Gampel's 30 yrs old this mo.

[MTHusky]

Can't believe it was 30 years ago this month that I moved from CT to CA after witnessing the St John's game, the 1st game held at Gampel. The next day I was on a plane to L.A. I still have the tee shirt they handed out that night somewhere. The next game I attended was the UCLA regional game, damn you Tius Edney. The last game I attended was the 1999 Final Four in FL. Time flys, thanks to Bob F for the ticket!

 

[XLCenterFan]

I was 7 when Gampel opened, and there wasn't a banner to be found. I remember being in awe of the crowd, and the spectacle on the court...I was absolutely hooked. I remember parking and trudging up the hill from the X lot in the January cold because the garage attached to the bookstore wasn't built yet. I like the lighting better now, but it's still got that same old feel.

 

[tentoes4rings]

Can't believe it was 30 years ago this month that I moved from CT to CA after witnessing the St John's game, the 1st game held at Gampel. The next day I was on a plane to L.A. I still have the tee shirt they handed out that night somewhere. The next game I attended was the UCLA regional game, damn you Tius Edney. The last game I attended was the 1999 Final Four in FL. Time flys, thanks to Bob F for the ticket!

Wow, that was a fast 30 years! I remember watching that game at fraternity house and then running over to Gampel after we upset St. John’s to celebrate with the crowd. That was a very special year to be on campus, one I’ll never forget. Funny how the program completely took off once the team started playing at Gampel.

 

[mauconnfan]

Great day, proud moments for this Husky fan. Boo Harvey and the Redmen vs Smitty and our Huskies.

Wow I am fn old!

 

[Milo65]

I was there! My Junior year. I was a Sports Medicine/Athletic Trainer major and as a student trainer one of the perks was having access to Gampel, so was able to see most of the home games.

 

[wheelerdog]

Was at Calhouns Court’s house watching that night. Great memory.

 

[Vuce]

I was there too Milo and also my junior year. I remember a few years earlier Coach Baylock was showing my parents and I the campus and we stopped at the big parking lot at what would then become Gampel. Over the next few years it was cool to watch it go up little by little. One thing I didn’t like when Gampel opened was that I couldn’t go watch the practices anymore. When the team was practicing in the field house I used to sneak up to the second level in between classes and watch JC scream his lungs out for two hours. The first game in the new place was awesome!

The year Gampel opened seemed like the basketball Gods were with us. Last game in the field house, Gampel opens mid season, the Dove arrives and takes the state by storm, JC wins National Coach of the Year, UConn wins first regular season and tournament Big East Championships, HOME ncaa tournament games in Hartford, and finally back to back classic tournament games one in our favor and one not. That year was the foundation for the great things that were to come. My avatar is the scoreboard at Gampel after that first game. The February 9th game against Cincy will celebrate that 1989-90 team and Gampel opening. Happy Birthday Gampel!

 

[Palatine]

I remember opening night like it was 30 years ago. Dan Cyrulik was a force.

I also remember watching Malik Sealy and thinking, why can't we have a guy like that.

 

[8893]

To Enzo Patoni!

 

[huskyjawz]

What a night. We positioned ourselves by the door for a quick escape, and then sprinted to Ted's right after the final buzzer had sounded. If you're talking about the t-shirt that I'm thinking of, it was hilarious!

 

[SoFla Steve]

I was a season ticket holder in the old field house and I couldn't wait to see a game in Gampel. On opening night, I remember getting a plastic cup, a souvenir ticket and a poster that I framed and is still hanging on my wall, but I don't remember a t-shirt. Was it just for students?

 

[Vancat]

I was there also. Back when we had really awesome seats- lower section, center court. I remember it well. I remember being dazzled by Gampel! (still love it and don't consider it a dump by any means)

 

[FatHank]

Post a pic of the shirt given out if you have one!

 

[TRest]

Our seats were behind the St. John’s bench. I still remember how high Sealy would get on his shot release. And if an opposing team made a run, they would all stand and block our view. Fortunately that was rare back then.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

I was there too Milo and also my junior year. I remember a few years earlier Coach Baylock was showing my parents and I the campus and we stopped at the big parking lot at what would then become Gampel. Over the next few years it was cool to watch it go up little by little. One thing I didn’t like when Gampel opened was that I couldn’t go watch the practices anymore. When the team was practicing in the field house I used to sneak up to the second level in between classes and watch JC scream his lungs out for two hours. The first game in the new place was awesome!

The year Gampel opened seemed like the basketball Gods were with us. Last game in the field house, Gampel opens mid season, the Dove arrives and takes the state by storm, JC wins National Coach of the Year, UConn wins first regular season and tournament Big East Championships, HOME ncaa tournament games in Hartford, and finally back to back classic tournament games one in our favor and one not. That year was the foundation for the great things that were to come. My avatar is the scoreboard at Gampel after that first game. The February 9th game against Cincy will celebrate that 1989-90 team and Gampel opening. Happy Birthday Gampel!

1989-90 has to be the most amazing and yet most heartbreaking in all my years as a fan.
However is was the incredible heartbreak of that year that made the joy of 1999 so much sweeter.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

interesting...

 

[Kolumbo]

I remember when a construction crane fell over the side of the building and bent in half. Not crazy about the architecture today but it is unique.

 

[Get a Job]

interesting...
View attachment 50068

Don't know what this is, but I love it.

 

[gampelcrazies]

interesting...
View attachment 50068

Looks like a bootleg jersey from China.

 

[Rocktheworld]

I think I had attached to my mother’s uterus around this time 29 years ago

 

[History Geek]

I think I had attached to my mother’s uterus around this time 29 years ago

Thanks for making me feel old. I was in grad school. I was at the last game in the Field House vs. Central and the Opening Tip at Gampel three days later vs. St. John’s. After a rough start to the year, we got hot at the beginning of January and were ranked #20. St. John’s was ranked 15th at the time. The rest is UConn Dream Season history.

 

[History Geek]

 

[Kathy]

Still have mine plus poster plus cup

 

[HuskyHawk]

I graduated the year before. Fortunately, my sister was still a student and there were ways to get stickers for your student ID. She also put in the lottery for student tickets and hit it. The best student tickets were in the form of a Willy Wonka style "Golden Ticket". They punched out the games as you attended. My friend Brian and I each had them and so we were behind the basket in the student section for that St. Johns game (and all the others).

Wish I kept that ticket.

 

[huskyjawz]

Still have mine plus poster plus cup

This is not the shirt which I was referring to. It was crude and profane, so read no further, if you don't like that sort of thing. It was a take off on Conn-Dome, which I believe some people were referring to Gampel as, at that time. It had a Husky with a condom(Conn-dom), who was sodomizing a St. John's Redman. Obviously not sold at the co-op, but out in the parking lot.

Sorry.