pretty cool story from the Cedar Rapids Gazette.
LINK: http://www.thegazette.com/subject/s...l/iowas-field-house-was-beloved-dump-20180101
LINK: http://www.thegazette.com/subject/s...l/iowas-field-house-was-beloved-dump-20180101
The old Iowa Field House: “The most massive building of its kind in the world.”
- Thread starter Franisdaman
- Start date
A cool pic from the article.
An enthusiastic overflow crowd was on hand to greet the Iowa men’s basketball and wrestling teams in 1980. The basketball team had defeated Georgetown University earlier in the day in Philadelphia and the wrestling team had won the NCAA title. The crowd waited until after midnight to cheer their returning heroes. (The Gazette)
An enthusiastic overflow crowd was on hand to greet the Iowa men’s basketball and wrestling teams in 1980. The basketball team had defeated Georgetown University earlier in the day in Philadelphia and the wrestling team had won the NCAA title. The crowd waited until after midnight to cheer their returning heroes. (The Gazette)
I loved watching basketball games in that old, dusty barn.
Iowa basketball players Vince Brookins, Bobby Hansen (24) and Kevin Boyle (standing) watch a loose ball late in the first half of an exhibition basketball game between the Soviet Union at the Field House in 1979. (The Gazette)
Iowa All-American guard Ronnie Lester shoots over Northwestern’s Mike Campbell in a 1980 Big Ten game at the Field House. (The Gazette)
Erect a hybrid of Carver and The Fieldhouse. Taking naps during a game needs to stop.
Some interesting tid bits from the article:
The Field House hosted NCAA basketball regional tournaments in 1954, ’56, ’64 and ’66. The men’s basketball team won six Big Ten championships and the wrestling team 12 conference titles before they moved to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Field House also hosted 15 boys’ state high school basketball tournaments at various times between the 1920s and 1960s.
It also was the site of several concerts. Among the headliners to play the Field House were the Beach Boys, Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd and Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass.
By the time Glenn “Stick” Vidnovic arrived on campus, the Field House was 40 years old. Vidnovic, who averaged 17.3 points on the “Miller Six Pack” team of 1969-70, was recruited by Iowa assistant Lanny Van Eman out of McKeesport, Pa.
“I’d been to Syracuse and Miami before Lanny took me to Iowa City,” said Vidnovic, still No. 4 on Iowa’s career free-throw percentage list (85.6). “I couldn’t believe what a dump (the Field House) was when I saw it. But Lanny said to me, ‘Yeah, but it looks really good on game nights.’
“It was a great home court advantage. There was a whole lot of metal in the place and seats on the floor were wooden. It got loud. I don’t think I ever saw an empty seat in there.”
Haddy concurred.
“There was probably no other place that got louder when it really got shaking,” he said
The Field House hosted NCAA basketball regional tournaments in 1954, ’56, ’64 and ’66. The men’s basketball team won six Big Ten championships and the wrestling team 12 conference titles before they moved to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Field House also hosted 15 boys’ state high school basketball tournaments at various times between the 1920s and 1960s.
It also was the site of several concerts. Among the headliners to play the Field House were the Beach Boys, Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd and Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass.
By the time Glenn “Stick” Vidnovic arrived on campus, the Field House was 40 years old. Vidnovic, who averaged 17.3 points on the “Miller Six Pack” team of 1969-70, was recruited by Iowa assistant Lanny Van Eman out of McKeesport, Pa.
“I’d been to Syracuse and Miami before Lanny took me to Iowa City,” said Vidnovic, still No. 4 on Iowa’s career free-throw percentage list (85.6). “I couldn’t believe what a dump (the Field House) was when I saw it. But Lanny said to me, ‘Yeah, but it looks really good on game nights.’
“It was a great home court advantage. There was a whole lot of metal in the place and seats on the floor were wooden. It got loud. I don’t think I ever saw an empty seat in there.”
Haddy concurred.
“There was probably no other place that got louder when it really got shaking,” he said
I played tennis for IOWA 1954-57
One of the real treats was playing on the basketball floor---stretching elastic lines from very small hooks
often played during the morning hours
a great venue
One of the real treats was playing on the basketball floor---stretching elastic lines from very small hooks
often played during the morning hours
a great venue
The armory portion to the west of the basketball court was massive. That is where the pickup courts used to be. I think they had 3 rows of basketball courts. I know they had concerts there including Led Zeppelin.
I remember seeing my first Iowa game in the Field House back in 1960. Our 6th grade B.B. team won the playoff for the City of Muscatine and a local citizen bought all us boys tickets to the game. We even got to go to the Iowa Locker Room after the game and meet head coach Sharm Scheurman.
But interesting, the thing I remember most was the popcorn container. It was conical shaped and when emptied could be repurposed as a megaphone, that made your yelling from the stands even louder. I remember having Sharm sign it for me.
Maybe they should use a similar megaphone design for popcorn containers at CHA.
But interesting, the thing I remember most was the popcorn container. It was conical shaped and when emptied could be repurposed as a megaphone, that made your yelling from the stands even louder. I remember having Sharm sign it for me.
Maybe they should use a similar megaphone design for popcorn containers at CHA.
That place rocked. Freshman always seemed to be the ones who got the dreaded "obstructed view" tix.
CHA is going to be around for another few decades at least, especially with how much money we’ve dumped into it. But I wonder what we will do when the time comes to replace it. 20 years from now it will be as old as the Fieldhouse was when we moved out. There isn’t really anywhere left to build a replacement arena close to campus. The old Fieldhouse will be gone eventually to make way for the hospital since it has run out of room. There’s been talk about moving the baseball field out to Mormon Trek at some point. I suppose they could build there which could utilize a lot of the existing parking. You’d also be able to leave the non-arena portion, think b-ball practice facility and offices, of CHA where it is.
I also wonder if there will come a time when basketball arenas have a throwback renaissance like baseball did in the 90’s. Could we see a move away from the giant, round arenas back to the more intimate rectangular field houses? With modern engineering you could design something similar that doesn’t have the poles obstructing views and probably contain the coveted luxury boxes. The biggest problem is that we’d have to either go back to bleacher seating or greatly reduce capacity to make it work. I’m guessing the bleacher seats won’t happen. I’ve been to Assembly Hall in Bloomington, which is probably the largest of the rectangular format arenas, and the seats up top look like you’d need binoculars to see what is happening on the court.
I also wonder if there will come a time when basketball arenas have a throwback renaissance like baseball did in the 90’s. Could we see a move away from the giant, round arenas back to the more intimate rectangular field houses? With modern engineering you could design something similar that doesn’t have the poles obstructing views and probably contain the coveted luxury boxes. The biggest problem is that we’d have to either go back to bleacher seating or greatly reduce capacity to make it work. I’m guessing the bleacher seats won’t happen. I’ve been to Assembly Hall in Bloomington, which is probably the largest of the rectangular format arenas, and the seats up top look like you’d need binoculars to see what is happening on the court.
Actually, Led Zeppelin played at the IMU Main Lounge in January 1969. Great opening set by Mother Blues. You are right about great concerts: two by the Dead, Peter, Paul and Mary, Allman Bros., Jefferson Airplane, Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen, Simon and Garfunkel, Starship, Waylon Jennings and way more that I don't remember.
There was also supposed to be a Snoop Dogg concert in the 2000’s on the main deck of the Fieldhouse. Probably the best show SCOPE had scheduled in years, but the university leadership changed their mind and cancelled it because of drug culture worries. Would have been weird to have a concert there at that time instead of CHA or the IMU.
Did Iowa hoops die when CHA opened?
Allman brothers and specially made brownies, great night !!!!
Is the pool in the Field House still being used? very interesting that one facility hosted basketball, wrestling AND swimming.
from the article:
The men’s basketball team played in the new Field House Dec. 4, 1926 (the game ticket was $1), defeating St. Louis University. But dedication weekend wasn’t until Jan. 14-15, 1927, although the facility was not yet finished. An estimated 7,000 people attended the opening basketball game, a 19-point loss to Michigan. The next day, the wrestling team faced Wisconsin and the swimming team opposed Illinois.
from the article:
The men’s basketball team played in the new Field House Dec. 4, 1926 (the game ticket was $1), defeating St. Louis University. But dedication weekend wasn’t until Jan. 14-15, 1927, although the facility was not yet finished. An estimated 7,000 people attended the opening basketball game, a 19-point loss to Michigan. The next day, the wrestling team faced Wisconsin and the swimming team opposed Illinois.
From the article:
It also was the site of several concerts. Among the headliners to play the Field House were the Beach Boys, Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd and Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass.
I have a feeling CHA wont be replaced for a long time, if ever
i think the TV money is going to decline over time and facilities will have to be maintained as opposed to replaced
people were not as big back then and you could cram more people on to the length of the bleacher
remember when they renovated Kinnick and they had to allow more place (a couple inches?) for each person on the bleacher seats? Kind of embarrassing if you ask me because it just says that we as a society have gotten wider/fatter
I vaguely remember those same University leaders laying next to me stoned out of their gourds listening to the Dead, Allmans and Enoch Smokey a generation earlier.
Zappa was a killer show.
I also remember the night the Doobie Brothers almost burned the place down. Their pyro caught the curtains on fire above the stage, fortunately they got it put out before it spread.
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Caught The Dead there as well as Waylon Jennings. I remember the big globe ball with mirrors high up in the center of the arena listening to The Dead's "Truckin" and when the lyrics sang " sometimes the lights just shine on me" the lighting crew directed the spots on the revolving globe and streams of light showed down all across the arena, it was epic. I never forgot that concert! Some of you may have been there too!
A cool pic from the article.
An enthusiastic overflow crowd was on hand to greet the Iowa men’s basketball and wrestling teams in 1980. The basketball team had defeated Georgetown University earlier in the day in Philadelphia and the wrestling team had won the NCAA title. The crowd waited until after midnight to cheer their returning heroes. (The Gazette)
I was in that crowd and can be seen in that pic. It was a great night.
Building like this, Vets, and even McIlroy in Waterloo are/were cool to walk in. You could smell the history and dream about all the things each building hosted.
In the future I think new arenas will be smaller. Watching remotely will get bigger and VR likely will make the remote viewing experience so cool we can’t even imagine.
In the future I think new arenas will be smaller. Watching remotely will get bigger and VR likely will make the remote viewing experience so cool we can’t even imagine.
The game that I will forever remember from the Fieldhouse was the triple OT loss to the Gophers in 1982. There were some great ones, but that was particularly memorable. Single possession overtimes....pre shot clock era. Phantom foul call to end game.
wow. very cool. can't believe its been almost 38 years ago!
The pool will be, if it hasn't already, torn out to be replaced by additional workout equipment rooms for the west side dorms and hospital employees. Which to me is sad when you consider the history there. It was the largest indoor pool in the world with built. It is where the butterfly stroke was invented. Honestly I'm surprised the whole building isn't considered for historical landmark protection.
You mentioned basketball, wrestling, and swimming. But Men's and Women's gymnastics both still use the facility for practices and meets. Plus it hosted an indoor football game in there once. The first indoor football game played on a 100 yard field west of the Mississippi ever, I'm assuming most of the field actually was in the Armory. When I used to play hoops during college I would spend some time looking at the pictures that they had on the wall near the main deck and they had a picture and description of the football game hanging there.
I was there as a 15 year old the night Iowa returned from beating G'Town to go the Final Four. One of my all-time favorite Hawkeye memories.
I am too young to have watched basketball in the field house but my dad talked about it quite a bit. He said it was the loudest basketball arena he's ever been to. When I was little, he'd often take me to that facility to practice basketball. For some reason he always wanted us to practice in the "north" gym. Now I understand why. I didn't want to because of all the dead spots on the floor.
I don't smoke but the answer is no. Hardly anyone gave a rip about smoke back then. It was not even a thing to see someone smoking at Vets in the concession areas. Same with this building. I remember Vets they would not allow smoking at your seat. My dad smoked so I remember him heading out to the concession area at halftime to puff away. IN other words. Until some started making it an issue. Nobody was annoyed by it. When people started complaining about it. Then it appears to have started to annoy everyone. BTW I am not arguing for bringing back smoking at Basketball Venues. Just letting you know what it was like back then.
I was the crazy up in the loft, playing the drums.
Remember walking by us camping out front for tickets? What a night on the sidewalk! Snuck in briefly, but had a spot in line to protect so missed most of it.
Line started forming immediately after game in anticipation of getting tics Monday morning. Never forget at dusk they made announcement tickets would go on sale Tuesday. Few seconds of shared distress followed by communal glances left and right and....well OK then! Not one person left.
First night was unbelievable party, Monday cool with reporters (I was front page material with photo) and well wishers everywhere Second night different story, cold windy ordeal. They ended up delaying start of sale an hour+ Tuesday, and that was painful, sucked as much as first 40 hours combined.
We ended up right behind the basket in Market Square Arena. The other 3 schools took their bands but we didn't and fans got the primo seats (they actually handed out kazoos for us to be the band, still have it as souvenir).
Many related stories and memories, all thanks to Steve Waite's offensive prowess!
