Nov. 25, 2001

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - It has been called the Roman Coliseum of college basketball. Now Cole Field House hosts its final season before closing on March 3 as the Maryland Terrapins move to Comcast Center in 2002.

``Cole Classics! Maryland Basketball's Leading Men and Moments'' remembers the 10 greatest games and 28 coaches and players who made the Terps one of the nation's perennially Top 20 teams for four decades.

Sure, Elvis, Bruce and Aretha rocked the house over the years. There were two NCAA men's basketball championships, an NCAA wrestling championship and international track and field meets, but Maryland basketball has dominated the facility over 46 years. Indeed, it's not really named Cole Field House, but the W.P. Cole Jr. Student Activities Center for a university board of regents chairman. Facilities were then called field houses and the nickname stuck.

Cole Classics remembers not only coaches Gary Williams, Lefty Driesell and Bud Millikan (along with women's basketball coach Chris Weller), but many All-Americans like Len Elmore, Tom McMillen, John Lucas, Len Bias, Keith Booth and Joe Smith.

Co-written by local sports writers John McNamara (UMCP Class of '83) and David Elfin, Cole Classics also chronicles such storied Terps victories as the 1971 overtime win over South Carolina, 1979 upset of No. 1 Notre Dame, 1982 overtime thriller over No. 1 Virginia and 2001 triumph of Virginia.

Produced by 21st Century Online Publishing, which was founded by Rick Snider (UMCP Class of '82), Cole Classics is $9.95. Offered by regional bookstores, amazon.com and umterps.com, it can also be ordered at 1-800-932-4557 or 21st Century Online Publishing, P.O. Box 276, Waldorf, MD 20604. Add $5 shipping/handling for mail orders.