Allen Fieldhouse
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Allen Fieldhouse is an indoor arena at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas, and one of the legendary venues of American college basketball. The arena was named in honour of Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, who coached the university's men's basketball team for 39 years.
The "Fieldhouse" is also renowned amongst basketball fans as the home of the chant, "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, K-U".
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Facilities
Allen Fieldhouse was dedicated on March 1, 1955 when the Jayhawks defeated Kansas State 77-66. Since then renovations have included minor seating expansions in 1986 and 1994, as well as accessibility upgrades in 1999 to modernize concession stands and restroom facilities, and to install an elevator in the south end. Handicapped seating was moved courtside behind both baskets in 2001.
Renovations scheduled for 2005 include a thorough cleaning of the exterior, and the creation of a new Hall of Fame facility on the east side of the Fieldhouse.
Banners hang in the south rafters to honor such Jayhawk greats as Wilt Chamberlain, Clyde Lovellette, Danny Manning, Lynette Woodard, and Nick Collison. The east and west sides are devoted to KU's conference championships as members of the Missouri Valley Conference, Big Six, Big Seven, Big Eight, and Big 12, as well as the Jayhawks' trips to the Final Four and national championships in 1922, 1923 (Helms Foundation championships), 1952, and 1988. The central scoreboard is due for comprehensive rebuilding, including a new videoboard, in the 2005 offseason.
History
The concourse was originally an indoor track, and at times the Fieldhouse has been home to men's and women's basketball, indoor track and field, volleyball, and practice facilities for the football and softball teams. It has since specialized as facilities were constructed around campus to accommodate these needs, and now serves exclusively as the home for Jayhawk basketball.
Allen Fieldhouse has also hosted to several NCAA tournament regionals, NBA exhibition games, and occasional speakers and concerts.
Kansas won 62 consecutive games at the Fieldhouse between January 30, 1994 and November 21, 1998, by far the longest home winning streak in school history.
Capacity
Allen Fieldhouse was originally built with a capacity of 15,200, and its current official capacity is 16,300. Of these seats, 4000 are dedicated to current KU students, with most of the remainder taken by season-ticket-holding members of the Williams Fund, the fundraising arm of KU Athletics.
The largest crowd in Allen Fieldhouse for a basketball game was 17,228 on March 1, 1955 when the building was dedicated. Barring another expansion of seating, it is unlikely that this record will ever be broken as fire codes forced KU to strictly enforce the building's capacity in the mid-1980s.
External Links
- Exterior shot of Allen Fieldhouse (http://www.texassports.com/images/wbbimages/2003_04/007/allen_fieldhouse_340_30.jpg)
- Interior shot of Allen Fieldhouse (http://raiderroundball.com/0205/allen1.jpg)
- Allen Fieldhouse at kuathletics.com (http://kuathletics.collegesports.com/facilities/kan-allen-fieldhouse.html)
Other References
Kansas 2002-03 Basketball Media Guide. Topeka, Kansas: Mainline Printing, 2002.