McGonigle Hall

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McGonigle Hall
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McGonigle Hall
Location1800 Broad St
Philadelphia, PA 19121
Coordinates 39°58′52″N75°09′29″W / 39.981029°N 75.158033°W / 39.981029; -75.158033
OwnerTemple University
OperatorTemple University
Capacity 3,900
Construction
OpenedDecember 2, 1969
ArchitectNolen & Swinburne Associates (1969)
H2L2 Architects / Planners, LLC (2012)
Tenants
Temple Owls (Recreation and offices)

McGonigle Hall is an athletic facility that is located on the campus of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Temple women's basketball splits games between McGonigle Hall and the Liacouras Center. The gym is also home to Temple women's fencing, women's gymnastics, and volleyball. [1]

Contents

History and notable features

McGonigle Hall was built between 1967 and 1969 as part of a 250,000-square-foot building for Temple's intercollegiate athletics. The entire facility was built at a cost of $8 million and included teaching, research, and training facilities. The basketball arena originally sat 4,500 and was also home to the school's wrestling and gymnastics program. The building was named for Arthur T. McGonigle, a Temple University trustee and pretzel magnate from Reading, Pennsylvania who donated the new facility's furniture and equipment. [2]

McGonigle Hall opened on December 2, 1969, with a Temple University men's basketball win over St. John's. The venue served as the home of men's basketball until it was replaced in 1997 by the Liacouras Center.

In 2012, the University completed a $48 million renovation and expansion of Pearson and McGonigle Halls, providing additional classrooms, faculty and coaching staff offices as well as state-of-the-art men's and women's basketball practice facilities.

Temple Men's Basketball

Temple hosts the University of Connecticut at McGonigle Hall on January 28, 2014 McGonigle Hall, Temple University.jpg
Temple hosts the University of Connecticut at McGonigle Hall on January 28, 2014

The Temple men's basketball program held a practice open to the public at McGonigle Hall on October 15, 1969. The team played three home games that season at McGonigle and the rest of its home schedule at the Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. [3] Temple dedicated the venue on December 2, 1969 before its game against St. John's which was preceded by a Temple freshman game against LaSalle. [4]

Due to the venue's small size, Temple played the majority of its home schedule at the Palestra through 1984.

Coach John Chaney and the school decided to move most of its home games to McGonigle Hall to have a home-court advantage and build on campus spirit. Temple reached number one in the national rankings in February 1988. Despite ticket demand, then-school president Peter J. Liacouras refused to move the February 10, 1988 game against Villanova to the Spectrum, insisting the game be played at McGonigle on campus. [5]

For basketball events such as selected 1987, 1990, and 1992 Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball tournament games, its capacity was 4,500.

The Temple men's team played its final game at McConigle Hall on February 24, 1997, a 69–53 win over Fordham. The school welcomed back Harry Litwack for the game, along with the other players from the team's first season at the gym in 1969. [6]

Temple played a "Turn Back the Clock Game" at McGonigle Hall against Bowling Green on December 28, 2009, featuring throwback uniforms and 1980s music, attire, and concession prices. [7]

Temple had a record of 178 wins and 29 losses at McGonigle.

Community Events

The Black Panther Party held its Revolutionary People's Constitutional Convention at McGonigle Hall on September 5 and 6, 1970. [8] Huey P. Newton spoke on September 5, 1970 to a crowd of 6,000 with another thousand outside. [9]

President Jimmy Carter held a "Philadelphia town hall" meeting before an audience of 1,100 at McGonigle Hall on November 13, 1979. The president's helicopter landed at Geasy Field, 15th and Berks Street. [10]

McConigle Hall has served as a concert venue on multiple occasions. Soul Asylum played the venue on April 17, 1997; Hüsker Dü and Christmas on March 22, 1987; and Kris Kristofferson played on August 18, 1976. [11]

NBC Sports Network held a "Fight Night" boxing event at McGonigle Hall on December 8, 2012 that featured Philadelphia native heavyweight Bryant Jennings. [12]

Following the 2016 Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine held a campaign rally on July 29, 2016 at McGonigle Hall. [13]

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The 2011–12 Temple Owls men's basketball team represented Temple University in the 2011–12 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at the Liacouras Center, which has a capacity of 10,206; as well as one game each at the Palestra and Wells Fargo Center. They are in their 30th season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. In their previous season, Temple compiled a record of 26–8 and reached the NCAA tournament. The team returned four starters from the previous season, but lost power forward Lavoy Allen to graduation. He is replaced by incoming recruit Will Cummings and transfer Dalton Pepper. Anthony Lee will be eligible after red shirting last year.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015–16 Temple Owls women's basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

The 2015–16 Temple Owls women's basketball team represented Temple University during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The season marked the third for the Owls as members of the American Athletic Conference. The Owls, led by eighth year head coach Tonya Cardoza, played their home games at McGonigle Hall with four games at the Liacouras Center. They finished the season 23–12, 13–5 in AAC play to finish in third place. They advanced to the semifinals of the American Athletic women's tournament, where they lost to South Florida. They were invited to the Women's National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated Drexel, Quinnipiac and Ohio in the first, second and third rounds before losing to Michigan in the quarterfinals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016–17 Temple Owls women's basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

The 2016–17 Temple Owls women's basketball team represented Temple University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The season marked the third for the Owls as members of the American Athletic Conference. The Owls, led by eighth year head coach Tonya Cardoza, played their home games at McGonigle Hall and the Liacouras Center. They finished the season 24–8, 13–3 in AAC play to finish in second place. They advanced to the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference women's tournament, where they lost to South Florida. They received at-large bid to the NCAA women's tournament, which was their first time since 2007, where they were upset by Oregon in the first round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017–18 Temple Owls women's basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

The 2017–18 Temple Owls women's basketball team represented Temple University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The season marked the fifth for the Owls as members of the American Athletic Conference. The Owls, led by tenth year head coach Tonya Cardoza, played their home games at McGonigle Hall and the Liacouras Center. They finished the season 12–19, 3–13 in AAC play to finish a tie for last place. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the American Athletic Conference women's tournament, where they lost to UCF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018–19 Temple Owls women's basketball team</span> Intercollegiate basketball season

The 2018–19 Temple Owls women's basketball team represented Temple University during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The season marked the sixth for the Owls as members of the American Athletic Conference. The Owls, led by eleventh year head coach Tonya Cardoza, played their home games at McGonigle Hall and the Liacouras Center. They finished the season 11–19, 7–9 in AAC play to finish a tie for fifth place. They lost in the first of the American Athletic Conference women's tournament to Memphis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020–21 Temple Owls men's basketball team</span> Temple University NCAA team

The 2020–21 Temple Owls men's basketball team represented Temple University during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Owls, led by second-year head coach Aaron McKie, play their home games at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia as a member of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 5–11, 4–10 in AAC Play to finish in 9th place. They lost in the first round of the AAC tournament to South Florida.

References

  1. ↑ "McGonigle Hall". OwlsSports.com. Sidearm Sports. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "35,000 Enrolled at Temple; New Building Ready". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. August 24, 1969. p. 5.
  3. ↑ "Temple Opens Court Practice As Litwick Begins 18th Year". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. October 15, 1969. p. 42.
  4. ↑ "Strunk in Forecourt for Temple Quintet". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. November 27, 1969. p. 21.
  5. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Frank (February 14, 1988). "McGonigle leaves out many fans". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 2-E.
  6. ↑ Smith, Stephen A. (February 24, 1997). "Last hurrah for McGonigle". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 2-E.
  7. ↑ Parrillo, Ray (December 28, 2009). "Temple turns back clock, Bowling Green". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  8. ↑ Washington, Paul M.; Mcl. Gracie, David (1994). "Other Sheep I Have": The Autobiography of Father Paul M. Washington. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Temple University Press. ISBN   1566391784.
  9. ↑ "Photos: 50 years later, a look back at The Black Panthers". The Bismarck Tribune. October 23, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Stations plan maximum effort for President's scheduled visit". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. November 12, 1979. p. 16-D.
  11. ↑ "McGonigle Hall Philadelphia Concert Setlists". setlist.fm. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Photos and Quotes From Broad Street Boxing Press Conference" (PDF). phillyboxinghistory.com. December 8, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  13. ↑ Homan, Spencer; Cordner, Jordyn (August 3, 2016). "Stronger Together: Hillary Clinton Holds Rally at Temple University Following DNC". The Spirit of Penn's Garden. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
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