Huff Hall

Huff Hall is a 4,050-seat multi-purpose arena in Champaign, Illinois, United States. The arena opened in 1925 and was known as Huff Gymnasium until the 1990s. It is named after George Huff, who was the school's athletic director from 1895 to 1935.

George Huff Hall
Huff Hall
Former namesNew Gymnasium (1925-1937)
Huff Gym (1937–1992)
Location1206 S 4th St
Champaign, IL 61820
Public transitFourth and Gregory
1 Yellow, 8 Bronze,
22 Illini
OwnerUniversity of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
CapacityVolleyball, Wrestling: 4,050
Gymnastics: 3,800
Record attendanceVolleyball: 4,536
SurfaceHardwood Courts
Construction
Broke groundJune 7, 1924
Opened1925
Renovated1992, 2002[1]
Expanded2011[2][3]
Construction cost$772,000
ArchitectJames M. White
Charles A. Platt
General contractorEnglish Brothers Co.
Tenants
Fighting Illini Men's Basketball (1925–63)
Fighting Illini Women's Volleyball (1990–present)
Illinois Fighting Illini men's gymnastics
Fighting Illini Women's Gymnastics
Fighting Illini Wrestling

Huff Hall is home to the University of Illinois Fighting Illini volleyball and wrestling teams. Prior to the opening of Assembly Hall in 1963, it was home to the basketball team as well.

Currently Huff Hall is used for a variety of sporting events, including men's and women's gymnastics, men's wrestling, and women's volleyball. At each athletic event banners are hung of past Illini heroes to remind the crowd of the rich tradition that Illini athletics have had.

Every March from 1926 to 1962, Huff Gymnasium played host to the state finals of the Illinois High School Association boys' basketball tournament.

Huff Hall also served as the home of the women's basketball team. Beginning in the 1970s and continuing through the mid-1990s, the team once again used Huff Hall for home games, as it struggled to fill up the Assembly Hall. Since 1997 the team has used the Assembly Hall exclusively, although it struggles with a losing record and to fill up the Assembly Hall.

From 1927 to 2002 Huff Hall was also home to a 25-yard swimming pool which served as the home of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign Underwater Hockey club and the University of Illinois Water Polo Club. The pool had a consistent depth of 8 ft. which made it ideal for these activities.

Huff Hall Swimming Pool, circa 2001.

In addition to hosting athletic events, Huff Hall is also the home of the College of Applied Health Sciences.

Huff Hall following the last wrestling meet of the 2019-2020 season.

History

Originally called the "New Gymnasium", Huff Hall was designed in the Georgian-Revival Style by Charles A. Platt and University Architect James M. White. The building's architecture matches that of the Armory, Main Library, the Union, and other campus buildings. At the conclusion of its $772,000 construction in 1925, Huff Hall replaced the Military Drill Hall (now known as Kenney Gym Annex) as the home for Fighting Illini basketball. The "New Gymnasium" was renamed Huff Gymnasium in 1937 following the longtime athletic director's passing.

Men's basketball records at Huff Hall

Season Wins Losses Win pct. Total attendance
1925–26630.667N/A
1926–27830.72761,590
1927–28350.37548,202
1928–29830.72730,139*
1929–30540.55649,418*
1930–31730.70052,440
1931–32820.80057,000
1932–33830.72734,500*
1933–34910.90055,500
1934–35820.80062,000
1935–36730.70078,028
1936–37720.77863,238
1937–38720.77863,600
1938–39910.90057,933
1939–401010.90955,513
1940–41820.80052,751
1941–421210.92365,357
1942–431001.00062,648
1943–44640.60029,812
1944–45730.70044,951
1945–461120.84666,553
1946–471010.90977,808*
1947–481110.91778,388
1948–491401.00049,036*
1949–501120.84683,736
1950–511210.92375,116
1951–521201.00057,788*
1952–531210.92379,957*
1953–541030.76977,378
1954–55920.81864,721
1955–561201.00063,912
1956–57920.81868,448
1957–581030.76976,032
1958–59930.75068,292
1959–601020.83374,719
1960–61730.70060,457
1961–62840.66775,376
1962–63**901.00061,025
Totals 339 77 .815 2,283,362*

Notes:

  • *denotes incomplete or partial records.
  • **denotes played 9 games at Huff Hall but finished season at Assembly Hall.
  • (N/R) denotes no records [4]

References

  1. Huff Hall, Home Of The `Whiz Kids,' Still Wheezing Along. Chicago Tribune. 1993. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  2. UI trustees OK funds for Huff Hall addition. The News Gazette. Champaign, Illinois. 2008. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  3. Khan Annex opens at Huff Hall on UI campus. The News Gazette. Champaign, Illinois. 2011. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  4. Men's basketball all-time records Archived 2015-02-10 at the Wayback Machine

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.