Matadome

Matador Gymnasium
Matadome
Full name	Matador Gymnasium
Location	18111 Nordhoff Street; Northridge, CA 91330
Coordinates	34°14′31″N118°31′35″W / 34.241974°N 118.526484°W Coordinates: 34°14′31″N118°31′35″W / 34.241974°N 118.526484°W
Owner	California State University, Northridge
Capacity	2,400
Record attendance	3,106 on 2 November 1990 for US Men's Volleyball
Scoreboard	Yes
Construction
Opened	30 November 1962
Renovated	1998, 2014
Tenants
	Cal State Northridge Matadors men's basketball ; Cal State Northridge Matadors women's basketball ; Cal State Northridge Matadors men's volleyball ; Cal State Northridge Matadors women's volleyball

Last updated April 17, 2022

Matador Gymnasium, most commonly known by its nickname the Matadome, is a 2,500 seat, indoor multi-purpose stadium on the campus of California State University, Northridge in Northridge, California. The Matadome was renovated in 2014. With the renovation, the Matadome now has a capacity of 2,500.^[1]

History and renovations

The Matadome, unlike many other traditional stadia, is located within Redwood Hall, which hosts many kinesiology classes for Cal State Northridge. Contrary to the name, Redwood Hall, and by default the Matadome, is not a dome at all – the roof is flat. The Matadome was completed in 1962 and was officially opened on 30 November of the same year.^[2]

The capacity of the Matadome has changed throughout the years. Before the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the Matadome had a capacity of over 3,000. The record attendance was 3,106 for a United States men's national volleyball team exhibition against Japan men's national volleyball team set on 2 November 1990, which was prior to the earthquake. After the earthquake, the upper section seats were removed to create more classroom space for Redwood Hall, and walls were put up to separate the Matadome from these new classrooms.

Other renovations include the installation of a completely new floor in 1996 (with a redesigning in 2001), a drop-down scoreboard above half court in 1997, and chair-backed bleacher seats in 1998.

In 2014, the Matadome was renovated and seating capacity was increased to 2,400-seats. The seats were previously lost due to the 1994 Northridge earthquake.^[1]

Pre-2014 renovation negative views

Despite all of these recent additions and renovations, the Matadome is still seen as a sub-standard arena. Players and coaches alike have spoken out about the gym, citing:

I don’t know how the Matadome got its name, but it sounds like a joke. And (then) someone thought it was serious and even made a little plaque to go with it outside.
— Willie Galick, 2007–2009, men's basketball, Daily Sundial^[3]

We’re a division-I program with a junior high or a YMCA gym.
— Neeta Sreekanth, 2008–2009, women's basketball, Daily Sundial^[3]

In an editorial for the Los Angeles Daily News, Jill Painter described the Matadome as "...the Kinesiology building with a basketball court inside...".^[4] Not surprisingly, the head coach for the men's basketball team believes the Matadome may hinder Northridge's athletic programs.

Don't be fooled by the name, 'The Matadome'. It's really the 'Mata-gym'.
— Bobby Braswell, 1996–2013, men's basketball head coach, The Press-Enterprise^[5]

It's an issue. It’s affected our high school-recruiting and other things.
— Bobby Braswell, 1996–2013, men's basketball head coach, Daily Sundial^[3]

Tenants

Before the Matadome opened, the Cal State Northridge Matadors men's basketball team played their home games at nearby Granada Hills Charter High School. They've played at the Matadome since its opening in 1962 and has been joined by the women's basketball team, as well as the men's and women's volleyball teams.

In addition to Northridge athletics, the Matadome has also hosted the 2001 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.

For non-athletic events, the Matadome has been used as a setting for The Karate Kid (1984) and National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002).

Gallery

Matadome entrance
Matadome interior

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The 2012–13 Cal State Northridge Matadors men's basketball team represented California State University, Northridge during the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Matadors, led by 17th year head coach Bobby Braswell, played their home games at the Matadome and were members of the Big West Conference. They finished the season 14–17, 5–13 in Big West play to finish in ninth place. They failed to qualify for the Big West Tournament.

The 2013–14 Cal State Northridge Matadors men's basketball team represented California State University, Northridge during the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Matadors, led by first year head coach Reggie Theus, played their home games at the Matadome as members of the Big West Conference. They finished the season 17–18, 7–9 in Big West play to finish in fifth place. They advanced to the championship game of the Big West Conference Tournament where they lost to Cal Poly.

The 2015–16 Cal State Northridge Matadors men's basketball team represented California State University, Northridge during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Matadors, led by third year head coach Reggie Theus, played their home games at the Matadome as members of the Big West Conference. On January 7, 2016, CSUN announced a self-imposed postseason ban due to academic fraud violations. They postseason ban included the Big West Tournament. They finished the season, 10–20, 5–11 in Big West play to finish in a tie for sixth place.

The 2001 Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held March 8–10 at the Matadome at California State University, Northridge in the Northridge neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.

The 2016–17 Cal State Northridge Matadors men's basketball team represented California State University, Northridge during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Matadors, led by fourth-year head coach Reggie Theus, played their home games at the Matadome as members of the Big West Conference. They finished the season 11–19, 7–9 in Big West play to finish in sixth place. In the Big West Tournament, they lost to Cal State Fullerton in the quarterfinals.

The 2017–18 Cal State Northridge Matadors men's basketball team represented California State University, Northridge during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Matadors, led by fifth-year head coach Reggie Theus, played their home games at the Matadome as members of the Big West Conference. They finished the season 6–24, 3–13 in Big West play to finish in last place. They failed to qualify for the Big West Tournament.

The 2017–18 Cal State Northridge Matadors women's basketball team represents California State University, Northridge during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Matadors, led by eighth year head coach Jason Flowers, play their home games at the Matadome as members of the Big West Conference. They finished the season 19–16, 8–8 in Big West play to finish in fifth place. They won the Big Women's Tournament to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Women's Tournament where they lost to Notre Dame in the first round.

The 2018–19 Cal State Northridge Matadors men's basketball team represented California State University, Northridge in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Matadors, led by first-year head coach Mark Gottfried, competed at the Matadome. CSU Northridge was a member of the Big West Conference, and participated in their 18th consecutive season in that league. They finished the season 13–21, 7–9 in Big West play to finish in a tie for sixth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big West Tournament to UC Santa Barbara. They were invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they lost in the first round to Utah Valley.

Lamine Diane is a Senegalese professional basketball player who last played for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Cal State Northridge Matadors. He was named the Big West Player of the Year in both 2019 and 2020.

The 2019–20 Cal State Northridge Matadors men's basketball team represented California State University, Northridge in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Matadors, led by second-year head coach Mark Gottfried, played their home games at the Matadome in Northridge, California as members of the Big West Conference. They finished the season 15–17, 10–6 in Big West play to finish in a tie for second place. They were set to be the No. 2 seed in the Big West Tournament. However, the Big West Tournament was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Terrell Gomez is an American professional basketball player for JDA Dijon Basket of the LNB Pro A. He played college basketball for Cal State Northridge and San Diego State.

Jason Flowers is an American basketball coach who is currently the director of player development for the women's basketball team at California Baptist University. Prior to Cal Baptist, he was the head women's basketball coach at Cal State Northridge from 2010 to 2020, where he was a two-time Big West Conference Coach of the Year as well as winning three Big West Conference tournament titles.

The 2014–15 Cal State Northridge Matadors women's basketball team represented California State University, Northridge during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Matadors, led by fourth-year head coach Jason Flowers, played their games at the Matadome as members of the Big West Conference.

The 2008–09 Cal State Northridge Matadors men's basketball team represented California State University, Northridge in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Matadors, led by head coach Bobby Braswell, played their home games at the Matadome in Northridge, California as members of the Big West Conference.

References

1 2 "A Bigger, Badder Matadome". CSU Magazine. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
↑ "MATADOR GYMNASIUM (CSUN)". lasports.org. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
1 2 3 "Matadome is below Division-I standards; can anything be done?". Daily Sundial. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
↑ "LUSTER ELUDES 'MATADOME' NO UPGRADES FOR CSUN FACILITIES SINCE FOOTBALL WAS CUT". Los Angeles Daily News . 3 November 2002. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
↑ "College coaches talkin' hoops". The Press-Enterprise. 8 October 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2009.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[2014_renovation-1] 1 2 "A Bigger, Badder Matadome". CSU Magazine. Retrieved 25 June 2018.

[2] "MATADOR GYMNASIUM (CSUN)". lasports.org. Retrieved 8 October 2009.

[SD1-3] 1 2 3 "Matadome is below Division-I standards; can anything be done?". Daily Sundial. 14 May 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009.

[4] "LUSTER ELUDES 'MATADOME' NO UPGRADES FOR CSUN FACILITIES SINCE FOOTBALL WAS CUT". Los Angeles Daily News . 3 November 2002. Retrieved 8 October 2009.

[5] "College coaches talkin' hoops". The Press-Enterprise. 8 October 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2009.

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v t e Cal State Northridge Matadors men's basketball
Venues	Granada Hills High School Gymnasium (1958–1962) Matadome (1962–present)
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	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

v t e Cal State Northridge Matadors women's basketball
Venues	Matadome (1974–present)
Culture & lore	History
People	Head coaches
Seasons	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

v t e California State University, Northridge
Academics	Music
Facilities	California State University Northridge Botanic Garden Oviatt Library
Athletics	Cal State Northridge Matadors Baseball Football Men's basketball Women's basketball Matadome Matador Field Matador Soccer Field Big West Conference
Media	KCSN
Related	List of California State University, Northridge people