When Yost Field House opened its doors on South State Street in 1923, it was the largest indoor collegiate athletic complex in the U.S.
Named for U-M football coach and athletic director Fielding H. Yost, the field house was designed in the Italian Romanesque style (think: sturdy stone walls and lots of arches) frequently used in European churches in the 11th and 12th-centuries. Boasting approximately 7,500 spectator seats, locker rooms, training facilities, an equipment room, and a playing field long enough for a 75-yard dash, Yost was utilized by multiple U-M sports teams.
The football, baseball, track and gymnastics teams all practiced or competed there, and Yost was home to the men’s basketball team for more than 40 years (until Crisler Arena opened in 1967), thanks to a portable court installed during the winter season.
In the early 1970s, Yost also served as a locker room and weight conditioning area for coach Bo Schembechler’s football team.
In 1973, the university spent a half-million dollars to convert the field house into an ice arena. Since that time, Yost Ice Arena has been home to U-M’s varsity men’s hockey team and, at times, to the U-M women’s and men’s club hockey teams, the synchronized skating club team, and other U-M and Ann Arbor-area ice programs.
The U-M varsity hockey team won its first game at Yost Ice Arena on Nov. 2, 1973, with a 6-2 win over Waterloo Lutheran.
Over the years, Yost Ice Arena has undergone multiple renovations — in 1992, 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2012. The upgrades have improved various aspects of the arena, including the seating, lighting, sound systems, scoreboards, windows, locker rooms, training facilities and press box areas. Today, the arena can hold approximately 6,600 spectators, but it often sounds like considerably more, thanks to the Children of Yost, an extraordinarily passionate student cheering section.
Since the late 1970s, U-M hockey games at Yost consistently sell out, and the arena is well known to be an intimidating environment for visiting teams.
In October 2017, the ice rink was officially named the Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena to honor the legendary U-M men’s varsity player and coach.
