Huff Hall is a 4,050-seat multi-purpose arena in Champaign, Illinois, United States. The arena opened in 1925 and was known as Huff Gymnasium until the 1990s. It is named after George Huff, who was the school's athletic director from 1895 to 1935.
Huff Hall is home to the University of Illinois Fighting Illini volleyball and wrestling teams. Prior to the opening of Assembly Hall in 1963, it was home to the basketball team as well.
Currently Huff Hall is used for a variety of sporting events, including men's and women's gymnastics, men's wrestling, and women's volleyball. At each athletic event banners are hung of past Illini heroes to remind the crowd of the rich tradition that Illini athletics have had.
Every March from 1926 to 1962, Huff Gymnasium played host to the state finals of the Illinois High School Association boys' basketball tournament.
Huff Hall also served as the home of the women's basketball team. Beginning in the 1970s and continuing through the mid-1990s, the team once again used Huff Hall for home games, as it struggled to fill up the Assembly Hall. Since 1997 the team has used the Assembly Hall exclusively.
From 1927 to 2002 Huff Hall was also home to a 25-yard swimming pool which served as the home of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign Underwater Hockey club and the University of Illinois Water Polo Club. The pool had a consistent depth of 8 ft. which made it ideal for these activities.
In addition to hosting athletic events, Huff Hall is also the home of the College of Applied Health Sciences.
History Originally called the "New Gymnasium", Huff Hall was designed in the Georgian-Revival Style by Charles A. Platt and university architect James M. White. The building's architecture matches that of the Armory, Main Library, the Union, and other campus buildings. At the conclusion of its $772,000 construction in 1925, Huff Hall replaced the Military Drill Hall (now known as Kenney Gym Annex) as the home for Fighting Illini basketball. The "New Gymnasium" was renamed Huff Gymnasium in 1937 following the longtime athletic director's passing.
Men's basketball records at Huff Hall
Season Wins Losses Win pct. Total attendance 1925–26 6 3 0.667 N/A 1926–27 8 3 0.727 61,590 1927–28 3 5 0.375 48,202 1928–29 8 3 0.727 30,139* 1929–30 5 4 0.556 49,418* 1930–31 7 3 0.700 52,440 1931–32 8 2 0.800 57,000 1932–33 8 3 0.727 34,500* 1933–34 9 1 0.900 55,500 1934–35 8 2 0.800 62,000 1935–36 7 3 0.700 78,028 1936–37 7 2 0.778 63,238 1937–38 7 2 0.778 63,600 1938–39 9 1 0.900 57,933 1939–40 10 1 0.909 55,513 1940–41 8 2 0.800 52,751 1941–42 12 1 0.923 65,357 1942–43 10 0 1.000 62,648 1943–44 6 4 0.600 29,812 1944–45 7 3 0.700 44,951 1945–46 11 2 0.846 66,553 1946–47 10 1 0.909 77,808* 1947–48 11 1 0.917 78,388 1948–49 14 0 1.000 49,036* 1949–50 11 2 0.846 83,736 1950–51 12 1 0.923 75,116 1951–52 12 0 1.000 57,788* 1952–53 12 1 0.923 79,957* 1953–54 10 3 0.769 77,378 1954–55 9 2 0.818 64,721 1955–56 12 0 1.000 63,912 1956–57 9 2 0.818 68,448 1957–58 10 3 0.769 76,032 1958–59 9 3 0.750 68,292 1959–60 10 2 0.833 74,719 1960–61 7 3 0.700 60,457 1961–62 8 4 0.667 75,376 1962–63** 9 0 1.000 61,025 Totals 339 79 2,283,362* Notes: * incomplete or partial records. ** played 9 games at Huff Hall but finished season at Assembly Hall. N/R No Records
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