Huff Hall Centennial
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois College of Applied Health Sciences (AHS) and Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA) are partnering for the centennial celebration of Huff Hall, one of the most historic buildings on the U of I campus, during the 2025-26 academic year.
Students, alumni, and community members are invited to a special Huff Hall program inside Huff Gym beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7, which will include several speakers associated with both AHS and DIA. The event is free and open to the public with doors open at 2 pm. Shuttle buses running between the Bielfeldt Athletics Administration Building (1700 S. Fourth St.) and Huff Hall will be available beginning at 2 p.m. The buses will also shuttle between the two buildings for 30 minutes after the completion of the program.
Those in attendance will be able to view items retrieved from the "New Gymnasium" time capsule that was constructed on June 7, 1924, when groundbreaking for the building occurred. New Gymnasium was renamed George Huff Gymnasium in 1937 after the longtime athletic director's death in 1936. The first basketball game at the facility was on Dec. 12, 1925, when the Fighting Illini defeated Butler, 23-22. In addition to being the home to Fighting Illini basketball from 1925-1963, Huff Gym hosted the "Original March Madness" during the Illinois High School Association state basketball tournaments from 1926 through 1963.
AHS and DIA are also partnering with The News-Gazette in producing a special Huff Hall edition that will be available with that day's newspaper as well as available prior to the event on Nov. 7. A display case located inside the southwest entrance to the building has several historical items associated with both AHS and DIA, as well as a historic timeline highlighting many of the milestone events and research over the past 100 years.
Returning alumni from both AHS and athletics teams will have several special opportunities during the weekend, including men's basketball, wrestling, women's basketball, and volleyball games and matches.
Academics always has been a vital component in the history of Huff Hall. In 1932, the Board of Trustees established the School of Physical Education with authority to award the degree of Bachelor of Science. In 1957, the board changed the name of the school to the College of Physical Education, which included the Department of Physical Education for Men; Department of Physical Education for Women; Department of Health Service; Department of Recreation, two divisions, a bureau and two clinics. Today, Huff is the nerve center for the College of Applied Health Sciences, which is composed of three academic units: Health and Kinesiology, Speech and Hearing Science, and Recreation, Sport and Tourism, as well as two service units: the trailblazing Disability Resources and Educational Services unit, and the one-of-a-kind Chez Veterans Center. Each of these departments and units boast renowned faculty producing groundbreaking research.
Many NCAA and Big Ten Conference championship events have been hosted at Huff, including the 1940 and 1947 national wrestling tournaments, multiple NCAA volleyball tournament matches, NCAA men's gymnastics regional meets and national championships, and the first and second rounds of the 1997 NCAA Women's Basketball Championships.
More information about Huff Hall and its history can be found at fightingillini.com/feature/huffhall100.
