Stabler Arena

Last updated
Stabler Arena
Stabler Arena, Lehigh University.jpg
Stabler Arena in January 2018
Stabler Arena
Location124 Goodman Drive
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 18015
Coordinates 40°35′4″N75°21′25″W / 40.58444°N 75.35694°W / 40.58444; -75.35694
Owner Lehigh University
OperatorLehigh University
Capacity Concerts: 6,200 Basketball: 5,600
OpenedMay 29, 1979
Tenants
Lehigh Mountain Hawks (NCAA) (1979–present)
Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs (USBL) (1999200?)
Lehigh Valley Outlawz (GLIFL/CIFL) (2006–2008)
Lehigh Valley Steelhawks (IFL/PIFL) (20112014)

Stabler Arena is a 6,200-seat multi-purpose arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state. Owned and operated by Lehigh University, it is located on the school's Goodman Campus.

Contents

Stabler Arena is named for Donald B. Stabler, a 1930 Lehigh graduate, founder of Stabler Companies Inc., and a member of the university's Board of Trustees for over 30 years. He and his wife, Dorothy, were the primary donors for the facility. [1]

The arena officially opened with Lehigh's Commencement Exercises on May 29, 1979, replacing Taylor Gymnasium, which had hosted Lehigh athletics since 1914. Its first public event was Holiday on Ice in November later that same year. [2]

Athletics

The entrance to Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in January 2018 Stabler Arena Exterior.jpg
The entrance to Stabler Arena in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in January 2018

Stabler Arena is home to the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks basketball teams, who play in the NCAA Division I Patriot League. Stabler was also home to two indoor football teams, the Lehigh Valley Outlawz and the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks and the Pennsylvania ValleyDawgs basketball team.

Stabler also has hosted ABC's Wide World of Sports and the U.S. Women's gymnastics finals.

Concerts

Because of the arena's reputation for exceptional acoustics and lively audiences, some musical acts have started their U.S. tours at Stabler Arena, including The Cranberries, Grateful Dead, Judas Priest, KISS, Bette Midler, and The Moody Blues.

Notable Stabler Arena concerts have included:

Renovations and upgrades

In the fall of 2016, brand new LED video boards measuring 10 feet (3.0 m) tall and 17 feet (5.2 m) wide were installed in two corners of the arena. A new LED scorer's table was added, along with two new competition baskets with three-sided shot clocks, and two fixed digit scoreboards were installed in time for the start of the 2016-17 basketball season. The arena also debuted a new baseline club, a court-level area behind one of the baskets that features high-top tables.

In the summer of 2017, the arena received a new basketball floor. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lehigh University</span> Private university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, US

Lehigh University (LU) is a private research university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been coeducational since the 1971–72 academic year. As of 2022, the university had 5,911 undergraduate students and 1,781 graduate students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Williams Arena</span> Multi-purpose arena in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Williams Arena is an indoor arena located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the home arena for the University of Minnesota's men's and women's basketball teams. It also housed the men's hockey team until 1993, when it moved into its own building, 3M Arena at Mariucci. The building is popularly known as The Barn, and its student section is known as "The Barnyard".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Louis Arena</span> Indoor arena in St. Louis, MO 1929 - 1999

St. Louis Arena was an indoor arena in St. Louis, Missouri. The country's second-largest indoor entertainment venue when it opened in 1929, it was home to the St. Louis Blues and other sports franchises. The Arena sat across U.S.40 from Forest Park's Aviation Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rupp Arena</span> Indoor arena in Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.

Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center is an arena located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Since its opening in 1976, it has been the centerpiece of Central Bank Center, a convention and shopping facility owned by an arm of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, which is located next to the Lexington Hyatt and Hilton hotels. Rupp Arena also serves as home court to the University of Kentucky men's basketball program, and is named after legendary former Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp with an official capacity of 20,500. In 2014 and 2015, in Rupp Arena, the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team was second in the nation in college basketball home attendance. Rupp Arena also regularly hosts concerts, conventions and shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xfinity Center (College Park, Maryland)</span> Basketball arena at the University of Maryland

Xfinity Center is the indoor arena and student activities center that serves as the home of the University of Maryland Terrapins men's and women's basketball teams. Ground was broken in May 2000 and construction was completed in October 2002 at a cost of $125 million. It replaced Cole Field House as the Terrapins' home court, which had served as the home of Maryland basketball since 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuengling Center</span> Indoor arena in Florida, United States

Yuengling Center is an indoor arena on the main campus of the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida. Construction began in November 1977, and it opened in November 1980. It is located in USF's Athletics District on the southeast side of campus, and is home to the South Florida Bulls men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams, as well as USF's commencement ceremonies and other school and local events. With 10,500 seats, it is the third-largest basketball arena by capacity in the American Athletic Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kohl Center</span> Arena at the University of Wisconsin–Madison

The Kohl Center is a multi-purpose arena located at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States. The arena opened in 1998 and is the home of the university's men's basketball and ice hockey teams, and the women's basketball team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryce Jordan Center</span> Arena in State College, Pennsylvania

The Bryce Jordan Center is a 15,261-seat multi-purpose arena in College Township, Pennsylvania, on the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University. The arena opened in 1996 and is the largest such venue between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It replaced Rec Hall as the home to the Nittany Lions men's and women's basketball teams, the Pride of the Lions Pep Band, and its student section, Legion of Blue. It also plays host to events such as concerts, circuses, and commencement ceremonies for colleges within the university. The arena is named after former Penn State University president Bryce Jordan, who was instrumental in acquiring funding needed to build it. The arena is associated with the Arena Network, a marketing and scheduling group of 38 arenas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Petersen Events Center</span> Multi-purpose basketball arena and recreation center at the University of Pittsburgh

The Petersen Events Center is a 12,508-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland neighborhood. The arena is named for philanthropists John Petersen and his wife Gertrude, who donated $10 million for its construction. John Petersen, a Pitt alumnus, is a native of nearby Erie and is the retired president and CEO of Erie Insurance Group. The Petersen Events Center was winner of the 2003 Innovative Architecture & Design Honor Award from Recreation Management magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Noble Center</span> Arena in Norman, Oklahoma, US

The Lloyd Noble Center is a 10,967-seat multi-purpose arena located in Norman, Oklahoma, some 19 mi (31 km) south of downtown Oklahoma City. It opened in 1975 and is home to the University of Oklahoma men's and women's basketball and women's gymnastics teams of the Southeastern Conference. It also regularly hosts concerts, including city school orchestra concerts, and graduation ceremonies for colleges with the University of Oklahoma as well as those for several high schools in area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Maravich Assembly Center</span> Indoor arena in Louisiana, United States

The Pete Maravich Assembly Center is a 13,215-seat multi-purpose arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The arena opened in 1972. It was originally known as the LSU Assembly Center, but was renamed in honor of Pete Maravich, a Tiger basketball legend, shortly after his death in 1988. Louisiana governor Buddy Roemer signed an act to rename the building in Maravich's honor. Maravich never played in the arena as a collegian but played in it as a member of the Atlanta Hawks in a preseason game. But his exploits while at LSU led the university to build a larger home for the basketball team, which languished for decades in the shadow of the school's football program. The Maravich Center is known to locals as "The PMAC" or "Pete's Palace", or by its more nationally known nickname, "The Deaf Dome", coined by Dale Brown. The Maravich Center's neighbor, Tiger Stadium is known as "Death Valley".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murphy Center</span> Arena at Middle Tennessee State University

Charles M. Murphy Athletic Center is the name of the main athletic department building at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The building opened December 11, 1972, and is named in honor of former athletics director Charles M. "Bubber" Murphy, a standout athlete at the college in the 1930s, who also served as head coach of Middle Tennessee State's football (1947–1968), basketball (1948–1949), and baseball programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trojan Arena</span>

Trojan Arena is a 6,000-seat arena that is home to the Troy Trojans men's and women's basketball, volleyball and track programs. It is also used for the University's commencement ceremonies and special events. The arena replaced the University's longtime basketball and events facility, Sartain Hall, which opened in 1962. Trojan Arena has been considered to be one of the most modern and technologically advanced basketball facilities in the southeastern United States since it was completed in 2012. The total cost to build the arena was $40 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daskalakis Athletic Center</span> Sports facility in Philadelphia

Daskalakis Athletic Center (DAC) is a 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2) athletic and recreational facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotterell Court</span> Arena at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York

Cotterell Court is a 1,750-seat multi-purpose arena in Hamilton, New York. It was built in 1959 and is home to the Colgate University Raiders basketball and volleyball teams. It is named for Wesley M. Cotterell '19, a two-time letterwinner in basketball and school trustee. The basketball arena was built as the northern half of the William A. Reid Athletic Center, a twin barrel-vaulted complex which also houses Starr Rink. The complex is located on the western side of campus next to Andy Kerr Stadium and across Broad Street from Huntington Gymnasium, the school's former athletics facility. The hardwood was replaced in 2016 for the first time since the venue's opening. The gym has bleacher seating on three sides, with the main sides being the east and west sides and a much shorter section on the north side. The main entrance to the arena is on the south side, leading into the rest of the athletic center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaplan Arena</span> Building in Virginia, United States

Kaplan Arena is a building used for athletic events for the William & Mary Tribe sports teams at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The building contains an 8,600-seat arena, which can seat 11,300 with extra bleachers. The arena's floor measures almost 24,000 square feet (2,200 m2). The building was formerly known as William & Mary Hall. From 2005 to 2016, only the arena proper was called Kaplan Arena, before the entire building was renamed to honor alumni Jane Thompson Kaplan and Jim Kaplan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easton Area High School</span> Public high school in Easton, Pennsylvania, United States

Easton Area High School is a large four-year public high school located in Easton, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley area of eastern Pennsylvania. It is part of the Easton Area School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lehigh Mountain Hawks</span> Athletic teams of Lehigh University

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks are the athletic teams representing Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Hawks participate in NCAA Division I competition as a member of the Patriot League. In football, Lehigh competes in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

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

The Stroh Center is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. It replaced Anderson Arena as the home of the Bowling Green Falcons men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball teams, and hosts music concerts and the university's commencement ceremonies. The arena was designed by the architectural firm Rossetti Architects, designers of Red Bull Arena and Rio Tinto Stadium, and engineering firm URS Group Inc. The building opened in September 2011 and seats 4,387 people for basketball and volleyball games and 5,209 for convocation events and concerts.

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks women’s basketball team is a college basketball program representing Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Mountain Hawks are a member of NCAA Division I basketball, and compete in the Patriot League. They are coached by Addie Micir, entering her 3rd season as head coach. The Mountain Hawks currently play their home games at Stabler Arena.

References

  1. Lehigh Receives Largest Gift in its History Lehigh University, Saturday, May 31, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "Stabler Arena - Facilities - Lehigh University". Lehigh University Athletics.