Ferrell Center

Last updated
Ferrell Center
Paul J. Meyer Arena
Ferrell center 2008.jpg
Ferrell Center
Former namesBaylor Events Center (planning)
Location1900 South University Parks Drive
Waco, TX 76706
Coordinates 31°32′52.45″N97°06′21.49″W / 31.5479028°N 97.1059694°W / 31.5479028; -97.1059694
Owner Baylor University
Operator Baylor University Athletics
Capacity 10,284 (Basketball, 1998–present)
10,084 (Basketball, 1988–1998)
6,000 (Volleyball)
12,000 (Concerts)
SurfaceHardwood maple (inst. 2002)
Construction
Broke groundJuly 1, 1987 [1]
OpenedSeptember 22, 1988 [1]
Construction cost$12.5 million
($32.2 million in 2023 dollars [2] )
ArchitectCrain & Anderson, Inc. [3]
Structural engineer Walter P Moore [4]
General contractorWaco Construction Co. [5]
Tenants
Baylor Bears (NCAA DI) (1988–present)
Interior, Set Up for Donor Party 2016 Baylor's Ferrell Center Interior.JPG
Interior, Set Up for Donor Party 2016

The Paul J. Meyer Arena, which is part of the Ferrell Center, is an arena in Waco, Texas. Built in 1988 and located adjacent to the Brazos River, it is home to the Baylor University Bears volleyball, acrobatics, and tumbling teams. It is named for Charles R. Ferrell, a Baylor student and legacy who died in 1967, and whose family's estate was a major benefactor of the arena. The building replaced the Heart O' Texas Coliseum as the school's primary indoor athletic facility. The men's and women's basketball teams relocated to the newly-constructed Foster Pavilion in 2024.

Contents

Dimensions and layout

The brick and concrete building is capped by a round, gold-plated dome 321 feet (98 m) across and 111 feet (34 m) above the playing surface at its apex. It contains 41 rows of seats, seven of which can be retracted for other events. The dome weighs approximately 175 tons and is constructed of structural aluminum beams covered with anodized gold panels with 4" of vinyl faced insulation on the back (in) side on the panel. The dome is fastened together with Huck fasteners, which are manufactured in Waco. Temcor is the manufacturer of the roof. The surface area of aluminum panels is approximately 3 acres (12,000 m2). During erection, the dome was suspended by 32 cables on a 220' tall tower. The tower was stabilized during erection with 7 guy cables. Concrete poured to date 9,650 cubic yards (7,380 m3). Structural steel is approximately 500 tons. General description of construction: Drilled piers with concrete support beams for seating bowl. Slab on grade, slabs and structural pan deck slab (over sub-concourse). Precast concrete construction for seating bowl. Exterior facade is architectural precast with white concrete and 5/8" thick brickettes cast into the panels. The panels are attached to a steel structure.

Within the center is the Paul J. Meyer Arena which seats 10,284 for basketball, 6,000 for volleyball, 8,000 for concerts, and can seat up to 1,000 for banquets. [6] During the summer of 2010, the Ferrell Center received a brand new, HD center-hung scoreboard. This consists of 4 new HD video screens, and 2 LED 360 degree rings on top and bottom, supplying fans with stats, replays, and more. Along the 4 corners, there are 4 side panels, also providing additional stats. With the addition of the new basketball playing floor the Bears and Lady Bears have the opportunity to be on the hardwood more days out of the year with less conversions time between events and games or practice times. In addition a 43,000 sq ft (4,000 m2) basketball practice facility was constructed in 2006 on the north west side of the building. It contains 2 full practice courts, a strength and conditioning center, and new offices for the men and women's basketball staff.

Baylor Basketball at the Ferrell Center
YearMenWomen
1988–894–111-9
1989–909–62–11
1990–916–85–6
1991–927–74–7
1992–9311–35–5
1993–9411–36–4
1994–957–88–6
1995–967–78–7
1996–9714–38–5
1997–9810–413–2
1998–995–1010–6
1999–0011–76–7
2000–0114–312–2
2001–0212–416–2
2002–0310–617–4
2003–046–1112–2
2004–058–914–0
2005–064–412–1
2006–0713–516–3
2007–0812–418–1
2008–0914–514–2
2009–1015–115–2
2010–1115–321–0
2011–1214–319–0
2012–1315–517–0
2013–1413–419–2
2014–1516–217–0
2015–1614–518–0
2016-1715-217-1
2017-1813-520-0
2018-1913-519-0
2019-2014-117-0
2020-2111-012-1
2021-2215-214-1
Total378–166432–99

Notable events

The inaugural event held in the area was a political rally for then US President Ronald Reagan [1] on September 22, 1988. Through the years, the arena has hosted many famous acts on its stage including: George Strait, Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Hootie and the Blowfish, Neil Diamond, Dolly Parton, Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, the Harlem Globetrotters, and many more. Many world leaders have also spent time on the stage including Colin Powell, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and former President George W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush, all part of the President's Forum Lecture Series.

Fans have also seen the best of college basketball on the court including major upsets over former conference foe Arkansas in the early 1990s and more recently with the Bears defeating #4-ranked Kansas in 2001, and the Lady Bears knocking off top-ten ranked Iowa State the same year. Since the start of the 2010–11 season through the end of the 2019–20 season, the Men's team is a combined 128–34 at home while the Women's team is a combined 167–3 in the same span, making the Ferrell Center one of the toughest places to play in the Big 12.

The Baylor and Waco communities have made the Ferrell Center a tough place to play basketball with record crowds in attendance since the arrival of Kim Mulkey, including a facility record crowd of 10,550 while winning the 2005 women's Big 12 Conference regular season title. Following the record crowd, Mulkey led the Lady Bears to a first ever NCAA Women's National Championship, marking the first national championship for the Big 12 in women's basketball. The arena also plays home to Baylor Volleyball. The last game of the Men's Basketball Team at the Ferrell Center was a 107–48 Blowout against Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils on December 22, 2023.

See also

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The 2011–12 Baylor Lady Bears women's basketball team represented Baylor University during the 2011–12 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Returning as head coach was Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey. The team played its home games at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas and were members of the Big 12 Conference.

The 2012–13 Baylor Lady Bears basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2012–13 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Lady Bears were led by 13th season head coach Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey, with the team playing its home games at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas as members of the Big 12 Conference.

The 2013–14 Baylor Lady Bears basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2013–14 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Lady Bears, led by Hall of Famer head coach Kim Mulkey, played their home games at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas and were members of the Big 12 Conference.

The 2014–15 Baylor Lady Bears basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Returning as head coach is Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey for her 14th season. The team played its home games at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas and were members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 33–4, 16–2 in Big 12 to win the Big 12 regular season title. They also won the Big 12 women's tournament to earn an automatic trip to the NCAA women's tournament, where they defeated Northwestern State in the first round, Arkansas in the second round and Iowa in the sweet sixteen before losing to Notre Dame in the elite eight.

The 2015–16 Baylor Lady Bears basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Returning as head coach was Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey for her 15th season. The team played its home games at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas and were members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 33–4, 16–2 in Big 12 to win the Big 12 regular season title. They also won the Big 12 Women's Tournament to earn an automatic trip to the NCAA women's tournament, where they defeated Idaho and Auburn in the first and second rounds, Florida State in the sweet sixteen before losing to Oregon State in the elite eight.

The 2016–17 Baylor Lady Bears basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Returning as head coach was Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey for her 17th season. The team played its home games at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas and were members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 33–4, 17–1 in Big 12 to win the Big 12 regular season title. They advanced to the championship game of the Big 12 women's tournament, where they upset by West Virginia. They earn an at-large bid to the NCAA women's tournament as a No. 1 seed where they defeat Texas Southern and California in the first and second rounds, Louisville in the sweet sixteen before losing to Mississippi State in the elite eight.

The 2018–19 Baylor Lady Bears basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Returning as head coach was Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey for her 19th season. The team played its home games at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas and were members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season ranked #1 in the nation, with a record of 37–1, 18–0 in Big 12 to win the Big 12 regular season title. They also won the Big 12 women's tournament and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA women's tournament, where they advanced to defeat Notre Dame in the championship game for the third title in team history.

The 2019–20 Baylor Lady Bears basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. Returning as head coach was Hall of Famer Kim Mulkey for her 20th season. The team played their home games at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas and were members of the Big 12 Conference.

The 2020–21 Baylor Lady Bears basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The team played its home games at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas and were members of the Big 12 Conference. They were led by Hall of Fame coach Kim Mulkey in her 20th and final season with the Bears. On April 26, 2021, Mulkey was introduced as head coach of the LSU Tigers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021–22 Baylor Bears women's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2021–22 Baylor Bears women's basketball team represented Baylor University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Bears, members of the Big 12 Conference, played their home games at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas and were led by first-year head coach Nicki Collen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foster Pavilion</span> Arena in Texas, United States

Foster Pavilion is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Completed in 2024, the arena hosts the Baylor Bears men's and women's basketball teams. The arena replaced the Ferrell Center for both basketball teams, while the Ferrell Center will be renovated as a home for volleyball and acrobatics and tumbling teams.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Fiedler, Randy (December 1, 2012). "Ferrell Center Turns 25". Baylor Magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  2. ↑ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Ferrell Special Events Center, Baylor University". CST Industries. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  4. ↑ "Arenas". Walter P Moore. Archived from the original on July 8, 2000. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Baylor Conference to Examine History of Texas". The Waco Citizen. September 29, 1989. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Directions to the Ferrell Center". Baylor Athletics. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
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