Cole Field House

Comcast Center is a pretty great arena. But the rich history and vintage nostalgia of Cole Field House make it one of the coolest places on campus. Here’s why.

1. The Steal.

This legendary Steve Blake steal in 2001, from the final Duke game played at Cole.

2. The “Glory Road” Game.

Cole was home to a legendary moment in sports history – the 1966 NCAA Championship game between the Texas Western Miners and the Kentucky Wildcats. Texas Western started five black players (a first for the NCAA championship), defeating an all-white Kentucky team in front of a raucous Cole crowd. The game serves as the climax of the 2006 film Glory Road.

3. This concert.

Bruce Springsteen OPENED for Chuck Berry AND Jerry Lee Lewis at Cole in 1973. The legendary show was sold out.

4. And this concert.   

Janis Joplin AND Van Morrison played Cole in 1970.

5. AND this concert…poster.

Bob Marley was scheduled to play the Field House in 1980, too, but the show was canceled. According to TerpConnect, the SEE chairman at the time said: “Cole field house – there’s just something about that place that won’t let us win.” At least we’ve still got this cool poster to remember what could have been.

6. And all these concerts, too.

Tons of other music legends played gigs at Cole as well, including Queen, The Jackson 5, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and Elvis Presley. Click here for the full list of Cole concerts.

7. Michael Jordan and Len Bias, 1984.

Michael Jordan and Len Bias shared the same court on January 12, 1984, as the Terps faced off against the Tar Heels, losing 74-62.

8. “Ping-pong diplomacy.”

In 1972, Cole hosted a U.S. vs. China ping-pong match, the first-ever sports matchup between the two countries. President Nixon was there. It was a big deal.

9. Turgeon loves it.

Coach Turgeon thinks we should play a game in Cole every year. And Coach Turgeon is always right.

“The building’s sitting right there on campus…a lot of people love it, and we could make money by using it. Why wouldn’t we?”

– Mark Turgeon, genius.

10. Vintage ads.

To this day, Cole hasn’t removed the old-school Doritos and Pepsi billboards hanging from its walls. Stepping into Cole is like stepping into a time capsule. It’s the coolest. (The Cole-est? Whatever.)

 

An earlier version of this post, which did not mention that the Bob Marley show was canceled, has been corrected.
 
Mark Turgeon photo courtesy of Associated Press. Concert information, Marley poster and ping pong photo from TerpConnect. Berry poster from goheadon.blogspot.com. Joplin poster from auctions.concertpostergallery.com. Queen ticket from queenconcerts.com. Doritos logo from Logopedia. Texas Western and Cole image from Diamondback.