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Huff Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois set up for gymnastics
Even if you’ve never been to the University of Illinois and you’ve never heard of Huff Hall, you are quite familiar with a term that was coined during the days when the IHSA boys state basketball championships played in the gym. It’s actually pretty fitting that I’m writing about this right now. The term “March Madness” is a term that was trademarked by the IHSA after a court battle that also gave the NCAA a right to trademark the term. The IHSA still claims to have invented the term and they own the sole trademark to the phrase “America’s Original March Madness” which is how they bill their tournament these days
The phrase “March Madness” was first used in 1939 to describe the state basketball championships that were held at Huff Gymnasium. The layout and design of the building made it loud and when the place was full, it was deafening. If you’ve ever watched an IHSA small schools game, you know how loud it can get.
Huff Hall was built in 1925 as a multi-purpose gymnasium named after George Huff who was the school’s athletic director from 1895 to 1935. It’s a 4,500 seat arena with a permanent upper deck and retractable bleachers in the lower area. Like Michigan State’s Jenison Fieldhouse, Huff Hall is the home of the U of I’s volleyball, wrestling, and gymnastics teams. Read the rest of this entry »
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