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.jpg) Interior of the facility in 2017 | |
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| Former names | Student Activities Building (1955–1956) |
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| Address | 4095 Union Lane College Park, MD United States |
| Coordinates | 38°59′16.6″N76°56′48.1″W / 38.987944°N 76.946694°W /38.987944; -76.946694 |
| Owner | University of Maryland |
| Operator | University of Maryland Athletics |
| Type | Sports center |
| Current use | Strength training |
| Construction | |
| Opened | December 2, 1955; 69 years ago (December 2, 1955) |
| Construction cost | $3.3 million ($38.7 million in 2025[1]); $196 million (renovation)[2] |
| Architect | CannonDesign (renovation) |
| Tenants | |
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| Website | |
| umterps.com/joneshillhouse | |
TheJones-Hill House is an indoorcollegiate sportstraining complex located on 14.5 acres (5.9 ha) of land on the campus of theUniversity of Maryland inCollege Park, a suburb north ofWashington, D.C.[3] Jones-Hill House is situated in the center of the campus, adjacent toCapital One Field at Maryland Stadium, nearStamp Student Union andMcKeldin Library. The building was constructed between 1952 and 1955 at a cost of $3.3 million ($38.7 million in 2025[1]) and served for nearly 50 years as the home court of theMaryland Terrapinsmen's andwomen's basketball teams.[4] A multi-phase, $196 million renovation commenced in 2015 to transform the capacity 14,956-seat basketball arena into a 356,000-square-foot (33,100 m2) sports and academic complex that includes an indoorpractice facility and operations center for the university's football program, asports science andsports medical research center, and anincubator for entrepreneurs.[5] The facility was formerly named theWilliam P. Cole Jr. Student Activities Building, commonly known asCole Field House. In April 2021, the facility was renamed in honor of Billy Jones and Darryl Hill, the first Black men to integrate basketball and football at Maryland, respectively.[6]
The Jones-Hill House, theindoor practice facility and operations center for theMaryland Terrapins football team (Big Ten Conference), opened in 2017.[7] Though the facility is primarily used for football, it was also used for training by the school'smen's andwomen's lacrosse teams[8] The second phase of renovation, which began in late-2017, includes the construction of a 196,000-square-foot (18,200 m2) addition to the complex.[3] This new structure will also include a space for the school’s Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Center for Sports Medicine, Health and Human Performance, a sports medicine education, investigation and clinical care center operated in partnership with theUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore.[7]
Jones-Hill House, the 160,000-square-foot (15,000 m2) indoor practice facility, opened in August 2017 and features afull-length, 100-yard-longFieldTurffootball field with a goal post at each end surrounded by an elevated concourse.[9][10] With a nearly 90-foot (27 m) height clearance from the field to the center of the roof, the facility ranks among the highestheadrooms in anyNCAA practice facility.[10] When completed, the facility will include two full-length outdoor football practice fields, locker rooms, a 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m2) strength and conditioning center,hydrotherapy and other training facilities, a 180-seat theater-style team meeting room, position meeting rooms, a 230-seat cafeteria, recruiting lounge, and staff offices for the university's football program.[11][12] A tunnel will connect the Cole Field House Performance Center toCapital One Field at SECU Stadium.[13]
The Center for Sports Medicine Health and Human Performance is an academic research center operated in partnership with theUniversity of Maryland School of Medicine inBaltimore as part of the MPowering the State initiative.[14] The Center studies the treatment of sports-related conditions, including neuroscience with a specific focus on concussions and traumatic brain injury. The facility will also be a treatment center for an array of sports injuries.[15] The Center will initially occupy a 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m2) space within the Cole Field House complex, with plans to expand to a total of 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) of space.[16]
Cole Field House in 1955 opened as theStudent Activities Building, a 12,000-seat basketball arena. The$3.3 million facility was constructed to be the home court of the university's men's basketball team. When it opened, the facility was second-largest basketball arena on the East Coast. OnlyMadison Square Garden inNYC had a larger seating capacity.[4] The first basketball event hosted in building was played on December 2, 1955, when the Maryland Terrapins beat theVirginia Cavaliers by the score of 67–55 in anAtlantic Coast Conference regular-season matchup.[17] The structure was renamed the William P. Cole Jr. Student Activities Building in 1956 in honor of JudgeWilliam P. Cole Jr., chairman of the university'sBoard of Regents from 1944 to 1956. The first head men's basketball coach to call the facility home wasBud Millikan. In the late 1960s, then-head coachLefty Driesell added nearly 3,000 seats around the court raising the hometown decibel level.[18]
Cole Field House was the host site of theNCAA basketball tournament East Region finals in1962, whenNew York University defeatedSt. John's in the regional final, 94–85. The NCAA TournamentFinal Four was first hosted at the facility in1966 and featured theDuke Blue Devils,Kentucky Wildcats,Texas Western (nowUTEP Miners), andUtah Utes. Texas Western (which started all black players) upset Kentucky's all-white team 72–65 before 14,253 spectators. FutureHall of Fame head men's basketball coachGary Williams, then a student, attended the game. Cole Field House also hosted the1970 NCAA Final Four.[19] In1991, Cole was the site of the first-ever upset of an NCAA Tournament No. 2-seed at the hands of a No. 15-seed, asRichmond defeated heavily favoredSyracuse, 73–69.[20]
Cole Field House is the site of the most upsets of No. 1-ranked men's basketball teams. The Terrapins accounted for six of the upsets at Cole, while the other one occurred in the 1966 Final Four where No. 3 Texas Western defeated No. 1 Kentucky. The seventh such occurrence was on February 27, 2002, whenMaryland defeated No. 1Duke. The venues which hosted the second- and third-most No. 1 upsets areNotre Dame'sJoyce Athletics & Convention Center (six) andOklahoma'sLloyd Noble Center (five), respectively.[21]
In the 1990s, the administration at Maryland followed a trend occurring at other schools in theACC to seek a new facility that provided more seating and amenities than were present at Cole Field House. However, this decision brought some debate. CoachGary Williams privately wished the team remain at Cole due to the home court advantage he received. The small, cramped arena made Cole Field House a loud and difficult place for opponents to play in.[22]
The last Maryland men's basketball game played at Cole Field House was on March 3, 2002, when Maryland defeated Virginia 112–92. The team now plays at theXfinity Center. Overall, 13 men'sAll-Americans and four women's All-Americans have played at Cole. Maryland men's basketball remained undefeated at Cole during its last season and went on to win the National Championship.
After its basketball teams vacated Cole Field House, the facility was used by the university for intramural athletics and administrative offices. Asoccer field constructed atop the basketball court was used as a practice facility by some athletes. The concourse also served as a makeshift track for students, faculty, and other members of the University community. When not used for athletics, the building was used for Homecoming events, classes, and held offices.
The structure had been the subject of speculation for renewal and multiple non-University-related reuses. One such plan was to build a station for the futurePurple Line, a light rail line in development by theMaryland Transit Administration.[23] TheMaryland Maniacs indoor football team used Cole Field House as its home venue in 2010.
On September 24, 2013, the Maryland Athletic Department announced that the Terrapin men's and women's basketball teams would hold their Maryland Madness event on October 18 at Cole Field House. It marked the first official athletic event hosted in the facility since the Terps' new arena opened in 2002.[24]
On April 28, 1973,Chuck Berry played at Cole Field House. The show was particularly notable because Berry (who did not employ a full time band) was backed byBruce Springsteen and theE Street Band.[citation needed]
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| Preceded by | Home of the Maryland Terrapins 1955–2002 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NCAAMen's Division I Basketball Tournament Finals Venue 1966 1970 | Succeeded by |
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