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Remembering the Good and Bad Times at Cole 

Senior guard Juan Dixon says he'll miss the "great atmosphere." (Photo by Maha Ezzeddine)

By Scarlett Morao
Maryland Newsline
Friday, March 1, 2002

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - When Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. was a law student at the University of Maryland in the mid-1960s, he had drinks with Texas Western coach Don Haskins. Haskins' men's basketball team, which had an all-black starting lineup, had just upset an all-white Kentucky team at Cole Field House.

Haskins "just wanted to have someone to celebrate with, so he got a group of students, and we went out to Town Hall [on U.S. Route 1] and drank beer," Miller recalls.

Heady and memorable stuff for a student. But not Miller's only recollection of the 47-year-old field house. 

"To the nation, [Cole is] a place for men's and women's basketball," he said in a recent interview. "For me, it was where they had phys ed."

The Fan Factor

Miller's collection of memories from Cole may be deeper than many others'. But some with shorter personal associations with the field house still cite a mix of emotions as the men's basketball team heads on Sunday into its final game at Cole. 

The basketball and other teams at Maryland are moving later this year to the $124 million Comcast Center--where luxury suites, additional bathrooms and concession stands, and air conditioning are expected to make viewing more comfortable for fans.

Cole has been "a special place" not only for the fans, but also for the players, said senior guard Juan Dixon. “It’s a great atmosphere here at Cole, and I’m going to miss it,” he said.

Although he has many memories of playing at Cole, including the Terps' Feb. 17 victory over then-No. 1 Duke, Dixon said he especially will remember the tremendous support from the “good fans” who have packed the nearly 14,600-seat facility.

“I’m glad they’re on our side, because some of the things they say out of their mouths to the opposing team -- they’re out of control," Dixon said.

Accountant Pat Collins, a 2000 graduate, said Maryland fans animate the Cole experience during games.

“The one thing that makes Cole Field House special is that everybody’s packed in there, (and) the fans are active. We may be a little obnoxious, you know, but that’s Terrapin spirit.”

Somber Memories of a Dead Star

But with the good memories of Cole come the painful ones.

"I’m a huge fan of Len Bias,” said Jackie Travaglini, a 1991 graduate and software training consultant, referring to the celebrated Maryland player of the mid-1980s. “I came and watched him quite a bit. [He was] my favorite player at that time.”

Travaglini, who as a child watched her first games with her father, said she was in high school when Bias died of a cocaine overdose in 1986.

“It was hard to come back to Cole after that, because there was obviously a huge sense of loss,” she said.

Maryland head coach Gary Williams said his time at Cole was "not all smooth” but has been special because of the good and the tough memories. “That’s part of the reason that makes it even better when you do have some success, because of what you had to go through to get to that success,” he said.

But not everyone has so many memories, or so much of a sense of attachment.

“I’ve only been here a year,” freshman special education major Julie Gorinson said, “so it’s not like I’ve really gotten attached to Cole.”

Junior mechanical engineering major Jeffrey Chang has attended Maryland games since freshman year, but he won’t be devastated when Cole closes its doors, he said. Since he’s not a Maryland native, he said, “it probably doesn’t have the same sentimental value” that it would for Marylanders.

Looking Ahead

Gorinson said she looks forward to the Comcast Center's opening. Having seen the center during its construction, she said, “It looks like it’s really coming along, and it’s going to be beautiful.

“It’s sad that Cole Field House is closing, but change is always good. Bigger and better.”

Chang said the new center’s “impressive facilities” will add to the university’s efforts to expand its campus and to improve its reputation. “It’s like any other institution. It’s got to compete,” he said.

“Comcast will be special for all students,” Miller said. Citing features Comcast has that Cole doesn't—such as climate control--he said, “We’re sorry to see Cole go, but we have to move forward for everybody here.”

The new arena is larger than its predecessor. With 17,100 seats, the new arena has about 2,500 seats more than Cole. 

Chang said fans will support the Terps, no matter the location. “I’ll go where the games are held,” he said.

He added that moving to another venue won’t stop the team from playing as well as it has. “It will encourage them to get even more riled up,” he said. “It’s like it’s a step up.”

That step up is bittersweet, Miller said.

“It’s a passing of a way of life that’s been an important part of students’ lives," he said.

Miller said he will always remember watching entertainers such as Bob Hope and Harry Belafonte, who performed at Cole after he graduated. 

Unfortunately, he said, “I missed Elvis,” who performed in 1974.

Copyright © 2002 University of Maryland College of Journalism
Graphics by Nicole M. Richardson