Cole Field House was the home of the University of Maryland basketball teams from 1955 to 2002. The building was originally constructed in 1955 as the Student Activities Building at a cost of $3.3 million. Although the building's original capacity was 12,000, additional seats were installed throughout the years to bring the final capacity to 14,596 (in 1993). The first basketball game was played on December 2, 1955, when Maryland beat Virginia 67-55. The center was renamed the William P. Cole, Jr. Student Activities Building in 1956 after Judge William P. Cole Jr., who was chairman of the university's Board of Regents from 1944 to 1956. The University of Maryland, College Park (also known as UM, UMD, or UMCP) is a public university located in College Park, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C., USA. As the flagship institution of the University System of Maryland, the university is most often referred to as the University of Maryland... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Website Virginia. ... William Purington Cole, Jr. ... A Board of governors is usually the governing board of a public entity. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Cole Field House held its first East Regional finals in 1962, when NYU defeated St. John's in the final, 94-85. The Final Four was first held here in 1966 between Duke, Kentucky, Texas Western (now UTEP), and Utah. Texas Western (which started all black players) upset Kentucky's all white team 72-65 in front of a crowd of 14,253. Cole also hosted the Final Four in 1970. New York University (NYU) is a major research university in New York City. ... St. ... Final Four is a sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament. ... Duke University is a private, coeducational, research university located in Durham, North Carolina, USA. Officially founded as Duke University in 1924, Duke traces its institutional roots back to 1838. ... The University of Kentucky (also as UK or simply Kentucky) is a public, co-educational university located in Lexington, Kentucky. ... The University of Texas at El Paso, popularly known as UTEP, is a public, coeducational university, and it is a member of the University of Texas System. ... The University of Utah (also The U or the U of U) is a public university in Salt Lake City, Utah. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1970 calendar). ...

In 1991, Cole was the site of the first ever upset of a 2-seed at the hands of a 15-seed, as Richmond defeated heavily-favored Syracuse, 73-69. 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of Richmond describes itself as a A premier, private, liberal arts university featuring highly selective, primarily undergraduate programs, as well as graduate programs in arts and sciences, business and law. The University of Richmond (also known as UR) is located in Richmond, Virginia. ... Syracuse University (SU) is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York. ...

The last Maryland men's basketball game to be played at Cole Field House was on March 3, 2002, when Maryland defeated Virginia 112-92. The team now plays at the Comcast Center. Overall, 13 men's All-Americans and 4 women's All-Americans have played at Cole. March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... This article is about the arena. ... An All-America team is a sports team composed of star players. ...

Other Notable Events at Cole Field House

• Early 1970s: The NBA's Capital Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) play home games at Cole while the team transitions from Baltimore to Landover.

• 1972: A ping-pong match between the United States and the People's Republic of China is played at Cole, the first sporting event between the two countries.

• 1972: An exhibition of the Soviet gymnastics team, including gold medalist Olga Korbut, sells out the arena and is televised locally in the Washington, D.C. area.

• 1974: Elvis sings at Cole.

• January 26, 1975: The first televised women's basketball game is played at Cole. Maryland loses to the defending national champions Immaculata 80-48.

The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ... Washington Bullets redirects here; for the song by The Clash, see Washington Bullets (song). ... This article is about the city in the US state of Maryland. ... Landover is an area of Prince Georges County in the State of Maryland in the United States of America. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... Regional competition level table tennis, showing table, net, and player getting ready to return the ball with a winning backhand topspin stroke. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1972 calendar). ... Olga Valentinovna Korbut (Belarusian: Вольга Валянцінаўна Корбут, Volha Valyantsinawna Korbut; Russian: Ольга Валентиновна Корбут) (b. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... Elvis redirects here. ... January 26 is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... An Overview Immaculata University is a Catholic university on King Road in Malvern, Pennsylvania. ...

Future of Cole Student Activities Building

Currently the facility is known as the Cole Student Activities Building. An intramural indoor soccer practice field has replaced the basketball court, and spaces along the perimeter have been reconfigured into classrooms and temporary office spaces. There is also a poolhouse adjacent to the Field House, which is now defunct. It should be noted that Cole is situated in the heart of the College Park Campus, just across a street from Stamp Student Union and McKeldin Library on the McKeldin Mall.

Because of the grand space enclosed by the structure and its situation on campus, it has been the subject of much speculation for renewal and reuse. Several proposals include its transformation into a transportation hub akin to Union Station (as a College Park stop on the conjectural Purple Line serving Prince George's and Montgomery Counties) and a College of Design, which would unite the current School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation with other landscape and environmental design programs in the University under one roof.

Trivia

There is a running/walking path on the ground level of Cole Field House. (The seats were sunken). 5 1/2 laps is one mile.