Wabash College Athletics

Of the many star basketball players who suited up for Wabash just after the turn of the century, there was only one man that The Wabash referred to as the “main stay” during that magnificent era—Paul “Perry” Stump ’11. Born in Boone County, Stump’s family moved to Crawfordsville when he was just six months old, and he remained a resident for the majority of his life. He was a dynamic guard for Crawfordsville High School, from which he was graduated in 1907. He came to Wabash the following fall, and was a four-year starter on the Wabash basketball team and a member of the “Wonder Five” of 1908—a team that posted a 24-0 record and national championship. Known as “Big Perry” because of his size, Stump was a three-time member of the All-State team, and was a two-time team captain of the Little Giants. He rarely scored points on those prolific hardwood teams of coaches Jones, Wicks, and Harper, but instead focused on defense and ball handling. Said The Wabash of Stump, “His bulk, noise, and aggressiveness strikes terror to opposing forwards and they give him a clear field when he is in action.”
Upon graduation in 1911, Stump began a 16-year career in the banking business, pausing only to serve in the 38th Balloon Company during World War I. He was later elected to a pair of terms as Montgomery County Auditor, and later served as Clerk of the Indiana Supreme Court. He became the first Democrat elected Mayor of Crawfordsville in 34 years when he won the seat in the 1956 election. Stump later retired from politics and business, and in 1968 he passed away in nearby Frankfort, Indiana at the age of 79.