Ahearn Field House
Encyclopedia
Ahearn Field House is one of the athletic buildings on the campus of Kansas State University
in Manhattan, Kansas
. It is currently home to the K-State volleyball
team and indoor track and field squad, and houses facilities for the Department of Kinesiology and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
The facility was named in honor of Michael F. Ahearn
. Over the years 'Mike' Ahearn served Kansas State University in a variety of roles that included coach, professor, Head of the Department of Physical Education, and Director of Athletics
. Kansas State's men's basketball team posted an all-time record in Ahearn Field House of 369-96 (.793), including six undefeated seasons.
as an intercollegiate sport increased . At the same time, the KSU men's basketball teams enjoyed great success, reaching the Final Four
of the 1948 NCAA tournament
. As a consequence, the number of people attending games steadily increased, and began to exceed the capacity of the existing facility, Nichols Hall
.
By the mid-1940s students would have to climb into the rafters in order to find a seat to watch the men’s team play . Not only was this situation uncomfortable, it was also unsafe.
In the late-1940s the Kansas State Legislature approved the construction of a new and much larger basketball facility, designed to overcome the capacity and safety shortcomings of Nichols Gymnasium.
to 11,700 for the 1987-1988 season. This was the final season in which K-State basketball games were held in Ahearn.
Ahearn Field House hosted the men's NCAA basketball tournament
regional finals six times (1953
, 1955
, 1960
, 1962
, 1965
, and 1969
). It also hosted the national championship match for the 1974 AIAW Women's Basketball Tournament
, as well as a quarterfinal game in the 1976 NIT.
Ahearn Field House provided a legendary homecourt advantage for K-State. Former Kansas State coach Tex Winter
said in his biography Trial By Basketball: "Kansas State won a lot of ballgames because of that crowd. Many times during timeouts you couldn't hear yourself talk. All I could do was scribble a play on the floor. The crowd there never died, even in one of our lulls – the crowd would come alive and pick us up."
The total attendance from 1950 to 1988 was over 4,839,796.
.
Over the years Ahearn has been modified to accommodate a variety of other activities, ranging from additional classroom space to providing venues for other intercollegiate sports such as indoor track and field
and volleyball
. Ahearn has also hosted NCAA volleyball tournament games four times since 1996.
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
in Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city located in the northeastern part of the state of Kansas in the United States, at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. It is the county seat of Riley County and the city extends into Pottawatomie County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 52,281...
. It is currently home to the K-State volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
team and indoor track and field squad, and houses facilities for the Department of Kinesiology and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics.
The facility was named in honor of Michael F. Ahearn
Mike Ahearn
-External links:...
. Over the years 'Mike' Ahearn served Kansas State University in a variety of roles that included coach, professor, Head of the Department of Physical Education, and Director of Athletics
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
. Kansas State's men's basketball team posted an all-time record in Ahearn Field House of 369-96 (.793), including six undefeated seasons.
Background
In the US during the 1930s and 1940s the popularity of basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
as an intercollegiate sport increased . At the same time, the KSU men's basketball teams enjoyed great success, reaching the Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
of the 1948 NCAA tournament
1948 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
-External links:* on Shrp Sports * , source for much of the information on this page....
. As a consequence, the number of people attending games steadily increased, and began to exceed the capacity of the existing facility, Nichols Hall
Nichols Hall
Nichols Hall is a building on the campus of Kansas State University. This building was originally built in 1911 and appears as a castle from the exterior. It burned down in 1968 and was rebuilt again in 1985...
.
By the mid-1940s students would have to climb into the rafters in order to find a seat to watch the men’s team play . Not only was this situation uncomfortable, it was also unsafe.
In the late-1940s the Kansas State Legislature approved the construction of a new and much larger basketball facility, designed to overcome the capacity and safety shortcomings of Nichols Gymnasium.
Facilities
Opened in 1950 with a seating capacity of more than 14,000, Ahearn Field House was one of the first and largest purpose-built basketball arenas in the country. Changing fire codes over the years forced changes to the seating arrangements that eventually reduced seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
to 11,700 for the 1987-1988 season. This was the final season in which K-State basketball games were held in Ahearn.
Ahearn Field House hosted the men's NCAA basketball tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
regional finals six times (1953
1953 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1953 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 22 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 10, 1953, and ended with the championship game on March 18 in Kansas City, Missouri...
, 1955
1955 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
-West region:-National Championship:-External links:* on Shrp Sports * , source for much of the information on this page....
, 1960
1960 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1960 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball in the United States. It began on March 7, 1960, and ended with the championship game on March 19 in Daly City,...
, 1962
1962 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
-Mideast region:-Midwest region:-West region:-Final Four:-External links:* on Shrp Sports * , source for much of the information on this page....
, 1965
1965 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1965 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1965, and ended with the championship game on March 20 in Portland, Oregon...
, and 1969
1969 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1969 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 8, 1969, and ended with the championship game on March 22 in Louisville, Kentucky...
). It also hosted the national championship match for the 1974 AIAW Women's Basketball Tournament
AIAW Women's Basketball Tournament
-1973 tournament:The 1973 AIAW Women's Basketball Tournament was held on March 22–25, 1973. The host site was Queens College in Flushing, New York...
, as well as a quarterfinal game in the 1976 NIT.
Ahearn Field House provided a legendary homecourt advantage for K-State. Former Kansas State coach Tex Winter
Tex Winter
Morice Fredrick "Tex" Winter is a Hall-of-Fame American basketball coach, and innovator of the triangle offense.-Early life:...
said in his biography Trial By Basketball: "Kansas State won a lot of ballgames because of that crowd. Many times during timeouts you couldn't hear yourself talk. All I could do was scribble a play on the floor. The crowd there never died, even in one of our lulls – the crowd would come alive and pick us up."
The total attendance from 1950 to 1988 was over 4,839,796.
Ahearn today
By 1988 many felt that Ahearn – like Nichols before it – had grown outdated , and that year K-State basketball moved to the newly-constructed Bramlage ColiseumBramlage Coliseum
Fred Bramlage Coliseum is a 12,528-seat multi-purpose arena in Manhattan, Kansas. The arena's primary function is as home to the men's and women's basketball teams for Kansas State University. The building also holds offices for Kansas State Wildcats baseball, Intercollegiate Athletics, and Sports...
.
Over the years Ahearn has been modified to accommodate a variety of other activities, ranging from additional classroom space to providing venues for other intercollegiate sports such as indoor track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
. Ahearn has also hosted NCAA volleyball tournament games four times since 1996.
See also
- David Smale, The Ahearn Tradition (1988)
- Mark Bender, Trial By Basketball: The Life and Times of Tex Winter (ISBN 1-886110-90-5 2000)