Kolf Physical Education & Sports Center

Name

Namesake: Robert M. Kolf

Robert Kolf started at the Oshkosh Normal School as a student in 1919 and helped bring four championships to the school in different sports. He returned in 1923 as an instructor and coach and was part of the faculty for 45 years coaching at some point football, baseball, tennis, track and golf. During that time he collected six basketball championships, one in football and one in golf.

Facts

Completion Date: 1971

Renovation Date: Several improvements over the years, major improvements finished in 2013 allowed for a re-dedication.

Cost: $4,100,000

Original Use of Building: The building originally contained three gymnasiums, classrooms, five basketball courts, an indoor track, a rifle range, an athletics department and ROTC offices.

Current Use: Same

History

When Albee Hall expanded the physical education facilities on campus, the enrollment was 1,397 students. When the Kolf Physical Education and Sports Center was considered enrollment had increased beyond 10,000. Albee’s facilities certainly could not support this size of a student body. The University needed a home for its growing physical education program as well as to an expanded array of intercollegiate athletics that was increasingly attracting female athletes as well as men (although for many years, women's basketball used the Albee gym).

Construction of the 145,000 sq foot facility situated on former industrial land, was completed in the school's Centennial year of 1971 for the cost of $4.2 million including equipment.

In addition to the home of the school's physical education department and intercollegiate athletics, Kolf Sports Center features a 6,300 seat field house, three lower gyms, a dance studio and a rifle range as the University's military science department is also housed in the building.

As the structure with the largest seating capacity on campus, Kolf Sports Center has hosted major speakers, concerts, events as well as the University's Spring and Winter commencement exercises.