Indianapolis, IN
The story behind BigDenDen, viral creator of ‘I’m From Indianapolis’ social media videos
Dennis McCray, better known by Indianapolis social media users as BigDenDen, didn’t mean to start his profane catchphrase — a four-letter word stretched a little longer by his unique inflection that punctuates each of his increasingly viral videos.
“It’s S, H, E, T, T, T, T,” McCray, 43, told IndyStar.
The word, now yelled at him from car windows as he walks or worn on shirts by fans, was kept in one of his early “I’m From Indianapolis” videos as an outtake. He messed up the attempted video but ended up leaving in the expletive by mistake.
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In just over a month, McCray’s social media posts have gone from a few thousand plays to tens and hundreds of thousands each. He’s grown to more than 33,000 Instagram followers and 163,000 TikTok likes. He shoots enough clips for two or three videos in a day and aims for three or four posted each week.
McCray previously hosted a food review show, “Breakfast, Lunch and DenDen,” on WHMB-TV 40, and he’s been focused on making social media content for a little over a year. But his first “I’m From Indianapolis” video, posted just after Christmas, accelerated everything.
James Moore, 17, sought McCray out for a photo as he walked near Monument Circle Monday afternoon. The two bantered a bit and exchanged social media information.
“This is all new for me,” McCray said. “I’m like a quiet nerd.”
‘I’m from Indianapolis’ videos take off on social media
McCray’s videos follow a simple formula: He’s from Indianapolis, he tells the viewer at the beginning, then it’s the meat of the matter, then his catchphrase.
The meat is where it gets interesting. Sometimes, he’s sharing some down-home regional wisdom. Others, it’s a history lesson on a particular building or location.
“The city has changed over the years,” McCray said. “I’m 43. Some places used to be a restaurant and are not a restaurant now. I just want to tell people about that.”
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Malls, restaurants, businesses, the weather and his fellow Hoosiers are all fair game. But, as is often the case with reviews, his takedowns of specific restaurants, businesses or buildings seem to have created the most heat behind him.
Like a video featuring a certain Wendy’s location near Eagle Creek.
“Man, that Wendy’s don’t ever have no food,” McCray said. “They don’t ever be there. They don’t ever do nothing. So I was shining the light on that.”
The video series began after someone accused him of losing his edge due to his tamer television persona, McCray said. So he went off, and a lot of people liked it.
McCray said his videos often result in social media follows from particular brands, and he has yet to receive any major pushback on unfavorable reviews.
And yes, he really is from Indianapolis. Born and raised in the 49th Street and College Avenue area.
What’s next for BigDenDen
Content creation not yet a day job. McCray takes care of his 2-year-old twins, Jenesis and Myles. But he’s looking to become a global influencer. He’s mixed some sponsored content in with his usual videos. He has a few speaking engagements lined up. He has some opportunities to do stand-up, though he’s still working on what that may look like.
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He plans to keep on grinding in the content mines, as well as stepping up his personal appearances. He has plans to begin speaking in several township schools, which he is looking forward to.
Probably best to leave out that catch phrase, though.
Rory Appleton is the pop culture reporter at IndyStar. Contact him at 317-552-9044 and rappleton@indystar.com, or follow him on Twitter at @RoryEHAppleton.
ATLANTA (WISH) — Tyler Goodson, who played for the Indianapolis Colts the past three seasons, is joining a new team.
The Atlanta Falcons announced on Thursday that they have signed the free agent running back.
Goodson appeared in 33 games during his time in Indy, rushing for a total of 234 yards. He had one rushing touchdown back in 2024.
The rushing touchdown came during the Colts’ win over the Miami Dolphins that season. The rushing touchdown in that matchup was Goodson’s first career NFL touchdown during the regular season.
“For me it was a lot more exciting,” Goodson said following that game. “A moment I’ve been waiting for and it’s just surreal for me to be in this position. And I just thank God for it.”
Goodson also had 103 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown with the Colts. The receiving touchdown also came during the 2024 season, in a loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The move to the Falcons will be a homecoming of sorts for Goodson, who is a native of Suwanee, Georgia. He also attended North Gwinnett High School.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Butler University Police Department is seeking the public’s help in identifying a group of people who broke into and vandalized Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The incident happened sometime Saturday, according to a post from Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana.
Security camera video of the group – four males and one female – shows them entering the fieldhouse through a side door, entering one at a time before turning and disappearing out of view.
Crime Stoppers says the group vandalized a concession stand, stole alcoholic drinks, and then stole a $12,000 headset. Butler PD estimates the stolen communication equipment is valued at around $15,000.
Anyone with information was asked to contact Crime Stoppers. Officials say a reward of up to $1,000 will be offered for details leading to any arrests.
Indianapolis, IN
Pittsburgh Pirates’ Konnor Griffin, MLB’s No. 1 prospect, opens season in Indy with Indians
INDIANAPOLIS — For the second time in three years, the biggest draw in minor league baseball has landed at Victory Field.
Konnor Griffin, MLB’s No. 1 prospect, nearly made Pittsburgh’s Opening-Day roster at the tender age of 19 years old, sparking the imagination of Pirates fans when he launched two home runs in the same Grapefruit League game in late February.
By all accounts, Pittsburgh considered bypassing the Triple-A level with Griffin altogether, keeping the young shortstop in major league camp until the final weekend of spring training.
But the Pirates ultimately decided Griffin needed to open the season with the Indians when they take on St. Paul at 6:35 p.m. Friday at Victory Field, turning Pittsburgh’s loss into a big gain for Indianapolis for the second time in three seasons.
Two years ago, the Pirates decided to ramp up superstar pitching prospect Paul Skenes slowly, a decision that gave fans in Indianapolis seven starts to see a pitcher who would almost immediately turn into one of the best pitchers in the game.
For longtime Indians broadcaster Howard Kellman, the chance to see Skenes and Griffin in Indianapolis uniforms in a span of three short years brought to mind the 1989 season, when future Hall of Famers Randy Johnson and Larry Walker played on the same Indians roster.
Griffin and Skenes obviously won’t play in Indianapolis together.
Their presence leaves an impact.
“That means a great deal,” legendary Indians broadcaster Howard Kellman said. “You’re looking at the stars of tomorrow.”
Griffin’s path to Indianapolis wasn’t like the one Skenes took to Victory Field.
Skenes was already battle-tested, a star who’d made his name pitching LSU to a College World Series title and a pitcher everybody knew was ready for the big leagues. The Pirates sent Skenes to Triple-A as part of an effort to ramp him up slowly, limiting the young pitcher’s innings in his rookie year.
Griffin still has something to prove.
Drafted out of high school with the No. 9 pick in 2024, Griffin shot up the prospect rankings by batting .333 and slugging .527 while going from Low-A Bradenton to High-A Greensboro to 21 games with Double-A Altoona to end the 2025 season.
The raw tools are undeniable. The power that got the baseball world talking in February is accompanied with speed, good defense at shortstop and every other tool a team could want.
“Tremendous young man, very mature for his age, goes about his work the right way, goes about the game the right way, great with his teammates,” Indians manager Eric Patterson said.
But Griffin still has to improve his pitch recognition. Frustrated by the insane amounts of spin that big-league pitchers put on the baseball, Griffin hit .148 with 11 strikeouts in his final 10 games, 27 at-bats in total.
He wanted to make the big-league team, and he probably pressed a little.
“I’m at my best when I’m playing freely, playing fun, having a good time,” Griffin said. “I’m trying to get back to that, not worrying too much about the pressure outside.”
Griffin is also adjusting to life as baseball’s top prospect, a level of attention that essentially changed overnight. While he was obviously a top-10 pick in 2024, there were eight players taken ahead of him, including Oakland’s Nick Kurtz, who won the American League Rookie of the Year award.
A high school pick like Griffin is supposed to take a couple of years to develop into a top prospect, attention building along the way.
Griffin essentially went from a relative unknown to carrying the weight of Pittsburgh’s expectations in a span of about six months, although he’s adamant that the increased attention doesn’t affect him.
“It’s definitely internal,” Griffin said. “I don’t worry too much about the outside noise. I have high expectations for myself.”
Whatever the reason for Griffin’s slide in the final two weeks of spring training, he knows what he needs to change.
“Being thrown into the fire, facing those big-league arms, that was a good experience for me,” Griffin said.
Big-league pitchers are going to take advantage of a hitter who chases too many offerings outside the strike zone, and Griffin was swinging too much, uncharacteristic of a player whose on-base percentage was .415 across three levels last season.
“Take your walks, get on base, affect the game,” Griffin said. “Being patient, getting the right pitches to hit, not trying to do too much every time I go up to the plate.”
The paths Skenes and Griffin took to get to Indianapolis are different.
The goal, now that they’re here, is the same. Skenes was called up to the big leagues on May 8; Griffin wants to force the Pirates to bring him up to Pittsburgh as soon as possible.
“For all of these guys, you’re an injury away from the big leagues, you’re a sneeze off the field away from the big leagues,” Patterson said. “It’s about preparing these guys for when they get the call.”
The entire baseball world thought Griffin would get the call before his 20th birthday.
And there’s still time. Griffin doesn’t turn 20 until April 24th.
Better get out to Victory Field to catch a glimpse of baseball’s No. 1 prospect while he’s still here.
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