TO GIVE you the proper time perspective, consider this: Cam Henderson Center is in its 31st season of Marshall University basketball.
The Thundering Herd entered its new on-campus arena in November 1981, after 31 seasons at the (Veterans) Memorial Field House.
That enough symmetry for you?
Perhaps it is fitting that the Field House finally receives its going-out party this week, in this particular year, six-plus decades after it opened. Falling into disrepair and not used much in recent years, the time has come to say goodbye.
The grand old building on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 26th Street will give way to MU's re-entry into the college athletics facilities arms race. A soccer complex will be built on this site, in turn clearing the area of the current MU soccer field for the long-desired indoor practice building.
The arena will be torn down shortly after the Field House Finale, 7 p.m. Friday. Events include a star-studded alumni game, reminiscing about memorable moments at the Field House, a salute to local veterans and a silent auction of Field House equipment, i.e., seats, scoreboards, etc.
Tickets are a well-spent $15, available through herdzone.com or by calling 800-THE-HERD (843-4373).
I had a hint this night would be special when 1971-72 team star Russell Lee, visiting in the MU football pressbox last fall, pointed at the Field House six blocks to the east and declared, "I will be back here in February when they tear that place down."
Apparently, so will everybody else, save for Mike D'Antoni. He is unavoidably detained, trying to direct his New York Knicks against the Los Angeles Lakers on ESPN.
D'Antoni could use Hal Greer in his prime, but the NBA legend will be the headline guest in Huntington. The list of former players expected to attend is too long to list here, but fans will see a mixture of oldsters such as Sonny Allen and Tex Williams, to later stars such as Randy Noll and Ken Labanowski, to more recent players who probably never shot a basketball in the building.
Article Preview
This article is available only to our premium digital content subscribers.
Bidding adieu to the Field House
TO GIVE you the proper time perspective, consider this: Cam Henderson Center is in its 31st season of Marshall University basketball.
The Thundering Herd entered its new on-campus arena in November 1981, after 31 seasons at the (Veterans) Memorial Field House.
That enough symmetry for you?
Perhaps it is fitting that the Field House finally receives its going-out party this week, in this particular year, six-plus decades after it opened. Falling into disrepair and not used much in recent years, the time has come to say goodbye.
The grand old building on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 26th Street will give way to MU's re-entry into the college athletics facilities arms race. A soccer complex will be built on this site, in turn clearing the area of the current MU soccer field for the long-desired indoor practice building.
The arena will be torn down shortly after the Field House Finale, 7 p.m. Friday. Events include a star-studded alumni game, reminiscing about memorable moments at the Field House, a salute to local veterans and a silent auction of Field House equipment, i.e., seats, scoreboards, etc.
Tickets are a well-spent $15, available through herdzone.com or by calling 800-THE-HERD (843-4373).
I had a hint this night would be special when 1971-72 team star Russell Lee, visiting in the MU football pressbox last fall, pointed at the Field House six blocks to the east and declared, "I will be back here in February when they tear that place down."
Apparently, so will everybody else, save for Mike D'Antoni. He is unavoidably detained, trying to direct his New York Knicks against the Los Angeles Lakers on ESPN.
D'Antoni could use Hal Greer in his prime, but the NBA legend will be the headline guest in Huntington. The list of former players expected to attend is too long to list here, but fans will see a mixture of oldsters such as Sonny Allen and Tex Williams, to later stars such as Randy Noll and Ken Labanowski, to more recent players who probably never shot a basketball in the building.
Click here to sign up for a one month subscription.
1 Month Online + Print Delivery
$31.99
Click here to sign up for our Premium subscription package.
TO GIVE you the proper time perspective, consider this: Cam Henderson Center is in its 31st season of Marshall University basketball.
The Thundering Herd entered its new on-campus arena in November 1981, after 31 seasons at the (Veterans) Memorial Field House.
That enough symmetry for you?
Perhaps it is fitting that the Field House finally receives its going-out party this week, in this particular year, six-plus decades after it opened. Falling into disrepair and not used much in recent years, the time has come to say goodbye.
The grand old building on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 26th Street will give way to MU's re-entry into the college athletics facilities arms race. A soccer complex will be built on this site, in turn clearing the area of the current MU soccer field for the long-desired indoor practice building.
The arena will be torn down shortly after the Field House Finale, 7 p.m. Friday. Events include a star-studded alumni game, reminiscing about memorable moments at the Field House, a salute to local veterans and a silent auction of Field House equipment, i.e., seats, scoreboards, etc.
Tickets are a well-spent $15, available through herdzone.com or by calling 800-THE-HERD (843-4373).
I had a hint this night would be special when 1971-72 team star Russell Lee, visiting in the MU football pressbox last fall, pointed at the Field House six blocks to the east and declared, "I will be back here in February when they tear that place down."
Apparently, so will everybody else, save for Mike D'Antoni. He is unavoidably detained, trying to direct his New York Knicks against the Los Angeles Lakers on ESPN.
D'Antoni could use Hal Greer in his prime, but the NBA legend will be the headline guest in Huntington. The list of former players expected to attend is too long to list here, but fans will see a mixture of oldsters such as Sonny Allen and Tex Williams, to later stars such as Randy Noll and Ken Labanowski, to more recent players who probably never shot a basketball in the building.
Herb Morris and Walt Walowac are expected to represent the building's first season of 1950-51; Labanowski, Gary Hines, Barry Kincaid and Greg White are scheduled to represent the 1980-81 squad.
Perhaps the most surprising on the guest list is Dwight Freeman, who (a) coached in the late 1980s and 1990s, and (b) whose luck turned really, really south.
The Field House helped Marshall College's transition from its NAIB days into what is Division I today. It saw Greer break the school's color barrier, Charlie Slack's unbreakable record of 25.6 rebounds per game in a season, the end of Cam Henderson's regime, an NIT Final Four team, a team that cracked the national top 10, a few high school state tournaments, the old Catholic tournament, some classic AAU ball and basketball at all age levels. The building also hosted concerts, years of Golden Gloves boxing, pro wrestling and even a season of minor-league hockey.
It saw coach Ellis Johnson put glasses on a stray dog to protest the officiating (a life-size photo of the incident was a concourse fixture). It provided the backdrop for the school's most somber moment, a memorial service for the plane crash victims. The 1970-71 and great 1971-72 team gave the city a diversion from the lingering sorrow.
The students were so close, team benches were moved behind end lines in many seasons. The noise was so intimidating, drop ceilings were built to tame it. More than a few notable schools would not play there.
Marshall left for good reasons. The concourses were incredibly tight by today's standards and parking was brutal, almost all of it on neighboring streets. It was a mile or so off campus, to boot.
When the new arena was hooked onto a legislative package to build new Mountaineer Field, the Field House's exile began. When the Herd left, the Huntington Civic Center, such as it is, had drawn away the entertainment. The public high schools left with the advent of the new Huntington High.
But the memories shall flow forth Friday night. The festivities are a must-see for long-time Thundering Herd fans.
This article is available only to our premium digital content subscribers.
Bidding adieu to the Field House
TO GIVE you the proper time perspective, consider this: Cam Henderson Center is in its 31st season of Marshall University basketball.
The Thundering Herd entered its new on-campus arena in November 1981, after 31 seasons at the (Veterans) Memorial Field House.
That enough symmetry for you?
Perhaps it is fitting that the Field House finally receives its going-out party this week, in this particular year, six-plus decades after it opened. Falling into disrepair and not used much in recent years, the time has come to say goodbye.
The grand old building on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 26th Street will give way to MU's re-entry into the college athletics facilities arms race. A soccer complex will be built on this site, in turn clearing the area of the current MU soccer field for the long-desired indoor practice building.
The arena will be torn down shortly after the Field House Finale, 7 p.m. Friday. Events include a star-studded alumni game, reminiscing about memorable moments at the Field House, a salute to local veterans and a silent auction of Field House equipment, i.e., seats, scoreboards, etc.
Tickets are a well-spent $15, available through herdzone.com or by calling 800-THE-HERD (843-4373).
I had a hint this night would be special when 1971-72 team star Russell Lee, visiting in the MU football pressbox last fall, pointed at the Field House six blocks to the east and declared, "I will be back here in February when they tear that place down."
Apparently, so will everybody else, save for Mike D'Antoni. He is unavoidably detained, trying to direct his New York Knicks against the Los Angeles Lakers on ESPN.
D'Antoni could use Hal Greer in his prime, but the NBA legend will be the headline guest in Huntington. The list of former players expected to attend is too long to list here, but fans will see a mixture of oldsters such as Sonny Allen and Tex Williams, to later stars such as Randy Noll and Ken Labanowski, to more recent players who probably never shot a basketball in the building.
