2008 Woodie Awards
Griffin and Martelli relive great Fieldhouse moments
Kathleen Radebaugh '08
Issue date: 5/10/08 Section: Sports
The memory of Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse will forever extend beyond the red gym, 54th street, and the Philadelphia zip code. It will forever be the home of the Hawks, and no multi-million dollar blueprint will ever change that.
Dedicated in November of 1949 to alumni who gave their lives in World War II, the first basketball game played on its court was a 62-46 loss to Rhode Island. For good measure, the next 23 games were wins. Seating 3,200 fans, the arena went through renovations in the late '80s and early '90s with new lower level seating, and a new roof and locker-room, but nothing as extensive as this year's renovations.
But it is the community and the people within the building who never change their devotion to St. Joe's that are worth more than any physical improvements.
In a quiet office with only half a window and a week's worth a pink message slips and schedule changes, Phil Martelli, head coach for Saint Joseph's University men's basketball, shares his favorite snapshots of the Fieldhouse.
"When you say Fieldhouse to me, what pops in my head is the press conference where I was named the head coach," said Martelli. "Being up in the Hall of Fame room, I understood that view had changed. Not just my view of the court or the university, but outsiders' views of me had changed. You could feel it happening in that moment."
From 10 years as an assistant coach to being named consensus National Coach of the Year in 2004, every day Martelli pursues a passion, not a job. Martelli and the program extend beyond tournament titles and win totals to national merit. He can measure a game's importance not by the pre-game hype, but by whether or not he can see the windows above the court.
"I tried not to look around and become distracted, but I would occasionally check up top and if I couldn't see the windows, I knew it was an important game," he said.
The Fieldhouse has hosted more than 116 sellouts over the last decade. In 2003-04, every game was full as the Hawks made their way to regular-season perfection. The following season, not one seat was empty. Those same numbers came together again in March 2008 to celebrate the last home game with a victory against Xavier.
Dedicated in November of 1949 to alumni who gave their lives in World War II, the first basketball game played on its court was a 62-46 loss to Rhode Island. For good measure, the next 23 games were wins. Seating 3,200 fans, the arena went through renovations in the late '80s and early '90s with new lower level seating, and a new roof and locker-room, but nothing as extensive as this year's renovations.
But it is the community and the people within the building who never change their devotion to St. Joe's that are worth more than any physical improvements.
In a quiet office with only half a window and a week's worth a pink message slips and schedule changes, Phil Martelli, head coach for Saint Joseph's University men's basketball, shares his favorite snapshots of the Fieldhouse.
"When you say Fieldhouse to me, what pops in my head is the press conference where I was named the head coach," said Martelli. "Being up in the Hall of Fame room, I understood that view had changed. Not just my view of the court or the university, but outsiders' views of me had changed. You could feel it happening in that moment."
From 10 years as an assistant coach to being named consensus National Coach of the Year in 2004, every day Martelli pursues a passion, not a job. Martelli and the program extend beyond tournament titles and win totals to national merit. He can measure a game's importance not by the pre-game hype, but by whether or not he can see the windows above the court.
"I tried not to look around and become distracted, but I would occasionally check up top and if I couldn't see the windows, I knew it was an important game," he said.
The Fieldhouse has hosted more than 116 sellouts over the last decade. In 2003-04, every game was full as the Hawks made their way to regular-season perfection. The following season, not one seat was empty. Those same numbers came together again in March 2008 to celebrate the last home game with a victory against Xavier.
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