The Jones-Hill House is an indoor
collegiate sports training
Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...
complex located on of land on the campus of the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
in
College Park, a suburb north of
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
Jones-Hill House is situated in the center of the campus, adjacent to
Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium, near
Stamp Student Union
The Adele H. Stamp Student Union, commonly referred to as "Stamp", is the student activity center on the campus of the University of Maryland, College Park. First constructed in 1954 (with additions in 1962 and 1971), the building was renamed ...
and
McKeldin Library. The building was constructed between 1952 and 1955 at a cost of $3.3 million ($ in ) and served for nearly 50 years as the home court of the
Maryland Terrapins
The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's college sports in the United States, varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate ...
men's and
women's basketball teams.
A multi-phase, $196 million renovation commenced in 2015 to transform the capacity 14,956-seat basketball arena into a sports and academic complex that includes an indoor
practice facility and operations center for the university's football program, a
sports science
Sports science is a discipline that studies how the healthy human body works during exercise, and how sports and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body perspectives. The study of sports science traditionally i ...
and
sports medical research center, and an
incubator for entrepreneurs. The facility was formerly named the William P. Cole Jr. Student Activities Building, commonly known as Cole Field House. In April 2021, the facility was renamed in honor of Billy Jones and Darryl Hill, the first Black men to integrate basketball and football at Maryland, respectively.
The Jones-Hill House, the
indoor practice facility and operations center for the
Maryland Terrapins football
The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland, College Park in the sport of American football. The Terrapins compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Big Ten Conference. The Terrapins jo ...
team (
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...
), opened in 2017.
Though the facility is primarily used for football, it was also used for training by the school's
men's and
women's lacrosse teams The second phase of renovation, which began in late-2017, includes the construction of a addition to the complex.
This new structure will also include a space for the school’s Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Center for Sports Medicine, Health and Human Performance, a sports medicine education, investigation and clinical care center operated in partnership with the
University of Maryland, Baltimore
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1807, it is the second oldest college in Maryland and comprises some of the oldest professional schools of dentistry, law, me ...
.
Jones-Hill House
Jones-Hill House, the indoor practice facility, opened in August 2017 and features a
full-length, 100-yard-long
FieldTurf
FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by FieldTurf Tarkett, a division of French company Tarkett. FieldTurf is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and its primary manufacturing facility i ...
football field with a goal post at each end surrounded by an elevated concourse.
With a nearly height clearance from the field to the center of the roof, the facility ranks among the highest
headrooms in any
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
practice facility.
When completed, the facility will include two full-length outdoor football practice fields, locker rooms, a strength and conditioning center,
hydrotherapy
Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and Physical therapy, physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and ...
and other training facilities, a 180-seat theater-style team meeting room, position meeting rooms, a 230-seat cafeteria, recruiting lounge, and staff offices for the university's football program. A tunnel will connect the Cole Field House Performance Center to
Capital One Field at SECU Stadium.
Center for Sports Medicine Health and Human Performance
The Center for Sports Medicine Health and Human Performance is an academic research center operated in partnership with the
University of Maryland School of Medicine
The University of Maryland School of Medicine (abbreviated UMSOM), located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S., is the medical school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is affiliated with the University of Maryland Medical Center and ...
in
Baltimore
Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
as part of the MPowering the State initiative. The Center studies the treatment of sports-related conditions, including neuroscience with a specific focus on concussions and traumatic brain injury. The facility will also be a treatment center for an array of sports injuries. The Center will initially occupy a space within the Cole Field House complex, with plans to expand to a total of 60,000 square feet (5,600 m2) of space.
History
Cole Field House in 1955 opened as the Student Activities Building, a 12,000-seat basketball arena.
The
$3.3 million facility was constructed to be the home court of the university's men's basketball team. When it opened, the facility was second-largest basketball arena on the East Coast. Only
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...
in
NYC had a larger seating capacity.
The first basketball event hosted in building was played on December 2, 1955, when the Maryland Terrapins beat the
Virginia Cavaliers
The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as Wahoos or Hoos, are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic Coast C ...
by the score of 67–55 in an
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...
regular-season matchup. The structure was renamed the William P. Cole Jr. Student Activities Building in 1956 in honor of Judge
William P. Cole Jr., chairman of the university's
Board of Regents
In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual co ...
from 1944 to 1956. The first head men's basketball coach to call the facility home was
Bud Millikan
Herman A. "Bud" Millikan (October 12, 1920 – January 28, 2010) was the head coach of the University of Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team from 1950 to 1967. He compiled a 243–182 record.
Early life
Millikan was born in Maryville, ...
. In the late 1960s, then-head coach
Lefty Driesell added nearly 3,000 seats around the court raising the hometown decibel level.

Cole Field House was the host site of the
NCAA basketball tournament East Region finals in
1962
The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War.
Events January
* January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
, when
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
defeated
St. John's in the regional final, 94–85. The NCAA Tournament
Final Four
In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...
was first hosted at the facility in
1966
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
and featured the
Duke Blue Devils
The Duke Blue Devils are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the N ...
,
Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30, ...
,
Texas Western (now
UTEP Miners), and
Utah Utes
The Utah Utes are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Utah, located in Salt Lake City. The athletic department is named after the Ute tribe of Native Americans in the Unite ...
. Texas Western (which started all black players) upset Kentucky's all-white team 72–65 before 14,253 spectators. Future
Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
head men's basketball coach
Gary Williams
Gary Bruce Williams (born March 4, 1945) is an American university administrator and former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Maryland, the Ohio State University, Boston College, and American University. ...
, then a student, attended the game. Cole Field House also hosted the
1970 NCAA Final Four.
In
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
, Cole was the site of the first-ever upset of an NCAA Tournament No. 2-seed at the hands of a No. 15-seed, as
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, a city in the United States
* Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...
defeated heavily favored
Syracuse, 73–69.
Cole Field House is the site of the most upsets of No. 1-ranked men's basketball teams. The Terrapins accounted for six of the upsets at Cole, while the other one occurred in the 1966 Final Four where No. 3 Texas Western defeated No. 1 Kentucky. The seventh such occurrence was on February 27, 2002, when
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...
defeated No. 1
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
. The venues which hosted the second- and third-most No. 1 upsets are
Notre Dame's
Joyce Athletics & Convention Center (six) and
Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
's
Lloyd Noble Center (five), respectively.
Replacement
In the 1990s, the administration at Maryland followed a trend occurring at other schools in the
ACC to seek a new facility that provided more seating and amenities than were present at Cole Field House. However, this decision brought some debate. Coach
Gary Williams
Gary Bruce Williams (born March 4, 1945) is an American university administrator and former college basketball coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Maryland, the Ohio State University, Boston College, and American University. ...
privately wished the team remain at Cole due to the home court advantage he received. The small, cramped arena made Cole Field House a loud and difficult place for opponents to play in.
The last Maryland men's basketball game played at Cole Field House was on March 3, 2002, when Maryland defeated Virginia 112–92. The team now plays at the
Xfinity Center. Overall, 13 men's
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...
ns and four women's All-Americans have played at Cole. Maryland men's basketball remained undefeated at Cole during its last season and went on to win the National Championship.
Former uses

After its basketball teams vacated Cole Field House, the facility was used by the university for intramural athletics and administrative offices. A
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
field constructed atop the basketball court was used as a practice facility by some athletes. The concourse also served as a makeshift track for students, faculty, and other members of the University community. When not used for athletics, the building was used for Homecoming events, classes, and held offices.
The structure had been the subject of speculation for renewal and multiple non-University-related reuses. One such plan was to build a station for the future
Purple Line, a light rail line in development by the
Maryland Transit Administration
The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) is a state-operated mass transit administration in Maryland, and is part of the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT). The MTA operates a comprehensive transit system throughout the Washington� ...
. The
Maryland Maniacs indoor football team used Cole Field House as its home venue in 2010.
On September 24, 2013, the Maryland Athletic Department announced that the Terrapin men's and women's basketball teams would hold their Maryland Madness event on October 18 at Cole Field House. It marked the first official athletic event hosted in the facility since the Terps' new arena opened in 2002.
Other notable events
*1965:
DeMatha Catholic High School defeated a
Power Memorial Academy team led by
Lew Alcindor 46–43, ending its 71-game winning streak in front of over 14,000.
*1966:
Texas Western, now the
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public university, public research university in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1913 as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy, it is the third oldest academic component of the Univers ...
, defeated a
Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30, ...
team led by
Adolph Rupp
Adolph Frederick Rupp (September 2, 1901 – December 10, 1977) was an American college basketball coach. Nicknamed the "Baron of the Bluegrass", he coached the University of Kentucky Wildcats to four NCAA Division I men's basketball tournam ...
72–65 to win the national championship. In this game, the victorious Miners were the first basketball team in the NCAA's top level to start five
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
s. Texas Western's victory is considered one of the most important games in the history of college sports.
*1972: A
ping-pong
Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...
match between the United States and the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
is played at Cole, the first sporting event between the two countries.
*1973: An exhibition of the Soviet gymnastics team, including gold medalist
Olga Korbut
Olga Valentinovna Korbut (born 16 May 1955) is a Belarusian retired gymnastics, gymnast who competed for the Soviet Union. Nicknamed the "Old World sparrow, Sparrow from Minsk", she won four gold medals and two silver medals at the Summer Olymp ...
, sells out the arena and is televised locally in the Washington, D.C. area.
*1973: The
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
's
Capital Bullets (now the
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...
) played November home games at Cole while the team transitioned from
Baltimore
Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
to
Landover. Their new home,
Capital Centre, opened on December 2. They had played several home games at Cole during their last seasons in Baltimore.
*September 27 and 28, 1974:
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
in concert. His first concert appearance in the immediate Washington, D.C. area. The venue proved too small. The Capital Centre in Largo, Maryland was booked in 1976 and 1977.
*January 26, 1975: The first televised women's basketball game is played at Cole. Maryland loses to the defending national champions
Immaculata. Some sources report that Immaculata won 80–48,
while others report 85–63.
*1977:
Queen
Queen most commonly refers to:
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen (band), a British rock band
Queen or QUEEN may also refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Q ...
plays at Cole.
*1981: The
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...
played at Cole.
*1998:
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...
performed at Cole.
* March 2015: The Maryland Wrestling High school State Championships was the last championship event to be contested before its conversion to the headquarters of the Terrapins football team.
*November 5, 2015: Comedian
Hannibal Buress
Hannibal Amir Buress ( ; born February 4, 1983) is an American comedian, actor, producer, and writer. He started performing comedy in 2002 while attending Southern Illinois University. He starred on Adult Swim's '' The Eric Andre Show'' from 20 ...
performed in what was the last show at Cole before its conversion to the headquarters of the Terrapins football team.
On April 28, 1973,
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...
played at Cole Field House. The show was particularly notable because Berry (who did not employ a full time band) was backed by
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
and the
E Street Band
The E Street Band is an American rock band that has been the primary backing band for rock musician Bruce Springsteen since 1972. In 2014, the E Street Band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. For the bulk of Springsteen's recordin ...
.
References
External links
*
University of Maryland Jones-Hill Houseon Gilbane.com
{{Authority control
Maryland Terrapins basketball venues
Maryland Terrapins football venues
Basketball venues in Maryland
Former NBA venues
School buildings completed in 1955
Sports venues completed in 1955
Indoor arenas in Maryland
1955 establishments in Maryland
Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973)