Blue Heaven | |
![]() Interior in 2006, before renovation | |
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Full name | William Donald Carmichael, Jr. Arena |
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Former names | Carmichael Auditorium (1965–2010) |
Location | 310 South Rd Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, United States |
Coordinates | 35°54.57155′N79°2.72447′W / 35.90952583°N 79.04540783°W |
Owner | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Operator | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Capacity | 6,822 |
Construction | |
Broke ground | May 1964 |
Opened | December 4, 1965 |
Renovated | 1998, 2008–2009 |
Expanded | 1976 |
Construction cost | $1.725 million (original construction) $36.4 million (2008-09 renovation) [1] |
Architect | Corley Redfoot Architects (2008-09 renovation) |
Structural engineer | LHC Structural Engineers (2008-09 renovation) |
Tenants | |
North Carolina Tar Heels (NCAA) Men's basketball (1965–1986) Women's basketball (1975–present) Women's gymnastics (1982–present) Wrestling (1965–present) |
William Donald Carmichael, Jr. Arena (formerly known as Carmichael Auditorium and commonly known as Blue Heaven) is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. It is home to four Tar Heels athletic teams: women's basketball, volleyball, women's gymnastics, and wrestling. It is named for William Donald Carmichael, Jr., a popular former school vice-president and brother of All-America basketball player Cartwright Carmichael.
Although there had been concerns as early as the late 1940s that the men's basketball team's needed a new home to replace 6,000-seat Woollen Gymnasium, the need for a larger arena had become acute by the 1960s with the team's growing popularity. The Tar Heels were forced to move home games to Charlotte or Greensboro, which were more than double Woollen's size.
However, the state was unwilling to fund a completely new arena. As a result, Carmichael Auditorium was built as an annex to Woollen; it shares the older facility's eastern wall. It originally seated just over 8,800 people, but was expanded to 10,000 seats in 1976. [2]
Carmichael was known as one of the loudest arenas in the country while the Tar Heel men played there, largely because of a low roof and a student section that ringed the court. [3] In part due to this formidable home court advantage, the men had a record of 169–20 (.894) in just over 20 seasons there. Dean Smith was the Tar Heels' coach for their entire tenure in Carmichael. The Tar Heels won their second NCAA title in 1981–82, while playing at the arena.
In their last game at Carmichael, the 1985-86 Tar Heels men's team beat the North Carolina State Wolfpack 90–79 on January 4, 1986. The team moved to the Dean Smith Center two weeks later. After a remodeling project completed in 2009, capacity is 8,010.
A new floor was installed in 1998, after a roof fire that occurred in February during renovations. The arena was completely remodeled beginning in spring 2008, and the women's team joined the men in the Dean Smith Center until completion in December 2009. The facility was officially renamed Carmichael Arena during the women's team's matchup against rival Duke on February 28, 2010.
By 1948, there began to be sentiments that Woollen was too small. [4] In 1958, after the university began to reduce the number of true home games, the student newspaper The Daily Tar Heel showed dissatisfaction with that decision and felt a new gym with a larger capacity would be needed to keep drawing strong competition. [5] The article cited how Coach Adolph Rupp and the Kentucky Wildcats played at Duke in front of a less than capacity crowd and would not return because they made little money off the visit. [5] In July 1962, there was a request to the North Carolina state legislature by the Consolidated University to receive funds to build an addition to Woollen Gym rather than a new $6 million coliseum as some had proposed. [6]
It was an incredible home-court advantage. Today, in the newer arenas, it takes two or three minutes to walk from the court to the locker room. From our locker room, we opened a door that was six and a half feet high, everybody ducked to get out, and after five or six steps you were on the court. We’d sit in the locker room and we could hear the crowd outside. To come rushing into that setting with people right on top of you sent chills up and down your spine.
North Carolina Forward and Center Mitch Kupchak (1972–76) [7]
As the Tar Heels increased in popularity, the university chose to have home games at off–campus venues as Woollen's seating was so limited, [8] choosing to play in Charlotte or Greensboro instead. [9] By playing at these locations, the school would turn more profit than normal home games at Woollen since student tickets were limited for these games and the venue was larger, allowing more tickets to be sold to the masses. [9] In the team's final season at Woollen, the Tar Heels only played seven true home games. [8] Due the various factors including Woollen Gymnasium's capacity, basketball practices being interrupted by intramural sports, and limited office space, the University of North Carolina administration sought plans to build a new facility. [10] The venue was to be named for William Donald Carmichael Jr. a former school vice president and former varsity basketball player from 1917 to 1920, as well as brother of Cartwright Carmichael. [11] [12] The Woollen's seating capacity the amount of home games the school could host to around seven games a season, it was hoped that the opening of Carmichael Auditorium would allow for ten home games a season. [13] The new Auditorium's facilities would contain offices for all athletic departments, except for football which would be housed in the then Kenan Fieldhouse, in the east endzone of Kenan Memorial Stadium. [14] A trophy hall will be located in the entrance hallway and housed the trophies of all the athletic programs. [14]
Construction began in May 1964 for the new annexed Auditorium. [15] On August 16, 1965, a water main that was connected improperly broke and flooded the auditorium with eight inches of water, which delayed the construction until a new floor could be placed. [15] [16] The burst was estimated to cost around $14,000 extra to repair. [16] It was hoped that the larger capacity (then estimated to be 10,000) in the auditorium would allow the university to turn a profit on home games for basketball. [15] With the 10,000 projected seats, it would have been the sixth largest "building of its type" in North Carolina. [15] Two-thirds of the seats will be arm-chairs, while the remainder were bleachers that can be retracted with hydraulics. [15] At the time, the basketball program only made money from road trips. [15] By September 1965, it was estimated the total cost of the facility was $1.725 million, with the opening of the new facility university accountant Vernan Crook hoped to turn a profit of $1,000 to $2,000 per home game. [15] The structural steel utilized for the project cost $502,000. [16]
A lighter blue was used for some of the overhead beams in order to provide good background for the colorful clothes people wear to games. [16] It was reported the dark blue used "expresses the structure." [16] There was a 24 foot by 40 foot hydraulic stage that was added to meet the requirement of an "auditorium" by the state legislature. [16] In total when completed Carmichael contained 65,112 square feet of space. [16] The bleacher seats were placed along the eastern wall that was shared with Woollen and were foldable in order to allow for the stage to rise. [16] The seats in the venue were wood and plastic with a metal frame. [16] [17] The venue featured four bathrooms and four concession stands. [16] In addition, there were sixteen offices located within the building. [16] The backboards utilized were made of Herculite glass and weighed approximately 250 pounds. [16]
Athletic Director C.P. Erickson stated that the new building would not be large enough to fit the growing student body and that the school would need to start planning on how to expand the venue further to accommodate the growth. [15] At that time, the air conditioning ducts had been installed but the school lacked the funds for installing the cooling equipment. [15] The Auditorium was first opened on October 12, 1965 when it hosted University Day to commemorate the 170th anniversary of the university's founding. [18] [19] In front of a crowd of around 4,000, Chancellor Paul F. Sharp spoke regarding the school's current climate. [20] On Saturday November 6, following the North Carolina–Clemson football game in Kenan Memorial Stadium, Carmichael hosted its first basketball game where the men's freshman basektball tea squared off against the varsity team. [21] The game had free admission and started at approximately 4PM local time. [21] [22] In an upset, the freshman team led by Rusty Clark and Bill Bunting won 78–74. [23] [24] A rematch was held on the following Wednesday. [23] Nancy Wilson performed the first concert in Carmichael later that evening at 8PM local time, tickets were $1 for students and $1.50 for general admission. [25] [26] Construction was finished in time for the start of the 1965–66 season, where they defeated the William & Mary Indians 82–68 in front of a crowd of roughly 7,000. [27] [28] However, the seats were not fully installed yet, which led to a maximum capacity of 7,000 with the goal to completely installed by December 11. [29] [30]
In a column over the increasing ticket issue, The Daily Tar Heel in January 1976 wrote that the capacity was truly 8,170 despite being reported as 8,800 and that demand was typically double capacity at least since its opening. [31] [32] In the 1975–76 season the auditorium contained 6,617 permanent seats at the time, 3,200 to students (1,503 bleacher seats and 1,697 permanent seats), 2,350 went to the Rams Club (where one must've donated $500 in 1975 to get the opportunity to purchase tickets), 2,150 tickets to faculty and staff, and 500 were reserved for press, player's families, Dean Smith's office workers, or given out as complimentary by the athletic department. [32] Priority system was developed prior to the 1975-76 season because there were over 9,000 faculty and staff members and it ranked the following criteria in descending order: years of ticket purchase, length of employment at North Carolina, and rank. [32] Ultimately it was believed no matter the way the lottery was done, the only solution to the ticket problem would be a larger facility. [33]
Before the 1972–73 season, students gathered at eight distribution centers within Carmichael to receive tickets. [32] It was reported that students had been injured during these massive gatherings for ticket distribution. [32] Starting with the 1972–73 season, a first-come first serve method, or "perserverence method" as it was called, was utilized. This led to the formation of long queues in front of Carmichael the night before distribution before being let in to wait in the seats at Carmichael. [32] [34] [35] Starting with the 1975–76 season, the school decided it would randomly distribute the tickets to the first 3,200 that arrived in order to reduce the chaos by those arriving early to get a better seat. [32] This new system was felt to be improved compared to the first come first serve method, but some students still preferred the previous way. [35]
Following a recommendation from Coach Smith, plans were approved in late March or early April 1976 to increase capacity in Carmichael by 900 seats through the removal of 6,617 permanent seats with aluminum back supported bleachers. [31] [36] [17] It was estimated the change from seat to bleacher would give a two-inch reduction per seat leading to roughly 2 more people per row. [31] Students were to receive 450 of the new seats. [36] [34] Carmichael at the time sat 8,200. [31] [36] The renovation costed approximately $62,000 and was paid for with the athletic budget. [31] [36] South Carolina Seating Company won the bid for the job. [31] When asked about enlarging Carmichael itself, Coach Smith stated that "We have been exploring that for a long time but we don't know structurally if that can be done or to what extent. It's still in the thought stage." [31] [36] Following the renovation's completion, the former seats were sold to fans. [36] There was some concern that expanding the venue in this manner would impact recruiting, to which Smith dismissed. [31] [17] [36] He added "... two years from now no one will remember what type of seats we had." [31]
Issues with limited seating capacity forced the university to consider a new facility starting in the 1970s. [37] The school had started scheduling some home games in Greensboro and Charlotte as they had prior to Carmichael's opening when the team was still in Woollen. [17] However, at the time a large fundraising effort for the school was ongoing and efforts would be started following its conclusion in 1979. [37]
There were times at Carmichael when the crowd was so loud that a referee would call a foul or a violation and nobody would stop playing. The ref would have to almost tackle the guy with the ball because it was so loud. It was nutty in there, and it was hot.
North Carolina Forward and Center Tommy LaGarde (1973–77) [7]
The venue was known for its loud atmosphere and temperature, so much that Maryland Terrapins coach Lefty Driesell and Virginia Cavaliers coach Terry Holland accused Dean Smith of tampering with the thermostat. [38] Smith would often keep Carmichael warm during practice to simulate the stuffy game conditions. [37] Long time assistant coach and future head coach Roy Williams once said "I guarantee you that for $1,000, Coach Smith couldn’t have found the thermostat or the light switch in Carmichael Auditorium." [37]
Carolina played their final home game at Carmichael on January 4, 1986 against NC State Wolfpack and won 90–79. [12] [39] Since the team's departure for the Smith Center, the men's basketball has returned to Carmichael on two occasions in 2010 and 2019, where they played William & Mary as a part of the National Invitation Tournament and won 82–70 and later against Wofford, losing 68–64. In total, Carolina played 191 games in Carmichael and finished with a record of 170–21 (.890). [12] As of the conclusion of the 2021–22 season, Carmichael has the best home winning percentage of the five home venues for the Tar Heels. [12] The Tar Heels went undefeated at Carmichael Auditorium in six of their twenty-one seasons at the facility: 1969–69 (9–0), 1970–71 (9–0), 1971–72 (9–0), 1978–79 (9–0), 1983–84 (9–0), and 1977–78 (10–0). [12] The most losses in a single season while playing in Carmichael came in the 1972–73 campaign when the Tar Heels lost three games. [40] The Tar Heels showed success in the Atlantic Coast Conference, winning the ACC regular season title in 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985, while winning the post–season conference tournament in 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, and 1982. [41]
Carmichael hosted many concerts and public speakers over its early years, but those numbers declined into the mid-1970s. [42] [43] Since its opening, the acoustics had been criticized in Carmichael, while the noise reverberating off the steel beams lining the "dome-like ceiling" was a benefit during home basketball games, it had been negatively received by musicians and concert go-ers. [42] While performing, Stephen Stills commented on the acoustics in Carmichael stating: "It sounds like the inside of a goddamn toilet bowl in [Carmichael]." [N 1] Concerts also had declined because the Carolina Union could not afford the asking price of the desired acts in combination with the fact musicians started to gravitate towards scheduling larger regional venues in order to increase revenue like the Greensboro Coliseum. [42] [43] In response to these developments, the school began scheduling smaller acts at Memorial Hall which sat around 1,600 in 1976. [43] Then Carolina Union Director Howard Henry commented that when Carmichael was being built ceiling acoustic panels were declined to be included in construction and if added in 1976 would cost approximately $100,000. [43] Some of the notable performers in Carmichael include: Louis Armstrong (1965), [44] The Supremes (in 1965), [45] Jethro Tull (in 1971), [46] Black Sabbath (in 1971), [47] Fleetwood Mac (in 1975), [48] Talking Heads (in 1983), [49] Prince (in 1983), [50] Neil Young (in 1983), [51] The Clash (in 1984), [52] Alanis Morissette (in 1999), J. Cole (in 2012), and 2 Chainz (in 2017). Comedian Eddie Murphy performed in front of an audience of around 8,000 in 1985. [53]
in 1987, Carmichael hosted the U.S. Olympic Festival volleyball competition. [54] Carolina union concert program. [54] In 2001, the Matjam collegiate wrestling championships for the ACC, Colonial, and Southern conferences. [54] Carmichael has hosted several rounds of the women's basketball and women's volleyball NCAA Tournaments. [54] The facility is also use for state championships for several sports including volleyball, basketball, and wrestling, along with various camps. [54]
The arena hosted a speech by President Barack Obama on April 24, 2012.
Kenan Stadium is a college football stadium located on Stadium Drive in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Opened in 1927, it is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's (UNC) football team, which competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The facility replaced Emerson Field, where the school's football program had been based since 1916. Plans for the stadium began as attendance increased. Ground was broken on the stadium in December 1926 and work completed in August 1927. The stadium hosted its first game on November 12, 1927, when the Tar Heels faced the Davidson Wildcats, where the Tar Heels won 27–0 in front of 9,000 spectators. On November 24, 1927, the stadium was officially opened and dedicated during a game where the Tar Heels hosted the Virginia Cavaliers and won 14–13.
The Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center is a multi-purpose arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, used primarily as the home for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels men's basketball team. The university began to inquire about building a standalone arena for the men's basketball team beginning in the mid-1970s, but due to an ongoing university wide investigation, the fundraiser halted until its conclusion. In June 1980, the fundraising began with a goal of at least $30 million and a target completion date for the building of December 1984. It was initially planned to be called the Student Activities Center; however, after its announcement it began to be referred to as The Dean Dome and it was speculated it would be named for then coach Dean Smith. The fundraising concluded in August 1984 with over $33 million raised, but construction would not be finished until 1986. The day before the opening game on January 18, 1986, against the Duke Blue Devils, the building was officially announced to be named the Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center, while a formal dedication happen later in September. In 2018, the hardwood floor of the Smith Center was named for then coach Roy Williams.
The Indoor Athletic Court was the home of North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team from January 8, 1924, through February 17, 1938, across fifteen seasons. Due to increased demand for viewing the varsity basketball team and limited capacity at then home court Bynum Gymnasium, the university appropriated $54,482.45 to have a structure built to house the team. Then Graduate Manager of Athletics Charles T. Woollen decided to build a temporary structure with those funds and a more permanent venue later. Plans were purchased and work began in October 1923. The building, which was a completely steel structure, was built with galvanized steel sheet siding and roof. Many felt the building did not have an attractive exterior. The building featured one bathroom, no locker or dressing rooms, and no heating system, initially. Quickly the building earned a reputation for being cold during the winter and hot during the summer time. An official heating system and, later individual heaters, were added to the building, but did not help the temperature problem. The men's basketball team moved to the Woollen Gymnasium in 1939.
J. S. Dorton Arena is a 7,610-seat multi-purpose arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina, on the grounds of the North Carolina State Fair. It opened in 1952.
The Dixie Classic was an annual college basketball tournament played from 1949 to 1960 in Reynolds Coliseum. The field consisted of the "Big Four" North Carolina schools, the host NC State Wolfpack, Duke Blue Devils, North Carolina Tar Heels, and Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and four teams from across the country.
The North Carolina–NC State rivalry, also known as the State-Carolina game, Carolina–State Game, North Carolina–NC State game, NCSU–UNC game, and other similar permutations, is an ongoing series of athletic competitions between the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels and North Carolina State University Wolfpack. The intensity of the game is driven by the universities' similar sizes, the fact the schools are separated by only 25 miles, and the large number of alumni that live within the state's borders. Both are charter members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and are part of the Tobacco Road schools. The most popular games between the two are in football, basketball, and baseball.
The North Carolina Tar Heels Men's basketball program is a college basketball team of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels have won six NCAA championships in addition to a 1924 Helms Athletic Foundation title (retroactive). North Carolina has won a record 133 NCAA tournament matchups while advancing to 31 Sweet Sixteen berths, a record 21 Final Fours, and 12 title games. It is the only school to have an active streak of reaching the National Championship game for nine straight decades and at least two Final Fours for six straight decades, all while averaging more wins per season played (20.7) than any other program in college basketball. In 2012, ESPN ranked North Carolina No. 1 on its list of the 50 most successful programs of the past fifty years.
The Charles T. Woollen Gymnasium is a building used for physical education classes, recreational activity for students, and office spaces. It was the home of North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team from January 2, 1939, through February 27, 1965, across twenty-six seasons. Due to increased demand for viewing the varsity basketball team and limited capacity at then home court the Tin Can, school president Frank Porter Graham and Charles T. Woollen requested public funds for a new gymnasium and women's dormitory. After being rejected at the federal level, the North Carolina Public Works would award a grant of $283,090 to build a new gymnasium and the school would have to fundraise to cover the cost's remainder. The plans for the building included multi–level building that included an attached swimming pool, along with a main lobby that would overlook the main gymnasium area. Construction stretched from 1937 to 1938 and, upon completion, was seen as "modern" and one of the highest–quality basketball facilities in the Southern Conference.
Bynum Hall is the current home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate Admissions office and was the first home of North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team. At an executive meeting on October 2, 1903, school President Francis Preston Venable announced that former North Carolina Supreme Court justice William Preston Bynum donated $25,000 to have a gymnasium built in honor of his grandson who was a student at the university and had died due to typhoid fever. Architect Frank P. Milburn drafted plans for the structure, which were then approved by Bynum and the university's board of trustees. The building was designed to have a Greek architecture influence and had three stories with an above-ground basement. It originally contained a swimming pool, gymnasium, office spaces, and other rooms for various sports like boxing and fencing. The building started construction by June 1904 and was completed by February 1905.
Richard Cartwright "Cart" Carmichael was a college basketball player. He was the first member of the North Carolina Tar Heels to earn All-America honors in any sport, when he was named to the 1923 first team for men's basketball, an honor he also received in 1924. Carmichael could play all three positions: guard, forward, and center. He is the earliest UNC player with his jersey "honored" in the rafters.
The 1956–57 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team was the varsity college basketball team that represented the University of North Carolina. The head coach was Frank McGuire. The team played its home games at Woollen Gymnasium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and was a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team was the second undefeated national champion in NCAA basketball history and was the first ACC team to win a title. The team notably won its last two games in triple overtime. The Tar Heels leading scorer was player of the year, small forward Lennie Rosenbluth.
The 1923–24 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team was the fourteenth varsity college basketball team to represent the University of North Carolina (UNC) as a part of the Southern Conference (SoCon) for the NCAA season. The team went undefeated, and the season was the first played in the Tin Can. The head coach was Norman Shepard, coaching in his first and only season with the Tar Heels. Their fast play and defense won them the 1924 Southern Conference men's basketball tournament.
The 1976–77 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the 1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Tar Heels were coached by Dean Smith in his 16th season at North Carolina. They played their home games in Carmichael Auditorium as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 28–5, 9–3 in ACC play to win the ACC regular season championship. They defeated NC State and Virginia to win the ACC Tournament. As a result, the received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. There, they defeated Purdue, Notre Dame, and Kentucky to advance to the Final Four. At the Final Four, they defeated UNLV before losing to Marquette in the National Championship game.
The 1965–66 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill during the 1965–66 men's college basketball season. This was the first season that North Carolina played its home games at Carmichael Auditorium.
The 1947 North Carolina Tar Heels football team was an American football team that represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Southern Conference during the 1947 college football season. In its fifth year under head coach Carl Snavely, the team compiled an 8–2 record, finished in second place in the conference, was ranked No. 9 in the final AP Poll, and outscored opponents by a total of 210 to 93.
The 1910–11 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team was the first varsity college basketball team to represent the University of North Carolina. The school created a committee to determine if the school should go forward with forming a team as there was increasing pressure from students, the student run newspaper The Tar Heel, in-state schools that fielded teams who wanted to form a state league, and the University of Tennessee inquired about scheduling a game in February 1911. Equipment was purchased and installed at Bynum Gymnasium after a period of uncertainty of where the team would play its home games. Then track-and-field head coach Nathaniel Cartmell – who had little experience with basketball – was chosen to coach as there were no funds to be allocated for hiring another coach. After choosing players for the first team, Cartmell finalized the schedule in January, which was limited as many other programs had already created their schedules before the Tar Heels made their team.
The 1911–12 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team was the second varsity college basketball team to represent the University of North Carolina. After the first season, it was announced that star player and captain Marvin Ritch was named manager for the upcoming year's team. He assumed scheduling duties and released a tentative schedule in December. Newspaper outlets deemed it to be one of the toughest schedules to be played. However, before the start of the semester and college basketball season, Ritch left the team to work as a secretary for Congressman Edwin Y. Webb.
The 1912–13 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team was the third varsity college basketball team to represent the University of North Carolina. In September, Lenoir Chambers was announced team captain. North Carolina, along with several other schools from the state, met in Raleigh, North Carolina and formed the North Carolina Intercollegiate Basketball Association that would establish a state championship where each school in the league would play two games against all other members and the team with the best record was the champion. However, the league did not come to fruition partially because Trinity College's professors did not want to have athletic contests with North Carolina. Student–run newspaper The Tar Heel published several pieces where they stated the prior season's poor performance was because the team did not start practicing until after Christmas. Try-outs started in early December, but over time participating students dwindled and scrimmaging became difficult, which prompted Chambers to publish in ad in the student newspaper asking for taller players to come by regardless of their experience.
The 1913–14 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team was the fourth varsity college basketball team to represent the University of North Carolina.