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| Saturday, March 2 Updated: March 4, 12:56 AM ET Memories of Cole ESPN.com |
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From 1955-2002, Cole Field House has witnessed some of the most outstanding games, players, coaches and events in the history of college basketball and echoes a potpourri of memories. There was the Terps' first ACC championship and NCAA tournament team in 1957-58. There were the two NCAA Final Fours, including the "game that changed everything" when Texas Western upset Kentucky in 1966. In fact, there have been more slayings of the nation's elite teams in College Park's basketball cathedral than anywhere else, from the Maryland victory over No. 1 North Carolina in 1959 to the Terps' 87-73 victory over top-ranked Duke only two weeks ago. And with a visit from Elvis Presley in 1974, it can truly be said that Cole Field House has seen it all. The following are excerpts from of some Cole Field House memories:
Probably my favorite moment was my last game with Lenny Elmore and Rich Porac. We played against Virginia, and the fans lifted us on their shoulders and carried us all around this place. It was a pretty neat moment, although there have been a lot of great moments at Cole, like playing NC State here on Super Bowl Sunday. But probably my most poignant moment was that last game -- the end of your career, so to speak.
My favorite memory of Cole was in my senior year of high school when I was recruited by Maryland. I walked into Cole Field House for the first time at street level and I had never seen an arena of that size for basketball before. From that day on, I knew that I wanted to go to the University of Maryland to play
basketball.
The Jan. 9, 2002, game vs. UNC was thrilling. I don't think that in the four years I was at Maryland we had ever beaten Carolina. And I came to College Park with Maryland having great immediate basketball history. There was that phenomenal 103-100 1974 ACC Championship game against NC State. And John Lucas was the No. 1 pick in the draft in 1976. But it seemed like our games against Carolina were played with such futility, and that's why that game was such a wonderful thing to behold. I'll tell you, I won't be throwing away the ticket stub.
That, and the fact that when I was a student I took a karate class that was taught on the floor at Cole. We'd go a few times a week and we'd dress up in our gui's. That was kind of cool, to do that right on the floor.
There have been so many special moments here. This is one of those real special places for college basketball. The enthusiasm of the student body, right on top of you, just makes it so unique. This place gets electric. The crowd goes into a frenzy and really becomes the "sixth man" and sparks the team. I remember Lenny Bias' era -- how he used to just spark the crowd. It's been special coming in and doing games with this crowd.
I remember Lefty's first game here. When he came out on this court and they played "Hail to the Chief" -- this place went absolutely nuts!
I remember the game was December of '82. UCLA came in ranked third in the country, and Maryland was supposed to be "fair" that year. Maryland beat them in double-overtime. It was a great game -- the place was just jumping like it does when you have a great game -- and when the game was over, Lefty ran to midcourt and was shaking his fist in the air. I thought, "This is as good a moment as he's had," because he was supposed to be the UCLA of the East. There have been so many great moments here because the atmosphere is always so great.
We (Notre Dame) lost here when we were No. 1. But we bounced back because there was a year when Albert King was in his prime and we shut him down ... Cole is one of the best-ever arenas in the country. We've had great wins at Pauley Pavilion, but Cole is special and people will miss it. There are certain places that have that mystique that made the ACC what it was is. This is one of those places. It's like Yankee Stadium. I'm glad to be here in its last year.
Coming from New York, you feel like such a big shot. You feel like you've seen it all. Well, the best memory I have is the first ACC game I played as a freshman in Cole Field House. To run out of that tunnel and see 14,500 people with red and white, their pom-poms going, the band playing -- that will always stay in my mind. I don't even remember who we were playing. I mean, that place now could still be one of the best arenas in the country, and just seeing that place packed and seeing the crowd going crazy for the first time -- I was in awe. There were different games that were great and all, but my first impression was the lasting impression.
Whenever Lefty Driesell used to walk through the door to coach the game, they used to play "Hail to the Chief" and the crowd would just go crazy.
As a sophomore we were playing in the Maryland Invitational. We played a ranked team, St. John's in the final, and I wound up having the type of game that was indicative of the way I played. I got about eight or nine points but I also had 18 or 19 rebounds, blocked some shots, and wound up winning the MVP. The popular song back then was "Jesus Christ, Superstar," and when they gave me the MVP, the band played it. I remember thinking, "this is nuts," and you knew they weren't calling me Jesus Christ or anything, but it was funny. Our final game was also special. We were introduced, and had our families on the floor, and received these almost life-sized pictures of ourselves. And then we proceeded to just dismantle Virginia.
I would say beating Duke. They were the No. 1 team at the time, and we beat them at home for the first time since I've been here. It was just a great feeling. The fans rushed the floor. It was really exciting.
Beating Duke that Sunday afternoon. It was electrifying out there. The atmosphere around that game made it probably one of the biggest games of my college career, and we came away with the win. It was definitely a great feeling, and probably my most memorable Cole Field House moment.
We went over 100 points -- 103 or something -- against Yale. I think it was the first time a Maryland team had done that. We broke 100 points, and we were supposedly the slow-down type of ball club. But that was a different type of ball game.
I really have four. In high school we won the 1963 state championship at Cole Field House when I was a junior. The Texas Western-Kentucky game in 1966, and all that was riding on that, was a very high moment. We sat right behind the Kentucky bench. As a freshman we beat Carolina, and I wasn't playing, but in my mind that was a coming of age, beating a nationally recognized team. But for me, the Maryland-Duke game from this year went off the chart. I was soaking wet like I was playing or coaching. The noise was there before and after the game, and it was as important as any game in Maryland history. It was nationally televised -- the prime game in the country -- and everyone was watching. And the Terps went out and didn't just eek one by, they manhandled what at that time was the best game in the country. I've been to a lot of games, national championships and what have you, and I don't remember a more pulsating (crowd). To have been there, to have been an honorary game captain and watch the Terps play the way they played – I've never been any prouder to be a Terp.
This year's win over Duke is my favorite moment, and my favorite play was Steve Blake's steal before the end of the first half. Everybody was in the building and in his or her seat before the National Anthem, and the end result was just spectacular. It was the most-hyped game we've ever had here, and it put us in first place in the conference, got us in good position heading into the ACC and NCAA tournaments. I don't think any other game played here had so much riding on it at the time.
I became a college basketball fan because of Len Bias, who is still the best college basketball player I ever saw play in person. My fondest memories as a kid were coming (to Cole) and watching the Bias-Keith Gatlin team. I even have a tape of the 1986 game where they won against North Carolina. Every time I come here I look up in the rafters and I see Bias' jersey. He's still my favorite college player ever, and Maryland is really going to miss this place. This is one of the last real gems.
The greatest moments for me in Cole Field House have been related to victories over No. 1 teams, and those in particular would be over Duke and North Carolina. However, I think that if you had to pick it would be the Duke game because other victories were often considered upsets. At this particular time, I think that this team and this coaching staff are as good a group as Cole Field House has ever seen.
The first year was a very good team, with Bob Kessler and all of that crew. Then a few years later we had the team that won the ACC championship in '58, and they were very worthwhile to see because they did so well. One of the sad memories was the year before when North Carolina was undefeated and won the national championship, and we had played them in overtime here and had the game won but then lost it. That was Bud's era, and then later on when Lefty came and we beat highly-ranked South Carolina in overtime -- that was a great victory for Maryland. That was with Jimmy O'Brien and Bobby Bodell and “Big H” Howard White, and they came through right at the end. That was Lefty's beginning highlight, and he had so many wonderful memories. And of course he put the seats on the floor -- in the beginning we didn't have that. Now there are so many memories with Gary, not the least of which was the last game against Duke. We've had so many fine young men that have played basketball for the University of Maryland, and have gone on to great impacts in their lives and professions. The coaches always recruited high-caliber young men, so we've been very fortunate.
I cannot possibly narrow it down. I grew up near Cole Field House and I started going there in 1972. I remember going down on the floor after games and having Brad Davis giving me his sweat bands. I remember going to Lefty Driesell's camps and playing basketball on the floor when I was a kid. I remember the signs that they used to hang on each side of the upper deck, and when I was seven years old, the most important thing to me each game was seeing what the sign said when you came in. I remember Lefty flashing the "V." I remember the chants -- "Go to hell, Carolina! Go to hell!" "If you can't go to college go to State!" Beating Notre Dame when they were No. 1, beating the hell out of Duke the year after we lost the ACC Tournament. I remember the last time I cried after a sporting event was when Maryland lost a big lead to Virginia when Ralph Sampson was there. More than anything, the one thing I wish that never ended at Cole Field House was the "Amen" chorus. The "Amen" chorus was the single greatest thing in sports. When they would start that drum beat, and the people would sing the "Amen" chorus -- that was Maryland basketball. I'd give anything for them to bring that back. I'll be there Sunday, and I'm certain that I'll have a tear in my eye. My dad started bringing me there, like I said, in 1972, and my dad died while I was in college. But I'll be there on Saturday in person, and I feel certain that my father and a lot of other Terp fans will be there in spirit.
My most memorable moment in Cole Field House history was July of 1972 when I was hired. I walked into Cole Field House through the main lobby -- it was empty and I had never seen it. And I thought, "Oh my gosh, this place was huge." I graduated from Florida State and we played our games in Tully Gym, which seated about 3,000 people and had about a 25 or 30-foot ceiling. And when I walked into Cole Field House knowing that I was hired by Spider Fry to be the basketball trainer and this was the basketball arena, I had goosebumps. One of my other memorable moments was when I saw Elvis Presley live here in concert -- I think it was 1974. He was awesome. They sort of had to help him on stage, he was older and bigger then. But the women were swooning all over him, and he was handing out his sweaty scarves -- that was a Cole moment. And CYO track meets were big -- the best indoor meets in the east. The staff would take all of the seats out and build the track.
Basketball-wise, one of my most memorable moments was in 1995 when we knocked off North Carolina. They were ranked No. 1 in the country then. And everybody stormed the floor, and I almost was knocked to the floor. My older son, Brandon, was at the game and he was in awe. He was jumping up and down and ran out to the floor gave me a hug. And this season when we beat Duke when they were No. 1 that was special too. We just soundly pounded Duke. They are a great team, but we played a great game. Everybody contributed, and we just beat them.
There are so many. When Walt Williams had seven straight 30-point games -- three of those were at Cole. The shot that Adrian Branch hit to beat No. 1 Virginia in 1982 in overtime. And certainly the win against Carolina with Steve Francis in 1998 when they came in, and the Duke game from this season would be up there too. Those kind of games at Cole, when the crowd is just electric, are amazing.
The win over Virginia in March of 1982. Maryland was not very good -- I think they finished 16-12 or 16-13 and lost in the first round of the NIT. Buck Williams was gone, Albert King was gone. Ernie Graham and Greg Manning were gone. Adrian Branch was the best player on that team as a freshman. He led the team in scoring, and Lefty had to slow it down all year. They only averaged about 60 points per game, and won some really, really ugly games because that was the only way they could play. Virginia came in here 27-1 and all they had to do was beat "little old Maryland" to wrap up the conference regular season title, and they couldn't do it. Maryland won, 47-45 in overtime, and of the 47 points Maryland scored, Adrian Branch had 29 of them, including a 15-footer in overtime at the buzzer to win it.
The one that certainly everyone associates with me and Driesell's early tenure at Maryland is the win over No. 2 South Carolina in 1971. The first game of the series that year at South Carolina, I did not play. I was in the hospital. But Maryland and South Carolina got into an actual fight on the court, so when South Carolina was to come up here, Lefty came out in the paper and said he couldn't assure them of their safety. He was building it up to be this big grudge rematch. Normally it's just basketball, but this wasn't the case. It all came back to haunt South Carolina when they came back up here. Some sort of militia or state police were surrounding the court -- it was a big event. They were coming in as No. 2, and we slowed the ball down, and the fans were emotional and it was so exciting, and then we won the game. It legitimized the program at that point in time. We were Lefty's first recruiting class, and to beat the No. 2 team in the country made it a special win for us.
The play that tied the game was more difficult than the play that won the game. Howard White was fouled with five or six second left in the game. And he missed the first shot, so the only way for us to tie was for him to intentionally miss the second so we could get the rebound and score. I got the rebound on the missed shot, and the guy I was standing next to was Tom Owens. He's about 6-11 and he and I ended up playing together professionally, and I never let him forget that I outrebounded him and scored on him!
The fans were right behind us. Once the fans recognized what was going on with the game plan, they were very enthusiastic about supporting us. |
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