Cole Field House opened on December 2, 1955 on the University of Maryland campus in College Park, built as the William P. Cole Jr. Student Activities Building at a cost of $3.3 million. For nearly half a century it served as the home court of Maryland Terrapins men’s and women’s basketball, growing from an original 12,000 seats to a capacity of 14,956 as the program’s fortunes rose.
The arena’s biggest moment came on March 19, 1966, when it hosted one of the most significant games in college basketball history: Texas Western’s all-Black starting five upsetting all-white Kentucky for the NCAA championship, a result widely credited with accelerating integration in the sport. Beyond basketball, Cole Field House hosted concerts by Elvis Presley, Queen, the Grateful Dead, and Bob Dylan, and even a 1972 exhibition table tennis match between American and Chinese players during the Cold War thaw known as ‘ping-pong diplomacy.’
- Washington Wizards played here 1973. See every Wizards arena →
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): Maryland Terrapins men’s & women’s basketball (1955–2002)
- Location: College Park, Maryland
- Opened: December 2, 1955
- Closed as arena: 2002 (last game March 3, 2002)
- Capacity: 14,956
- Notable fact: Hosted the 1966 NCAA championship game (Texas Western vs. Kentucky)
Decades of Maryland Basketball
Cole Field House was the stage for nearly all of Maryland basketball’s formative history, including the 1973–74 Terrapins team often called one of the best to never reach a Final Four, and a long run of ACC rivalry games against Duke and North Carolina. The building also gained a reputation as an upset factory, hosting more wins over top-ranked teams than almost any other college venue, including Richmond’s stunning 1991 NCAA tournament defeat of second-seeded Syracuse.
In 2002, Maryland basketball moved into the new Comcast Center (now Xfinity Center) a short walk away, and Cole Field House’s final game closed out 47 years as the program’s home.
From Arena to Academic Complex
Rather than demolish the building, the University of Maryland launched a $196 million, multi-phase renovation starting in 2015 that transformed the 356,000-square-foot structure into an indoor football practice facility, sports medicine and research center, and academic space. In April 2021, the building was renamed Jones-Hill House in honor of Billy Jones and Darryl Hill, the first Black athletes to integrate basketball and football at Maryland, respectively.
Today the historic bowl structure remains recognizable, but the court where Maryland once played national powers has given way to practice fields and training facilities for current Terrapins athletes.
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Cole Field House FAQs
Is Cole Field House still standing?
Yes. The building was renovated rather than torn down and reopened in 2021 as Jones-Hill House, now used as an indoor football practice and sports medicine facility for Maryland Athletics.
What was Cole Field House’s seating capacity?
It opened with about 12,000 seats and was later expanded to a capacity of 14,956 for Maryland basketball games.
What was the most famous event held at Cole Field House?
The 1966 NCAA championship game, in which Texas Western’s all-Black starting lineup defeated Kentucky, is widely considered the building’s most historically significant event.
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Photo: Maryland GovPics / CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.