Where would sports be without their history?
If there was never Vince Lombardi, would the Packers have such a rich tradition? If there was no Babe Ruth, would the Yankees and Red Sox still hate each other? If Wrigley Field didn’t exist, would anyone go to Cubs games? OK. I was just taking a cheap shot with that last one, but the point is that legends and traditions are what connect people with their teams. They allow fans a glimpse into the past and feel as though they have been a part of it since the beginning, even if they have only been alive for 20 years.
Stadiums are the pinnacle of this connection fans can experience. Lambeau Field for example isn’t the most beloved stadium in the NFL because of its size, jumbo screen or modern architecture. No, it is because we know stars like Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, Johnny Unitas and Roger Staubach played in that exact spot so many years ago. And, if even for a minute, the fans can feel a part of the Ice Bowl or other legendary games that the “Shrine of Pro Football” held.
The University of Wisconsin has a place like this, seldom taken advantage of by its students, that holds a rich history with Wisconsin athletics: the UW Field House.
The Field House has been a home to Wisconsin athletics since 1930 when men’s basketball team opened its gates for the first time in a 17-14 win over Carroll College. Since then, it has seen the rise – and fall in some cases – of Badgers sports.
Pro Football hall of famer Elroy Hirsch practiced there. Legendary boxing coach John Walsh coached Wisconsin’s national power house boxing team there. Even the now-fabled Wisconsin baseball team called the Field House home while winter was still running its course.
When walking into the cozy confines of the Field House, you can’t help but be overtaken by the aura of tradition and pride as the eight banners that symbolize Wisconsin’s boxing national championships loom in the rafters. Old steel beams outline the edges of the seats where your parents or their parents very likely could have sat years ago if they attended UW.
No other place on campus allows you to watch a game like this as the bleachers jut out almost onto the court, and the old four-sided scoreboard lofted in the center of the roof exudes a feeling of traveling back in time.
While it can only hold 11,000-plus in its bleachers, cheers boom off of the same walls that once heard the echo of President John F. Kennedy’s voice in a commencement speech.
Not only does the field house personify the history of Wisconsin’s athletics, but it has a fitting suitor to honor UW’s second-oldest active sports venue in the Wisconsin women’s volleyball team which has called the Field House home since 1974.
This year is better than any to experience the old facility as Wisconsin volleyball showcases an exciting team with a mix of wily veterans and sensational newcomers under the direction of first-year head coach Kelly Sheffield who knows a thing or two about winning volleyball matches.
The Badgers have only dropped one match all season, are ranked in the top 25 and welcome a schedule of opponents that would have Lombardi himself concerned.
Even if you don’t consider yourself a volleyball person, give the Field House experience a chance and see if you don’t find yourself nostalgic for your university and its athletic history. Who knows? You might even discover that the high-flying kills, body-sacrificing digs and energy of volleyball games will grow on you.
You can even be entertained between points as young Wisconsin fans run around the outskirts of the court chasing down a stray volleyball as if life itself depended on it.
The Field House offers a rare look into Wisconsin’s past that for just one or two dollars can be experienced just as students 80 years ago would have and if even just for those two hours, you can feel a connection with your university that may have never been there before.
Spencer is a senior majoring in journalism. Have any great memories about the UW Field House? Let him know at [email protected].
