Foster Auditorium facts for kids
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| Location | University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 |
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| Owner | University of Alabama |
| Operator | University of Alabama |
| Capacity | 3,800 |
| Opened | 1939 |
| Tenants | |
| Alabama Crimson Tide Men's Basketball (1939–1968) Women's Basketball (1975, 2011–2016) Volleyball (1974–1995, 2011–present) |
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Foster Auditorium
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Wallace standing against desegregation while being confronted by Deputy U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach at the University of Alabama.
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 Location in Alabama
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| Location | Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
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| NRHP reference No. | 05000457 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 5, 2005 |
| Designated NHL | April 5, 2005 |
Foster Auditorium is a special building at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was built in 1939. The building was part of a program called the Works Progress Administration. This program helped people find jobs during a tough time in history.
Over the years, Foster Auditorium has been used for many things. It hosted Alabama Crimson Tide basketball games for men and women. It also held volleyball matches. People gathered there for graduations, important talks, and concerts. For a long time, it was the biggest indoor building on campus.
The auditorium is named after Richard Clarke Foster. He was the president of the University of Alabama from 1937 to 1941.
In 2005, Foster Auditorium was named a National Historic Landmark. This means it's a very important place in American history. It earned this title because of a famous event that happened there in 1963.
Sports and Amazing Shots
Foster Auditorium has seen many exciting sports moments. One incredible event happened on January 4, 1955. During a basketball game, an Alabama player named George Linn made an amazing shot. He threw the ball 84 feet and 11 inches across the court! The ball went into the basket right as the first half ended.
This incredible shot was so famous it was featured in Sports Illustrated magazine. It is even remembered at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. A special brass marker was placed on the gym floor to show where George Linn stood for his shot.
A Moment in History: The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
Foster Auditorium is most famous for a historic event called the "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door." This happened on June 11, 1963. At that time, many schools in the United States were still segregated. This meant black students and white students went to separate schools.
Two brave black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood, wanted to enroll at the University of Alabama. However, the governor of Alabama, George C. Wallace, tried to stop them. He stood in the doorway of Foster Auditorium on their registration day. He had promised during his election campaign that he would not allow the university to be integrated.
President John F. Kennedy stepped in. He called on the Alabama United States National Guard to make sure the students could enter. Governor Wallace spoke out against this action. But he knew he could not win against the National Guard and federal officials. So, he eventually moved aside. Vivian Malone and James Hood were then able to enter and register for classes.
This event was a very important moment in the Civil Rights Movement in America. It helped show that segregation was wrong and that all students deserved equal opportunities.
The famous scene from that day was even shown in the 1994 movie Forrest Gump.
In 2013, the courtyard at the back of the auditorium was named the Malone-Hood Plaza. This honored James Hood and Vivian Malone. This plaza is also home to the Autherine Lucy Clock Tower. Autherine Lucy was the first black student to attend the University of Alabama.
