NCAA Basketball


Year:		Conferences:		Teams:

Seasons	Conferences	Arenas	All Tournaments	NCAA Tournament	Admin

Howard Hall

5000 N Willamette Blvd

Portland, OR 97203

Opened: January 1, 1928

Closed: June 30, 2017

Howard Hall was located on the campus of the University of Portland, in Portland, Oregon. Basketball games could seat some 1,000 spectators, and plays, performances, Masses, and graduations could hold nearly 2,500. It seemed a great leap of faith on the part of the priests, that the University would grow into and around its new athletic facility.

In 1928, Howard Hall was an ambitious undertaking for a small, cash-strapped university. But the old Columbia Colosseum-a giant wooden Quonset hut that reacted to wind much like a sail-was leaking and falling apart. So the Holy Cross fathers launched a fundraising drive and built Howard Hall for about $75,000. The designers utilized every available cent and centimeter: the single basketball court could be used as an auditorium thanks to the stage at one end; a three-story “tower” held offices and storage rooms; and the ground floor was packed with locker rooms, weight rooms, more offices, practice rooms for the music department, and a swimming pool.

Howard Hall served as the main gathering place on campus for decades to come. Varsity as well as pickup basketball games echoed through the main floor; athletics offices wound their way up three stories; the basketball court was used for clandestine Portland Trailblazers practices in the 1970s and 1980s; a very popular recurring event was the UP Smoker, with students competing in boxing as well as wrestling matches in a haze of cigarette and cigar smoke. Fire broke out at least twice over the years, causing serious damage to the basketball court and swimming pool roof. Commencement ceremonies were held there until it became necessary to move to the downtown Civic (now Keller) Auditorium.

Last 10 Games
Date	Opponents	Result

Mar 6, 1984	Gonzaga @ Portland	56 - 55
Mar 3, 1984	Saint Marys @ Portland	48 - 53
Mar 1, 1984	San Diego @ Portland	63 - 56
Feb 16, 1984	Santa Clara @ Portland	68 - 70
Jan 28, 1984	Pepperdine @ Portland	92 - 82
Jan 26, 1984	Loyola Marymount @ Portland	55 - 51
Dec 29, 1983	Cornell @ Portland	61 - 45
Dec 28, 1983	Boise State @ Portland	48 - 49
Dec 27, 1983	Washington State @ Portland	55 - 53
Dec 17, 1983	Oregon State @ Portland	65 - 49