The Buildings of Central Michigan University
Ronald W. Finch Fieldhouse
Opened 1951
Cost: $1.25 million
Finch Fieldhouse was built in 1951. It was remodeled in 1968. Before the construction
of the Student Activity Center and Rose/Ryan Hall, it served as Central's main
athletic building. At the time it was built, it was the largest building on
campus and the second largest gym in the state. It had a 4,700 seating capacity,
an indoor track including jump pits, and a 30 by 75 foot pool. In the first
game played in the new building, Central beat the University of Michigan's basketball
team.
The building currently houses the Department of Military Science, the Department of Recreation, Parks, and Leisure Services Administration, and parts of the Park Library.
Finch
Hall was dedicated on October 20, 1962 for the head of the Physical Education
department from 1942 to 1959. Ronald W. Finch was born on October 19, 1902 in
Howard City. He graduated from Rockford High School. Before coming to Central
as a faculty member, he taught high school for twelve years, teaching in Clare,
Lowell, St. Joseph, and Saginaw. He received his Bachelor of Science from Central
in 1932 and his Master of Arts from Columbia in 1941.
Finch joined the Central faculty in 1937. He was the head track and football coach until 1946. He became the first dean of the college of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation when it was formed in 1959. He and his wife Bernice had three sons.