Field House
- Thread starter tm3308
- Start date
My parents tell some pretty good stories about the place. I never saw a game there but think during my childhood I have been in every single room in that place (including the 500 raquetball courts).
As for Carver it isn't perfect, but it can be lot and crazy in there. I remember sitting in one of the top rows for the Iowa Indiana game when we were ranked #1, started the year 18-0, and beat Indiana 101-88. I think it was the first time a team had scored 100 vs. Bobby Knight. Anyway that was as loud as I ever heard the place and it was crazy.
Carver has it's negatives but packed with 15,500 it can get just as loud as any place. Not Old Fieldhouse loud but up there.
Here's the end of the game-(the whole game is on youtube) Love how they didn't pull the ball out.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A108iyPIjF0&feature=related]1987 Iowa basketball - Indiana 1/22 Part 14 - YouTube[/ame]
I'm too young to have ever seen the field house. However, I just went to the Iowa game against Brown a couple weeks ago, and I came away thoroughly unimpressed.
1) The poop brown seats don't do it for me, let alone when the are empty and I can see them.
2) It's cool that Carver is built like a football stadium, a perfect bowl. But it's not that cool, and I think it makes fans feel disconnected and physically far from the action.
3) There is no student section. I know I picked the wrong game to observe the student section, but I'm not talking about the number of kids that showed up. Other stadiums have marketed their student sections to be seen on the TV broadcast. Cameron indoor doesn't even show the benches, just so the TV audience can look right at the Cameron Crazies unobstructed. Michigan has done something similar (this only uses about 10 rows of sideline seats, nothing major). Carver doesn't show the students at all, they just tuck them away on some crappy bleachers. And what is seen on TV are people just sitting down.
4) I'm sure the renovations/additions are great, but I didn't see those. I simply saw the arena. Something else about the arena, the aisles are too big. They stay the same width all the way down to the floor, and at floor level there is probably a 2:1 ratio of seats to aisle. It's ridiculous.
5) One other thing, I'm not a huge fan of the new floor. The HUGE Mediacom decals are terrible, and screw medicom because they don't show any games on TV, or any real support for the Hawks, other than buying a hideous sticker. And Iowa has officially turned into one of those teams with a midcourt logo that is 5x too big. That tigerhawks sucks, not a classic look at all. I don't mind all the black paint theme though. That part is OK.
6) Plus the uniforms are not any good. They are close, but not quite there yet. The shorts are terrible looking. And the jerseys are close but the main problem is the IOWA font. It is maybe slightly tilted and strangely modern. The font should be more classic.
After all the money and renovations, I am not impressed with Carver. I think that if a team wants to rise to basketball relevance and dominance, it has to have the stadium to make that happen. Obviously if 15,500 were at Carver every game, it would be an ENTIRELY different story, but it's not. Memories of the field house sound great, like it was a raucous environment. Carver ehhh....
1) The poop brown seats don't do it for me, let alone when the are empty and I can see them.
2) It's cool that Carver is built like a football stadium, a perfect bowl. But it's not that cool, and I think it makes fans feel disconnected and physically far from the action.
3) There is no student section. I know I picked the wrong game to observe the student section, but I'm not talking about the number of kids that showed up. Other stadiums have marketed their student sections to be seen on the TV broadcast. Cameron indoor doesn't even show the benches, just so the TV audience can look right at the Cameron Crazies unobstructed. Michigan has done something similar (this only uses about 10 rows of sideline seats, nothing major). Carver doesn't show the students at all, they just tuck them away on some crappy bleachers. And what is seen on TV are people just sitting down.
4) I'm sure the renovations/additions are great, but I didn't see those. I simply saw the arena. Something else about the arena, the aisles are too big. They stay the same width all the way down to the floor, and at floor level there is probably a 2:1 ratio of seats to aisle. It's ridiculous.
5) One other thing, I'm not a huge fan of the new floor. The HUGE Mediacom decals are terrible, and screw medicom because they don't show any games on TV, or any real support for the Hawks, other than buying a hideous sticker. And Iowa has officially turned into one of those teams with a midcourt logo that is 5x too big. That tigerhawks sucks, not a classic look at all. I don't mind all the black paint theme though. That part is OK.
6) Plus the uniforms are not any good. They are close, but not quite there yet. The shorts are terrible looking. And the jerseys are close but the main problem is the IOWA font. It is maybe slightly tilted and strangely modern. The font should be more classic.
After all the money and renovations, I am not impressed with Carver. I think that if a team wants to rise to basketball relevance and dominance, it has to have the stadium to make that happen. Obviously if 15,500 were at Carver every game, it would be an ENTIRELY different story, but it's not. Memories of the field house sound great, like it was a raucous environment. Carver ehhh....
Tmoney12
Well-Known Member
You're obviously to young to remember Carver rocking. Student section does need moved but will never happen.
tm3308
Well-Known Member
There will be a photo slideshow posted on the DI website before too long. There was a mix-up last night and it didn't get uploaded initially. Please feel free to take a look; Adam Wesley and I spent probably an hour and a half at the Field House working to put together a solid collection of photos for this.
FalseMirage
Well-Known Member
Great article. I know that time eventually rolls over everything but still it seems a shame the Field House is soon to be gone. When will the UIHC start building upwards more? At the rate of outward expansion it's only a matter of time until they build on the ground where Kinnick now stands.
jacknicholson
Well-Known Member
Very nice work, Tm, bought back lots of memories. Used to go to concerts at the fieldhouse. Saw the Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, Keith Jarrett, Dr. John and Lou Reed on the same show, The Highway Men amd many others.....
Will be sorry to see it go, but time marches on.....
I have a feeling you will have a very successful career in Jounalism, very good work, Thank You.....
Will be sorry to see it go, but time marches on.....
I have a feeling you will have a very successful career in Jounalism, very good work, Thank You.....
tm3308
Well-Known Member
Very nice work, Tm, bought back lots of memories. Used to go to concerts at the fieldhouse. Saw the Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, Keith Jarrett, Dr. John and Lou Reed on the same show, The Highway Men amd many others.....
Will be sorry to see it go, but time marches on.....
I have a feeling you will have a very successful career in Jounalism, very good work, Thank You.....
Thank you, I appreciate that. I'd like to model myself after Wayne Drehs. I know I've got a long, LONG way to go before I'm even close to that good, but he's easily my favorite writer. And my specialty is in profile stories, just like his is.
papathawki
Well-Known Member
Well done TM. My first time in the fieldhouse was as a freshman in high school. My brother was a freshman at Iowa & our parents had both graduated from Iowa. Our Mom and Dad decided that their vacation would be the the High school basketball tournament state finals held in the Iowa Fieldhouse. During the next 8 years while my brother and I were at Iowa I saw every game of the tournament. I lived 4 years in the Quad, just across the street fromthe fieldhouse. So many games of handball in the upper reaches. In those days handball was more popular than racketball. Needless to say, I went to Iowa basketball when I was there. The reason it would get so loud was that the "upper" bleachers were metal, and hollow, and when we all stomped our feet, it was deafening. I get the DI online every day and next to HN, it's the best source of Hawkeye news.
The field house was a classic: Sam Williams!; Lute vs Minnesota slowdown, like 6-4 at the half?; Miller 6-Pac...down 1 point at the end of a game and would go for a last second shot!; Ronnie Lester's mom hugging Lute at the midnight final four homecoming...tears!; 100 + points per game; downtown Freddy Brown and the Stick; John Johnson; Ralph Miller pulling Houston Breedlove and about ready to rip his head off (a great blocked shot, then a wild offensive shot that almost shattered the backboard...was typical Breedlove!); Bruce "Sky" King and Lute brought truly physical play to the Hawks; standing 10 feet away from Ralph in the north gym watching his six pac practice...anybody could have had this experience in those days; foot pounding on the metal upper bleachers that led to a 2 day post game headache; the year of three centers on the all big ten team: Don Nelson, Terry Dischinger, Jerry Lucas; Rick Mount scoring over 60...and Iowa still wins!; Simon and Garfunkel, nearly 3 solid hours of music including Mrs. Robinson; The Supremes...who looked like robots and sang for only 45 minutes; and finally: Carver Hawkeye could be a real "snake pit" with a full house, students en masse (even seated where they are); oh by the way...media com court? you MUST be kidding.
jacknicholson
Well-Known Member
Almost made me feel like I was back in the Fieldhouse, Doc.....
socalhawkeye198
Well-Known Member
Hot, loud, sight obstructed ... But your heart raced when you were in there. I was there for Stokes, Carfino, Marble, Lohaus. I'm glad I got to experience it, but now that I'm a little more "seasoned," I can't honestly say that I would want to be a season ticket holder if I have to put up with the benches, the heat, etc.
aaronzuriel
Well-Known Member
Great story and good work… MR Tork.
I enjoyed the wonder years of Coach Dick Shultz … Candy LaPrince and home time hero’s Jim Collins and Neil Fegebank in the 70’s (not to mention Mike Gatens… who we sighed (was it some subtle boos when he entered the game?)) between Ralph and JJ and Downtown Freddie (not to mention the real 60’s) and the success of Lute and Ronnie and everything there after.
We were so close and just not so much but I enjoyed Bruce “SKY” King and great moments in Iowa BB in the 70’s.
Who cared if we were that good and at the same time could barely compete with Bobby Knight in 76 and DID COMPETE and come within a couple of points?
We just went and cheered and pounded in the upper deck the seats that made noise and echoed forever.
Ahh the other memories of the Field House and the concerts produced by CUE.. (committee for university entertainment)
Allman Brothers, Jethro Tull, Linda Rondstat (what a cutie back in the day) Beach Boys, YES, Steely Dan and Frank Zappa… many more I forget about.
Back in the day when no when ever heard of a NO Smoking sign.
aah well everything must end
I enjoyed the wonder years of Coach Dick Shultz … Candy LaPrince and home time hero’s Jim Collins and Neil Fegebank in the 70’s (not to mention Mike Gatens… who we sighed (was it some subtle boos when he entered the game?)) between Ralph and JJ and Downtown Freddie (not to mention the real 60’s) and the success of Lute and Ronnie and everything there after.
We were so close and just not so much but I enjoyed Bruce “SKY” King and great moments in Iowa BB in the 70’s.
Who cared if we were that good and at the same time could barely compete with Bobby Knight in 76 and DID COMPETE and come within a couple of points?
We just went and cheered and pounded in the upper deck the seats that made noise and echoed forever.
Ahh the other memories of the Field House and the concerts produced by CUE.. (committee for university entertainment)
Allman Brothers, Jethro Tull, Linda Rondstat (what a cutie back in the day) Beach Boys, YES, Steely Dan and Frank Zappa… many more I forget about.
Back in the day when no when ever heard of a NO Smoking sign.
aah well everything must end
Very nice work, Tm, bought back lots of memories. Used to go to concerts at the fieldhouse. Saw the Allman Brothers, The Grateful Dead, Keith Jarrett, Dr. John and Lou Reed on the same show, The Highway Men amd many others.....
Will be sorry to see it go, but time marches on.....
I have a feeling you will have a very successful career in Jounalism, very good work, Thank You.....
No freakin' way!!! Allman Bros are one of my all time faves (even though Duane was 9 years gone before I was even born)...had no clue they ever played in Iowa, let alone the field house. What year was that???
aaronzuriel
Well-Known Member
Unfortunately 528646 it was after Duane had passed in the motorcycle accident. At the same time the Brothers rocked the Field House.
Not to steal a thread.. but any other memories of the Field House and concerts (esp from CUE) from the 60's into the 70's and maybe into the 80's?
DeputyHawk
Well-Known Member
Carver can get really loud and shake as well. I went to the Iowa - Penn St. NIT quarterfinal game in I think 1995 or somewhere around that year. It was Settles, Kingsbury, and Woolridge's sophomore year and we got screwed out of the NCAA tourney.
Anyways when John Amaechi was shooting free throws at the end, I couldn't hear my friend sitting right next to me and the entire arena was shaking. It was an incredible feeling.
Then....Pete Lisicky hit a buzzer beating 3 pointer and ended our season.
Anyways when John Amaechi was shooting free throws at the end, I couldn't hear my friend sitting right next to me and the entire arena was shaking. It was an incredible feeling.
Then....Pete Lisicky hit a buzzer beating 3 pointer and ended our season.
