Remembrance of Autry Past
These days, Autry Court and Gymnasium might look like the setting for a post-apocalypse sci-fi thriller. But make no mistake: Beneath the facade of rubble and twisted metal, a renaissance is about to spring forth. We’ll feature that rebirth in an upcoming issue, but in the meantime, let’s take a stroll through Autry’s history.
Before Autry Court was built, the basketball team traveled off campus to compete, a fully equipped recreational facility didn’t exist and there was no pool, much less a swim team. A rainstorm during commencement or an inauguration could spell disaster, because there wasn’t an on-campus building able to adequately accommodate such an event. So, when Autry Court opened in 1950, it was a dream come true for students, athletes, fans and administrators.
At the time, Autry Court was considered the finest basketball arena in the state of Texas, with a permanent seating capacity of 5,000 and temporary bleachers that could accommodate another 600 fans. Allie Kinsloe Autry, one of Rice’s earliest boosters and the court’s namesake, would have been proud. Her daughter, Allie May Autry Kelley ’25, donated $250,000 in her name for the construction, and by the time the fundraising effort was finished, gifts totaling $1.5 million had been raised.
Early Years
Autry opened on Dec. 9, 1950, in time to host the first men’s basketball game of the 1950–51 season, but the official dedication ceremony didn’t take place until March 10, 1951. That day was memorable in more ways than one. Before the ceremony started, a power failure plunged the building into darkness and shut down the ventilation and public-address systems. The problem was fixed after a short delay, and the ceremony was able to move forward as planned.
In fall 1953, a windstorm put Autry Court out of commission again. J. Fred Duckett ’55, who served as Autry’s public-address announcer from 1954 to 2000, recalls staring in amazement as a gust removed the entire roof of the building. “A freak gale worked its way underneath the tar paper,” he said. “It blew the whole roof off and filled the arena with filthy water.”
The water warped the floor, but, with basketball season fast approaching, there wasn’t time to replace it. “They had to sand and reshellac it where they could,” Duckett said. “The floor wound up with dead spots where the ball wouldn’t bounce. I knew where the spots were, but visiting teams didn’t. They’d be dribbling, and all of a sudden, the ball would just stop.”
The Rice men’s basketball team went on to earn its first Southwest Conference championship that season.
“In those days,” Duckett said, “it was standing room only.” Most students went to great lengths to see the Owls, even if it meant cheering in formal wear. “During debutante season, we’d have fans who were on their way to parties show up in formal gowns,” Duckett said. “It was funny to see all those ball gowns and tuxes in the crowd.”
In addition to housing the basketball team, the new facility provided much-needed competition and practice spaces for Rice’s swimming, diving and volleyball teams. When women’s teams in swimming, volleyball and basketball were added to the varsity lineup in 1979, Autry Court also grew with the construction of the east and west gyms. The additions provided much-needed space for physical education classes, intramural games, recreational activities, and new racquetball and squash courts.
A Breath of Fresh Air
During the 1980s, the facility began to show its age. The pool approached its life expectancy of 40 years, and the gymnasium, despite improvements such as a new scoreboard and lighting, was fast becoming outdated. Perhaps the biggest challenge for fans and players was Autry’s lack of air conditioning.
Interesting fact Nelson Mandela, Kofi Annan, Mikhail Gorbachev, Bill Clinton and the Dalai Lama, among others, have addressed the world from Autry Court.
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Without air conditioning, even a moderately warm day quickly transformed the gym into a sweltering sauna. Temperatures inside often rose into the 90s, and Duckett made a habit of announcing them at games. The Athletic Department employed a squadron of towel boys to wipe sweat off the court during basketball season, and enormous electric fans were situated in front of the windows to increase ventilation. When that didn’t suffice, a roof fan was installed to pull the hot air out of the building.
In 1989, Dallas Morning News reporter Steve Richardson dubbed Autry “the Jungle Gym” because of its steamy environs. Students latched onto the moniker, dressing accordingly once a year on Jungle Day. The atmosphere during Jungle Days turned so raucous that visiting teams often found themselves unable to hear each other and had to move huddles to center court.
Students spent the 1990–91 academic year adorning Autry with signs that read, “Cool it!” in hopes that the administration would take action to relieve the unbearable heat. Then-president George Rupp listened to the calls for improvement and installed an air-conditioning system in 1991, thanks to a fundraising drive headed by Joyce Pounds Hardy ’45. At $1.2 million, the project to cool Autry cost almost as much as the initial construction.
The system was designed to cool a full house on a day in March, but, as any Houstonian can tell you, many days in the city send the mercury higher than the average March temperature. Ironically, March 5, 1992, was one. On this unusually warm day, the men’s basketball team faced the University of Texas, fans filled the court to watch the game, and ESPN went live with one of its few broadcasts from Autry Court. Approximately 800 fans attended, and, as the heat inside the building soared, people broke out windows to let air in. The heat must have helped — Rice came out on top, 103 to 97.
Upgrading Autry
Rice athletics spent the 1990s outgrowing Autry Court. During volleyball season, three teams — women’s volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball — all needed the court to practice, driving team practices late into the night and early morning. A new practice facility was needed. A generous gift from the Martel Foundation rectified the space crunch. Fox Gym, dedicated to the memory of Marian Fox Martel’s parents, was added to the west side of Autry in 1998.
For nonvarsity athletes, the biggest change, next to air conditioning, came in 2001, when the administration of recreational programs, intramural sports and the weight rooms was transferred from the Department of Kinesiology to the Office of Student Affairs. Boyd Beckwith, assistant dean of students, spearheaded major improvements to the facility.
Cardio and fitness rooms were constructed in 2002, thanks to a $250,000 gift from Katherine and Carl Isgren ’61. The gift also funded the addition of needed equipment, including updated weight-lifting machines — an enhancement that satisfied much of the demand for equipment during peak hours.
Beckwith also oversaw many small improvements in the facility that translated into big changes for people who used the gym. The racquetball courts were repainted, new fitness programs were introduced, and David Chien ’01 painted a mural to brighten up the weight room.
The pool, however, continued to be a major problem. State of the art in 1950 translated to woefully out of date in the 21st century. “The pool still held water — sort of,” said Beckwith. “It was a constant headache, though, in terms of having to replace pumps and to keep the chlorine levels even.” Frequent closures were common, frustrating student–athletes as well as recreational swimmers.
Feeling the Pain
When Tropical Storm Allison hit in 2001, it caused a number of problems for Autry, not the least of which was the need for asbestos abatement in the basement shooting range, which had been closed for years. The storm is often blamed for making it necessary to replace the gym floor, but that actually came about because the floor was extremely hard — basically wood on concrete — and athletes were getting shin splints and knee injuries. Former Owl basketball star Bobby Tudor ’82 felt the pain and, in 2002, generously funded a softer and safer floor.
Many others continued to work hard on improving the facility, loving it for what it was and forgiving what it wasn’t. Among them was Frank Liu ’78, who contributed funding for padded seats and seat backs for the court in 2004. Others however, felt that little more could be done to improve Autry without constructing an entirely new building. A major study of Rice athletics released in spring 2004 called for a new recreation and athletic center for the school. That conclusion was underscored on Oct. 2, 2004, when rain forced the inauguration of President David W. Leebron into Autry, pushing the facility to its limits once again.
However, Leebron is the last Rice president who will be inaugurated in old Autry. By the time such an event occurs again, Autry Court will have undergone a major reconstruction, which will include four new concession stands, a four-sided center-fixed LED scoreboard, a team store and a second-level club lounge. “I enjoy imagining what it will be like when we have a true state-of-the-art gym and recreation center,” Beckwith said.
And if all goes according to schedule, Rice’s faculty, staff, students, players and fans will no longer have to imagine come fall, when the doors to the beloved Autry Court and Gymnasium will swing open once more.