Hawkins Arena

Hawkins Arena
Location	1730 Adams; Macon, GA 31207
Coordinates	32°49′47″N83°39′07″W / 32.82972°N 83.65194°W
Owner	Mercer University
Operator	Mercer University
Capacity	3,500
Surface	Hardwood
Construction
Broke ground	October 12, 2001
Opened	January 8, 2004
Construction cost	$40 million; ($64.5 million in 2023 dollars)
Architect	Cooper Carry Inc.
General contractor	Beck Group/New South
Tenants
	Mercer Bears men's basketball (2004–present); Mercer Bears women's basketball (2004–present)

Last updated July 17, 2024

The Hawkins Arena is the basketball arena on the campus of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, United States. The arena is located in the University Center, a large multi-purpose facility centrally located on the university campus.

History

The University Center opened in 2004. The $40 million, 230,000-square-foot (21,000 m²) center, houses Mercer's athletics department, a 3,500-seat basketball arena, an indoor pool, work-out facilities, intramural basketball courts, offices, a food court, and numerous meeting facilities. Mercer's baseball and softball fields are located adjacent to the center along with the university's tennis complex and football-lacrosse complex Moye Complex.

The University Center replaced Porter Gym, which stood on the Mercer campus from 1937 to 2004; Porter Gym was located on the central quadrangle and was razed when the University Center opened. The center is also located on the central quadrangle on the site of the university's original fraternity row, which was razed after a new Greek Village opened. In 2007, a 101-room Hilton Garden Inn opened on university-owned land adjacent to the University Center. Parking lots are available for visitors-spectators arriving via the Mercer University Drive exit off Interstate 75.

The University Center arena was renamed Hawkins Arena in 2012 to honor J. B. Hawkins, former high school athletic director and basketball coach in Crawford County.^[4]^[5]

Athletics

Mercer is an NCAA Division I member competing in the Southern Conference; the university's basketball teams play in Hawkins Arena. The men's team won the first game played at the center, a 73–55 victory over Georgia State University, on January 27, 2004. The women's team won the first game it played in the center, a 43–40 victory over Troy State University, on January 30, 2004.

In 2010, for the first time in university history, Mercer hosted the men's and women's Atlantic Sun Conference basketball tournaments.^[6] The men's team advanced to the championship game losing 72–66 to East Tennessee State University.^[7] Mercer hosted the 2011-13 tournaments as well.^[8]

In 2013, the men's team was undefeated at Hawkins Arena and won the regular season Atlantic Sun Conference championship. The team advanced to the Hawkins Arena conference tournament championship game losing to Florida Gulf Coast University; FGCU advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

Other uses

Aside from athletics events, Hawkins Arena hosts commencement, university press conferences, concerts, and other special events. The board of trustees meeting room, named for Mercer alumnus Griffin Bell, and the president's dining room are also in the University Center.

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The Mercer Bears are the athletic teams of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, United States. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia with an NCAA Division I athletic program and fields teams in eight men's and nine women's sports. The university competes in the Southern Conference for most sports. In 2013, the football team competed in the Pioneer Football League.

The Mercer Bears men's basketball team represents Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, United States. The school's team competes in the Southern Conference. They are led by head coach Ryan Ridder and play their home games at Hawkins Arena.

The 2012–13 Mercer Bears men's basketball team represented Mercer University during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bears, led by fifth year head coach Bob Hoffman, played their home games at Hawkins Arena on the university's Macon, Georgia campus and were members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the season 24–12, 14–4 in A-Sun play to win the regular season conference championship. They advanced to the championship game of the Atlantic Sun tournament where they lost to Florida Gulf Coast. As a regular season conference champions who failed to win their conference tournament, they received an automatic bid to the 2013 NIT where they defeated Tennessee in the first round before losing in the second round to BYU.

The Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex is a 10,200 seat football and lacrosse stadium on the campus of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, United States. Construction began on November 12, 2011 and was completed in 2013; the AstroTurf 3D Extreme surface was completed in 2012, the football team conducted its first practice in the stadium on August 27, 2012. The university initially announced the complex would have 6,000 seats; the number was increased to 10,200 in 2012. The first football game at Moye Complex was on August 31, 2013; Mercer defeated Reinhardt University in front of an overflow crowd of 12,172 spectators.

The 2013–14 Mercer Bears men's basketball team represented Mercer University during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Bears, led by sixth year head coach Bob Hoffman, played their home games at Hawkins Arena on the university's Macon, Georgia campus and were members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the season 27–9, 14–4 in A-Sun play to win the regular season A-Sun championship, shared with Florida Gulf Coast. They defeated Florida Gulf Coast in the championship game of the A-Sun tournament to be A-Sun Tournament champions and earn the conferences automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In the NCAA Tournament, they upset Duke in the second round before losing in the third round to Tennessee.

References

↑ "Arena Groundbreaking - Finally - Has Slonaker, Baldwin Smiling". Macon Telegraph. October 12, 2001. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
1 2 3 4 "Sports Business Journal".
↑ 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.
↑ "The den - A student-centered online resource center from Mercer University".
↑ http://www.macon.com/2012/04/23/2000592/mercer-basketball-facility-renamed.html%5B%5D
↑ "Mercer to Host 2010, 2011 Basketball Championships - Atlantic Sun Conference Official Site". Archived from the original on September 23, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2010.
↑ "Men's Basketball - Championship - Official Site of the Atlantic Sun Conference". Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
↑ "Mercer Awarded 2012, 2013 Basketball Championships - Atlantic Sun Conference Official Site". Archived from the original on December 12, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2010.

External links

Official Website of the University Center Archived June 25, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
Facilities - Mercer University Athletics

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[1] "Arena Groundbreaking - Finally - Has Slonaker, Baldwin Smiling". Macon Telegraph. October 12, 2001. Retrieved January 21, 2012.

[SBJ-2] 1 2 3 4 "Sports Business Journal".

[inflation-US-3] 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.

[4] "The den - A student-centered online resource center from Mercer University".

[5] ttp://www.macon.com/2012/04/23/2000592/mercer-basketball-facility-renamed.html%5B%5D

[6] "Mercer to Host 2010, 2011 Basketball Championships - Atlantic Sun Conference Official Site". Archived from the original on September 23, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2010.

[7] "Men's Basketball - Championship - Official Site of the Atlantic Sun Conference". Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved October 20, 2011.

[8] "Mercer Awarded 2012, 2013 Basketball Championships - Atlantic Sun Conference Official Site". Archived from the original on December 12, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2010.

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v t e Mercer Bears men's basketball
Venues	Porter Gym (1937–??) Macon Coliseum (19??–20??) Hawkins Arena (2004–present)
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25

v t e Mercer Bears women's basketball
Venues	Porter Gym (1970–2004) Macon Coliseum (1970–2004) Hawkins Arena (2004–present)
Culture & lore	History
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24

v t e Mercer University
Academics	Engineering Law Medicine
Facilities	American Baptist Historical Society Claude Smith Field Cowles–Woodruff House Grand Opera House Hawkins Arena Macon Coliseum Monroe F. Swilley Jr. Library Moye Complex Tift College
Athletics	Baseball Basketball Men Women Football Lacrosse Men Soccer Men
Media	The Mercer Cluster Mercer University Press WMUM-FM WMUM-TV
Related	List of Mercer University people