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Phog Allen inside the Allen Fieldhouse crowd of 20,000 there in 1968, months before his assassination. World-famous entertainers have performed there, from Harry Belefon- te—who performed the first concert in Allen in November 1964—to Louis Armstrong, Ike and Tina Turner, Elton John, the Beach Boys and comedian Bob Hope. In 2004, President Bill Clinton spoke alongside former Kansas Sen. Robert Dole. The Fieldhouse hosted KU commencements when bad weather forced participants away from Memorial Stadium and indoors. It host- ed enrollment in the fall when students still pulled cards for classes. Two indoor track world records were set in the building. Vol- leyball, wrestling, even crew teams practiced there. All of the greatest athletes in KU’s rich his- tory—Wilt Chamberlain, Gale Sayers, Jim by Bob Luder, Ryun, Lynette Woodard—practiced or com- photos from Kenneth Spencer peted in the building that is commonly re- Research Library, University of Kansas ferred to as “the house that Wilt built.” Allen Fieldhouse has been everything to ev- Though not modern like many of eryone. “Allen Fieldhouse is considered the front porch of the University,” says John Novotny, the athletic venues across the country, who was associated with the university from 1966 through 1981 as an academic coun- its intimate atmosphere and selor, assistant athletic director and first Wil- liams Education Fund director. historic qualities are what make Of course, there’s what Allen Fieldhouse is mostly known for: the home of Jayhawks Allen Fieldhouse special. basketball. There are all of those great teams, play- ers and coaches (six of the eight who have As a junior at Salina Central High School, Richard Konzem wasn’t unlike most other wide-eyed farm kids grow- “Being a farm kid from Kansas … the limestone exterior and size of coached the Jayhawks did so in the field- ing up in central Kansas.
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