- Actor Gene Hackman gives fictional Hickory High basketball players instructions during filming of the final game of the movie "Hoosiers" at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler University campus, Friday,

For the first time in more than 12 years, a home went up to replace a home destroyed in a 2012 Indianapolis explosion.

To the people in the Henry County town that’s about a 40-minute drive east of Indianapolis, Hackman is more than an actor, but someone who helped shine light on basketball and the Hoosier community, leaving a legacy for generations to come.

Actor Gene Hackman gives fictional Hickory High basketball players instructions during filming of the final game of the movie “Hoosiers” at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler University campus on Dec. 6,

There's one reason Hackman's dazzling acting career stands out for sports fans: His unforgettable role as Norman Dale, coach of the feel-good, state champion Hickory Huskers from a tiny Indiana town.

Five players on the floor functioning as one single unit: team, team, team, – no one more important than the other.” “Some people can read ‘War

In “Hoosiers,” Gene Hackman, whose death was announced Thursday, created a man with understated strength, a taskmaster with emotional intelligence and a tormented winner.

Director Francis Ford Coppola, actor Viola Davis and director Paul Feig are among those paying tribute to Gene Hackman after his death at age 95.

Hackman, 95, was found dead Wednesday in a mudroom and his 63-year-old wife, Betsy Arakawa, was found in a bathroom next to a space heater, Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office detectives wrote in a search warrant. There was an open prescription bottle and pills scattered on a countertop near Arakawa.

Authorities have opened an investigation into how Hackman, his wife and their dog died, though they have said no foul play is suspected.

By The Associated Press Gruff in demeanor yet much beloved, Gene Hackman was one of the finest actors of his generation. The 95-year-old actor was found dead in his New Mexico home with his wife,