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The Butler Bulldogs are the teams that represent Butler University in U.S. NCAA Division I athletic competition. Butler is a member of the Horizon League. Butler holds two national championships in men's basketball; one from 1924, and one from 1929. Butler's basketball arena, Hinkle Fieldhouse, was the largest basketball arena in the US for several decades. It is considered a Hoosier Hysteria icon: from its opening in 1928 until 1971, it was the site of the final rounds of the Indiana state high school basketball tournament.
In 1954, Butler hosted the historic final when Milan High School (enrollment 161) defeated Muncie Central High School (enrollment over 1,600) to win the state title. The state final depicted in the 1986 movie Hoosiers, loosely based on the Milan Miracle story, was shot in Hinkle Fieldhouse. A renovation of the Butler Bowl (football stadium) to be finished soon will include field turf, which will allow the Butler Bowl to host football, soccer, and other events.
Butler first joined a Division I conference in 1932 when the men's basketball team joined the Missouri Valley Conference. Other sports joined conferences in later years.
