Allen Fieldhouse - History

History

The construction of Allen Fieldhouse began in 1952, but quickly slowed to a halt because of a federal mandate restricting steel consumption following the Second World War and during the Korean War. However, university officials were able to find a loophole: by adding some rooms for gun and weapons storage, construction of the building was able to continue under the guise of an "armory."

The concourse was originally an indoor track, and at times the Fieldhouse has been home to men's and women's basketball, indoor track and field, volleyball, and practice facilities for the American football and softball teams. It has since specialized as facilities were constructed around campus to accommodate these needs, and now serves exclusively as the home for Jayhawk basketball.

Allen Fieldhouse has also hosted several NCAA tournament regionals, NBA exhibition games, and occasional concerts such as The Beach Boys, Elton John, James Taylor, Sonny and Cher, Leon Russell, Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, Tina Turner, Harry Belafonte, Henry Mancini, The Doobie Brothers, Kansas and Bob Hope as well as speakers, including former U.S. President Bill Clinton in 2004, U.S. presidential candidate Senator Robert F. Kennedy (which drew over 20,000) in 1968 and the anarchist Abbie Hoffman in 1970.

Kansas won 69 consecutive games at the Fieldhouse between February 3, 2007 and January 17, 2011 until Texas ended the longest streak in NCAA Division I since 1992 with a 74-63 win against Kansas on January 22, 2011. This streak broke Kansas' previous school record, which lasted from February 26, 1994 through December 18, 1998 (during which time, the Jayhawks left the Big Eight Conference to become a charter member of Big 12 Conference). The Jayhawks also completed a 55-game streak between February 22, 1984 through January 30, 1988, which remains a record for the Big 8 era.

Throughout the era of the 12-team Big 12 (1997–2011), the Jayhawks compiled an amazing 43-2 (.955) record in Allen Fieldhouse vs. the teams from the south division (Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech). A south team did not win in the Phog in the first 10 seasons of the Big 12 until Texas A&M broke through in 2007. And then it did not happen again until Texas was able to get it done in 2011. Following the end of the 2011 season, the Big 12 no longer has divisions. Of further note, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State can claim victories in Allen Fieldhouse prior to the Big 12 in Big 8 conference play. Baylor and Texas Tech have never won there.

Max Falkenstien was a stalwart figure in the radio booth, working every home game in Allen Fieldhouse from its construction to his retirement in 2006, 51 years later.

Allen Fieldhouse was originally built with a capacity of 17,000. During Ted Owens' coaching period (1964–83), the capacity was reduced to 15,200. It was raised to 15,800 in the 1986 offseason, and since 1993, its official capacity has been 16,300. Of these seats, 4,000 are dedicated to current KU students, with most of the remainder taken by season-ticket-holding members of the Williams Educational Fund, the fundraising arm of KU Athletics, named after Lawrence banker Dick Williams and his sons, Skipper and Odd. The largest crowd in Allen Fieldhouse for a basketball game was 17,228 on March 1, 1955 when the building was dedicated. Barring another expansion of seating, it is unlikely that this record will ever be broken as fire codes have forced KU to strictly enforce the building's capacity since the mid-1980s.