Savannah Rockwin

March 29, 2017

COMM331
A brick in UMD history

COLLEGE PARK, Md.- On his very first campus visit to UMD, junior at Sanford H. Calhoun
High School Jake Gehdact sat in disbelief as he watched a video capturing what was soon to
become the new and improved Cole Field House.

Combining sports and academics is going to revolutionize not only this campus, but also raise
the bar for other schools to match. Luckily itll be here just in time for the start of my freshman
year.

This new multipurpose establishment -a $155 million project- will soon become home to an
array of athletic, entrepreneurship and research facilities.

The Terrapin Performance Center will be the centerpiece of the field house restoration including:
a full-size indoor football field, two outdoor football fields, and strength and flexibility training
facilities. Eric White, director of player personnel for the football team, notes how the facility
will optimize the football community.

The renovations to the new Cole field house facility will be a game changer for our recruiting
efforts. We are about to have the best facility in the country which will help us attract some of the
best student athletes in our recruiting footprint.

Construction of the ambitious project has been underway since last year as funding has continued
to come in, with the school currently holding $51 million in private donations. One of the
donations that have rolled in thus far is alum and CEO of Under Amour Kevin Planks generous
$25 million contribution.

In 1955, the place to be was this cramped, un-airconditioned arena that thousands of students
gathered in to show off their Terrapin pride. William P. Cole Memorial Field House, originally
known as the Student Activities Building, has been a treasured landmark at the University of
Maryland.

At its completion, it was the second-largest facility- holding of its time on the East coast, falling
just behind New Yorks Madison Square Garden. It laid the foundation for inspiration of other
the construction structures

For nearly half a century, nobody could have imagined the history that would unravel within its
walls. Cole found itself home to historic sporting events, legendary entertainers and renowned
cultural and political speakers. It closed its doors in 2002 when the XFINITY Center better
suited the needs for a large, growing community.

As the need for a superior facility once again translated into the start of new construction, past
history and traditions will be revitalized and preserved into the new Cole Field House.