Worthington Arena The Brick | |
![]() Exterior of venue (c.2013) | |
![]() | |
Location in the United States Location in Utah | |
Former names | MSU Fieldhouse (1965–81) MSC Fieldhouse (1957–65) |
---|---|
Address | One Bobcat Circle |
Location | Montana State University Bozeman, Montana, U.S. |
Coordinates | 45°39′48″N111°03′02″W / 45.6633°N 111.0506°W Coordinates: 45°39′48″N111°03′02″W / 45.6633°N 111.0506°W |
Owner | Montana State University |
Operator | Montana State Event Services |
Capacity | 8,455 3,472 (Theatre at The Brick) |
Construction | |
Opened | January 11, 1957 |
Renovated | 1998, 2013 |
Construction cost | $1.6 million ($16.2 million in 2021 [1] ) |
Architect | Wilson & Berg |
Tenants | |
MSU Bobcats ( NCAA) (1957–present) | |
Website | |
Venue Website |
The Brick Breeden Fieldhouse is a multi-purpose indoor arena located on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. [2] It is the home of the Montana State Bobcats of the Big Sky Conference; the primary venue for men's and women's basketball and indoor track and field.
The arena regularly has numerous tournaments, concerts, plays, speaking engagements, and trade shows throughout the year; it annually hosts the high school all-class state volleyball tournament and the MSU Spring Rodeo. The Big Sky men's basketball tournament finals were played here in 1988, [3] 1996, [4] and 2002, [5] and the women's in 1993.
On the south side of campus, its elevation at street level is 4,920 feet (1,500 m) above sea level.
The building was the inspiration of architect Oswald "Ozzie" Berg Jr. and Montana State College (MSC) president Roland Renne, who dreamed of an indoor facility large enough for college football games. Though there was not enough funding to build it big enough to house a full-sized football field, the fieldhouse was the largest clear-span wooden structure in the world, [6] since surpassed by other buildings such as the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Arizona, and the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington.
Opened 65 years ago in 1957 as the MSC Fieldhouse, [7] it was named for longtime basketball coach John "Brick" Breeden in 1981. [8] The main arena was named Worthington Arena in 1985 in honor of Max Worthington, a starting guard on Montana State's 1928-29 national championship team. [9] Both were members of the 1929 "Golden Bobcats" basketball team, [8] named national champions by the Helms Foundation. Breeden later coached the Bobcats basketball team and served as athletic director, and Worthington, also a former coach, served as a school administrator and longtime booster. [8] [9]
From 1959 to 1960, the fieldhouse hosted indoor Little League games. [10]
The arena drew national attention in 1960 as it hosted a National Boxing Association middleweight title bout between Gene Fullmer and Joey Giardello on April 20. [11] [12] [13] It was the first title fight held in Montana in 37 years, since the infamous Jack Dempsey vs. Tommy Gibbons heavyweight bout, [14] which bankrupted the small town of Shelby in 1923. [15] With a national television broadcast guarantee of $100,000 and a sellout attendance of 12,122, the fight, declared a draw, was a tremendous financial success. [16] [17] [18]
The College National Finals Rodeo was annually held in the fieldhouse from 1970 to 1996, with the exception of 1979, when it was in Lake Charles, Louisiana. [19] MSU's annual Spring Rodeo takes place in the arena in April.
The main floor was originally dirt, which was not uncommon for a collegiate multi-purpose field house in that era; Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle long had an unfinished earthen floor. With its usage as a rodeo venue, the dirt surface in Bozeman was practical at the time. [20]
A portable raised basketball court was assembled in the center of the space and wooden boardwalks led spectators from the entrance to the concession stand and bleachers. Basketball players were obliged to wipe their feet after emerging from the dressing rooms and before stepping up to the court.
In 1980, the entire arena floor was covered with a hard tartan (polyurethane) surface and new folding bleachers were installed on the main level. Other than the new floor, the facility changed very little in its first forty years. [21]
In 1998, a $13.2 million renovation was completed that transformed the building into a modern multi-purpose arena. A new main entrance was constructed on the south side that brings spectators into the arena at the mezzanine level. Elevators and other features were added to make the building handicapped accessible. Old bleacher and chairback seats were replaced. The building's mechanical systems were upgraded, and additional fire, life-safety, and seismic features were added to bring the building up to modern codes. The renovation also featured new administrative and coaches offices, locker room improvements, better concession stands, new reception areas, and a new Hall of Fame. The arena can be converted quickly from athletic events to concerts, to theater performances. [22]
Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 fields through its nine colleges. More than 16,700 students attended MSU in fall 2019, taught by 796 full-time and 547 part-time faculty.
Holt Arena is an indoor multi-purpose athletic stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of Idaho State University (ISU) in Pocatello, Idaho. It is the home field of the Idaho State Bengals of the Big Sky Conference and sits at an elevation of 4,560 feet (1,390 m) above sea level.
Beasley Coliseum is a general-purpose indoor arena in the northwest United States, located on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. The home venue for both the Cougars men's and women's basketball teams of the Pac-12 Conference, it opened 49 years ago in 1973, and its current seating capacity is 12,058 for basketball.
Bobcat Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium in the western United States, located on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. It is the home of the Montana State Bobcats college football team of the Big Sky Conference.
Dahlberg Arena is a 7,321-seat multi-purpose arena in the western United States, located on the campus of the University of Montana in Missoula. The arena opened 69 years ago in 1953 and is home to the Montana Grizzlies and Lady Griz basketball teams. It has hosted the Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament five times: 1978, 1991, 1992, 2000, and 2012.
The Montana State Bobcats are the varsity athletic teams representing Montana State University in Bozeman in intercollegiate athletics. The university sponsors thirteen teams including men and women's basketball, cross country, skiing, tennis, and track and field; women's-only golf and volleyball; and men's-only football. The Bobcats compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Big Sky Conference with the exception of the men's and women's skiing teams which belong to the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Ski Association. Their main rivals are the Grizzlies of the University of Montana in Missoula. Both schools are charter members of the Big Sky Conference, which began competition 59 years ago in the fall of 1963.
The Montana State Bobcats men's basketball team represents Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Big Sky Conference. They play their home games at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.
The Gallatin County High School was a public high school in Bozeman, Montana. It was built Romanesque/Classical Revival style in 1902, expanded in c. 1914, and gained an Art Deco addition in 1936–37. The c.1914 and 1936-37 work was designed by architect Fred F. Willson; it was renamed Willson School following its conversion to a junior high school.
John William "Brick" Breeden was a college basketball coach and player. He was a player from 1926 to 1929, and the head coach at Montana State College in Bozeman from 1935 to 1954.
Michael Peter Malone was an American historian who served from 1991 to 1999 as the 10th president of Montana State University. One of Montana's preeminent historians and writers, he was named by both The Missoulian and the Great Falls Tribune newspapers as one of the 100 most influential Montanans of the 20th century. His Montana: A History of Two Centuries was called the "definitive history of the state" by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
The 2016–17 Montana State Bobcats men's basketball team represented Montana State University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bobcats, led by third year head coach Brian Fish, played their home games at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman, Montana as members of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 16–16, 11–7 in Big Sky play to finish in a tie for fifth place. As the No. 6 seed in the Big Sky Tournament, they lost in the first round to Southern Utah.
The 1976 Montana State Bobcats football team represented the Montana State University in the 1976 NCAA Division II football season. The team was led by sixth-year head coach Sonny Holland and won the Division II national championship. The Bobcats played their home games on campus in Bozeman at Reno H. Sales Stadium.
Allyn A. "Sonny" Holland is a former American football player and coach. He was the head coach at his alma mater, Montana State University in Bozeman, from 1971 to 1977. Holland led the Bobcats to two Big Sky titles and the Division II playoffs in 1976, where they won all three postseason games and were national champions.
The 2018–19 Montana State Bobcats men's basketball team represented Montana State University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bobcats, led by fifth-year head coach Brian Fish, played their home games at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman, Montana as members of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 15–17, 11–9 in Big Sky play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. They defeated Idaho in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Eastern Washington.
The 1987–88 Idaho Vandals men's basketball team represented the University of Idaho during the 1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Members of the Big Sky Conference, the Vandals were led by second-year head coach Tim Floyd and played their home games on campus at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho.
The 2019–20 Montana State Bobcats men's basketball team represents Montana State University during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bobcats, led by first-year head coach Danny Sprinkle, play their home games at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman, Montana as members of the Big Sky Conference.
The 2020–21 Montana State Bobcats men's basketball team represented Montana State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bobcats, led by second-year head coach Danny Sprinkle, played their home games at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman, Montana as members of the Big Sky Conference. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the season 13–18, 8–6 in Big Sky play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They defeated Idaho State and Southern Utah before losing to Eastern Washington in the championship of the Big Sky Tournament.
The 1971 Montana State Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented Montana State University in the Big Sky Conference during the 1971 NCAA College Division football season. In their first season under head coach Sonny Holland, the Bobcats compiled a 2–7–1 record.
The 1972 Montana State Bobcats football team was an American football team that represented Montana State University in the Big Sky Conference during the 1972 NCAA College Division football season. In their second season under head coach Sonny Holland, the Bobcats compiled an 8–3 record and won the Big Sky championship.
The 2021–22 Montana State Bobcats men's basketball team represented Montana State University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bobcats, led by third-year head coach Danny Sprinkle, played their home games at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman, Montana as members of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the regular season 24–7, 16–4 in Big Sky play to win the Big Sky regular season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the Big Sky Tournament, they defeated Sacramento State, Weber State, and Northern Colorado, to win the tournament, and earned the Big Sky's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.