March Madness; how did this crazy phenemenon start?

The phrase "March Madness" can be traced back to an article in a 1939 Illinois High School Association publication. Henry V. Porter, an official with the IHSA, wrote an article entitled "March Madness" and then referred to the expression again a few years later in a poem about the high school basketball tournament. The phrase wasn't used much beyond Illinois high school basketball until former Chicago-sportwriter-turned-CBS-broadcaster Brent Musburger dropped the line in a 1982 tournament game telecast.