and an excellent coach” who was defined by “toughness, accountability and integrity.” Ironically, Hughes occupies the fifth spot in Shelbyville career coaching wins; one place below Larrabee.

He recalled his father taking him as a 7-year-old to a basketball clinic at the old Shelbyville Boys Club on West Broadway in 1958. One instructor encouraged Harry to disdain the jump shot for the traditional two-handed set shot.

“He wanted me to shoot like Emerson Johnson from the state championship team,” remembered Larrabee. “I later told my dad and he told me to stay with the jump shot.”

That jump shot took Harry to heights he could never have envisioned as a pre-teen pedaling his bike several miles into town from northern Shelby County to the new Miller Street Boys Club where he would spend hundreds of hours learning the game of basketball and continually refining his skills during the 1960s.

Harry Larrabee with his Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame display in New Castle.

Induction into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame is the ultimate honor for an Indiana player or coach. It is indeed a monumental achievement for a somewhat undersized point guard whose greatest aspiration as a youth was simply to wear a Shelbyville uniform.

“My goal was just to someday be a Golden Bear,” declared Harry.

Today, even considering his remarkable accomplishments, one senses Harry’s perpetual, inextricable connection to Shelbyville High School and Golden Bear Basketball.

“Shelbyville is home for us,” said Betsy.

The new Hall of Fame inductee, sporting SHS colors with a black shirt, jacket and gold bow tie, continually reinforced this theme during his concise yet entertaining acceptance comments.

He ended his remarks with a signature closing phrase that he includes with all his correspondence: “Once a Golden Bear; Always a Golden Bear.”