Holleder Center, home of West Point’s hockey and basketball programs, begins its 14th year as the venue for Army’s premiere winter sports teams. The 131,000-square-foot building, located adjacent to picturesque Michie Stadium, opened on Oct. 1, 1985, after a 30-month construction period. The $16-million building houses “Tate Rink”, the home of the Army ice hockey team, “Christl Arena”, the venue for the men’s and women’s basketball squads.
Holleder Center was named in honor of Maj. Donald W. Holleder ’56, who was killed in action in Vietnam in 1967. While at West Point, Don Holleder excelled both in basketball and football. He earned All-America honors in the latter, and has been enshrined in the NCAA Hall of Fame.
Holleder Center on the left, West Stands of Michie Stadium top right and Kimsey Athletic Center on the Right
Tate Rink seats 2,746 and continues to attract fans in record numbers while providing the Cadets with a comfortable home-ice advantage. Since their debut in Tate Rink, a 5-0 win over Ryerson Tech on Oct. 25, 1985, the Cadets have enjoyed much success in their new home. In each of the past nine seasons, the Cadets have drawn paid attendance of more than 35,000 patrons per year.
In 1996-97, the Cadets set a third consecutive attendance mark, attracting 42,929 fans to surpass the previous mark of 42,565 established in 1995-96. Ten times in 1997-98, the Cadets played before a home crowd of more than 2,000 ardent supporters, with five of those crowds surpassing 2,500 fans. The all-time single-game attendance mark for Tate Rink is 3,147, established in 1988-89 when Army edged Rensselaer 4-3.
Seating in the rink is comprised of chairback seats, fixed bench bleachers, standing room areas and handicapped-access platforms. All seating is close to the ice, giving the rink a cozy feel that continues to make Tate Rink one of the most popular rinks on the East Coast.
“Christl Arena”
The Edward C. Christl Jr. Arena seats 5,043 and was named for 1st Lt. “Edward C. Christl” Jr. (USMA ’44), who was killed in Austria in 1945. Elected basketball team captain during his senior year, Christl led the Cadets to a perfect 15-0 record.
Christl Arena possesses a Horner hardwood basketball floor, which was refurbished in 1999 and measures 149×116 feet. The arena also contains six Hydra-Rib basketball supports, fixed chair and bench seating for spectators and a four-sided overhead scoreboard at midcourt, easily visible at any angle.
Christl Arena has been host to other sporting events such as international volleyball and gymnastics meets and exhibition basketball contests. It has also been the site of various intercollegiate and high school championship tournaments and has served as home to Army’s women’s basketball team the past six years.
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For What They Gave on Saturday Afternoon 