Ocean Bank Convocation Center

Last updated
Ocean Bank Convocation Center
2013-0811-FIU-Arena.JPG
Ocean Bank Convocation Center
Former namesSunblazer Arena (1986–87)
Golden Panther Arena (1987–2004)
Pharmed Arena (2004–08)
FIU Arena (2008, 2014–18)
U.S. Century Bank Arena (2008-14)
Address11200 SW 8th St
Miami, FL 33199-2516
Location Westchester
Coordinates 25°45′24″N80°22′46″W / 25.75667°N 80.37944°W / 25.75667; -80.37944
Owner Florida International University
Capacity 5,000
Surface Wood
Construction
Broke ground1983
OpenedFebruary 1, 1986
Construction cost$7 million [1]
($20.6 million in 2022 dollars [2] )
Tenants
FIU Panthers (NCAA) (1986–present)

Ocean Bank Convocation Center (formerly known as Sunblazer Arena, Golden Panther Arena, Pharmed Arena, U.S. Century Bank Arena, and FIU Arena) is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena at Florida International University in Westchester, Florida. It was opened on February 1, 1986, and is home to the FIU Panthers basketball and volleyball teams. It was originally named Sunblazer Arena, but was renamed Golden Panther Arena when FIU's athletic teams changed their nickname from Sunblazers to Golden Panthers in 1987. It was renamed Pharmed Arena in 2004, and then was briefly named FIU Arena in 2008 before being renamed to U.S. Century Bank Arena. The facility reverted to the FIU Arena name again from 2014 to 2018 before being renamed the Ocean Bank Convocation Center in 2018. [3]

Contents

The 94,000-square-foot (8,700 m2) arena contains a 19,000-square-foot (1,800 m2) wooden arena floor. It is also used for banquets, conventions, concerts, trade shows, and graduations including FIU's own commencement ceremonies.

Media during the Isiah Thomas press conference at the U.S. Century Bank Arena. IsiahPress.JPG
Media during the Isiah Thomas press conference at the U.S. Century Bank Arena.

The main court is a Cincinnati Robbins perma-cushion maple wood basketball floor, made up of some 19,000 square feet (1,800 m2) of wood. Four retractable basketball backboards allow for the floor to be divided into two practice courts, while Hydra Goal II portable basketball standards are used for intercollegiate competition. Nevco scoreboards are found at either end.

Support areas include an equipment room, athletic training room, 876 lockers in six different, offices and boardrooms for FIU athletic administrators, and full-service dressing rooms. Academic space in the building includes three classrooms, as well as physiology and kinesiology laboratories.

In late 2008, U.S. Century Bank bought naming rights to the arena, changing the arena's name to U.S. Century Bank Arena. The arena was scheduled to undergo a $5 million renovation beginning in the summer or fall of 2010,[ needs update ] with a completion date of early 2011.

In January 2015, the Ocean Bank Convocation Center hosted the Miss Universe 2014 pageant.

On January 26, 2019, the arena broke its attendance record for a basketball game with 4,710 spectators for a game between FIU and their local rivals Florida Atlantic. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welsh–Ryan Arena</span> Basketball venue of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois

Welsh–Ryan Arena is a 7,039-seat multi-purpose arena in Evanston, Illinois, United States, near the campus of Northwestern University. It is home to four Northwestern Wildcats athletic teams: men's basketball, women's basketball, women's volleyball, and wrestling. It is located inside McGaw Memorial Hall, to the north of Ryan Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Sheriff Center</span> Arena in Hawaii, United States

The SimpliFi Arena at the Stan Sheriff Center is a 10,300-seat multi-purpose arena in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Initially named the Special Events Arena when it opened in 1994, the arena was renamed in 1998 after Stan Sheriff (1932–1993), a former UH athletic director who lobbied for its construction.

The Trinity Health Arena is a 3,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Muskegon, Michigan, United States. It was built in 1960 in partnership with philanthropist and industrialist Louis Carlisle Walker at a cost of $2 million, and on October 27, 1960, was formally gifted to the City of Muskegon. Mr. Walker provided $1 million and the City provided $1 million toward the cost. It is currently home to the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League, Muskegon Risers SC of Major Arena Soccer League 2, and the West Michigan Ironmen indoor football team. The Arena will change its name to Trinity Health Arena after a corporate decision to rename Mercy Health facilities Trinity Health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CU Events Center</span> Arena in Boulder

The CU Events Center is an 11,064-seat multi-purpose arena in the western United States, on the main campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. Opened 43 years ago in 1979, it is home to the Colorado Buffaloes men's and women's basketball teams and women's volleyball of the Pac-12 Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Littlejohn Coliseum</span> Arena in Clemson, South Carolina

The Littlejohn Coliseum is a 9,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Clemson, South Carolina, United States. It is home to the Clemson University Tigers men's and women's basketball teams. It is also the site of Clemson graduations and the Clemson Career Fair. It is owned and operated by Clemson University and hosts more than 150 events per year including concerts, trade shows, galas, and sporting events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joyce Center</span>

The Joyce Center, formerly the Athletic & Convocation Center, is a 9,149-seat multi-purpose arena in Notre Dame, Indiana just north of South Bend. The arena opened its doors in 1968. It is home to the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball and volleyball teams. The main arena, Phillip J. Purcell Pavilion, is located in the southern portion of the facility. The northern portion housed a hockey rink until October 2011. It is also home to the Castellan Family Fencing Center and Rolfs Aquatic Center in the rear of the building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Engelstad Sioux Center</span>

The Betty Engelstad Sioux Center is an indoor arena located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is adjacent to the larger $100 million Ralph Engelstad Arena in the University Village development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bren Events Center</span> Arena in California, United States

The Donald Bren Events Center, commonly known as the Bren Events Center or simply the Bren, is a 5,608-seat indoor arena on the campus of the University of California, Irvine, in Irvine, California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convocation Center (Ohio University)</span> Arena in Ohio, United States

The Convocation Center is a 13,000-seat multi-purpose arena that is home to the Ohio Bobcats basketball, volleyball, and wrestling teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Watsco Center</span> Arena in Florida, United States

The Watsco Center is an 8,000-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The venue hosts concerts, family shows, trade shows, lecture series, university events and sporting events, including all University of Miami men's and women's basketball games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Gervin GameAbove Center</span> Sports and entertainment venue on the campus of Eastern Michigan University

The George Gervin GameAbove Center, formerly known as the Convocation Center, is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment complex located on Eastern Michigan University’s west campus. Opened in 1998 as part of a campus upgrade initiative, the George Gervin GameAbove Center is a 204,316-square-foot (18,981.6 m2) structure that features three user-friendly levels including arena, concourse, and office. The arena also boasts versatile seating configurations to maximize space usage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSU Convocation Center</span>

The KSU Convocation Center is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, United States. The arena has a listed seating capacity of 4,600 people and opened in 2005. It is home to the Kennesaw State Owls men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball teams as well as the administrative offices for the KSU athletic department. It is also available for other events and has hosted concerts, conferences, and trade shows, as well as sporting events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hampton Convocation Center</span>

Hampton Convocation Center is a 7,200-seat multi-purpose arena in Hampton, Virginia. It was built in 1993 and is home to the Hampton University Pirates basketball team. The arena replaced Holland Hall gymnasium, which holds women's volleyball matches and tournaments. The construction cost was about $4 million-$5 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George M. Holmes Convocation Center</span>

The George M. Holmes Convocation Center is an 8,325-seat multipurpose arena in Boone, North Carolina, United States, on the campus of Appalachian State University. The convocation center is named for George M. Holmes, a 1954 graduate and member of the North Carolina General Assembly. The arena itself is named for Seby Jones. It was built in 2000 and is home to four athletic teams: Appalachian State Mountaineers men's basketball, Appalachian State Mountaineers women's basketball, volleyball, and indoor track and field. The inaugural event was a men's basketball game held on November 17, 2000 between the Mountaineers and the Tar Heels of North Carolina. The facility replaced Varsity Gymnasium. The George M. Holmes Convocation Center’s Mission is to provide facilities for the Department of Health, Leisure and Exercise Science and to support the academic processes of Appalachian State University. Serving as a multipurpose for the northwestern region of North Carolina, the center supports university sponsored events, such as commencement and college fair. Cultural events, concerts, trade shows, athletic events and other public assembly activities are also a part of the center’s programming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University Center (Southeastern Louisiana)</span>

The University Center is a 7,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Hammond, Louisiana, United States, on the campus Southeastern Louisiana University. Often called "the UC" within the university, it was built in 1982 at a cost of $16.3 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Millis Athletic Convocation Center</span>

The James H. and Jesse E. Millis Athletic and Convocation Center is a 1750-seat multi-purpose athletic and academic facility on the campus of High Point University (HPU) in High Point, North Carolina. The basis of the building is Alumni Hall, which was built in 1957. In 1992, the facility was added upon, creating the office space, classrooms and pool on the western side of the facility, as well as adding a state-of-the-art press box.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center</span>

The John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center is a multi-purpose arena in Buies Creek, North Carolina. The arena, Gore Arena, is located on the campus of Campbell University and hosts the university's basketball, volleyball, and wrestling programs. It is named for Gilbert Craig Gore, the late son of a Campbell alum. The John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center is a part of the expansion plan of Campbell's athletic facilities, which includes a new football stadium and renovations to existing Taylor Field of the baseball program. The John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center replaced Carter Gymnasium, which was the second smallest gymnasium in Division I Basketball with just 947 seats, second only to Charleston Southern's Fieldhouse which holds 750. The John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center also host events such as the universities commencement ceremonies and other university related events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FIU Panthers</span> Intercollegiate sports teams of Florida International University

The FIU Panthers are the athletic teams representing Florida International University, an American public university located in Miami, Florida. The Panthers currently compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I athletics as members of Conference USA. The men's soccer and swimming & diving teams compete in the American Athletic Conference. Until 2011, they were known as the FIU Golden Panthers.

Grover Center was originally built to be the home for the Ohio Bobcats men's basketball team. The first men's basketball game in the arena featured the Ohio Bobcats hosting the previous years national champion Ohio State Buckeyes on December 1, 1960 to a sold out crowd. The Ohio Bobcats basketball team only called the Grover Center home from 1960–68 after the much larger Convocation Center opened up December 3, 1968. It is named after former Bobcat coach Butch Grover.

FIU Football Stadium is a college football and soccer stadium on the campus of Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida. It is home stadium of the FIU Panthers football team and the Miami FC soccer team from the USL Championship. The stadium opened in 1995 and has a seating capacity of 20,000.

References

  1. "Basketball Fever Gives Sunblazers Hope for Future". Miami Herald. November 16, 1986. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
  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 May 28, 2023.
  3. "Ocean Bank Convocation Center at FIU Dedicated". CNBC. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  4. "A record home crowd watched the FIU Panthers basketball. Up next: Southern Miss". Miami Herald. January 27, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
Preceded by Miss Universe venue
2014
Succeeded by