- William & Mary Hall
William & Mary Hall is the name of the building used for athletic events for the The College of William & Mary Tribe sports teams in
Williamsburg, Virginia . Kaplan Arena is the 8,600-seat multi-purposearena within the Hall. When the extra bleachers are pulled out, however, it seats up to 11,300. [http://www.tribeathletics.com/story.php/1343 TribeAthletics.com - Kaplan Arena at W&M Hall history] . AccessedMarch 19 ,2008 .] The arena's floor measures almost 24,000 square feet. [ [http://www.wm.edu/conferenceservices/facilities/wmhall.php William and Mary Hall - wm.edu] . AccessedMarch 19 ,2008 .] It's name was granted in 2005 as part of a publicized funding effort by then-college presidentGene Nichol . Between the 1920s and 1970s, the William & Mary Indians played basketball in Blow Gym, which now houses the graduate school of business, registrar, bursar, and other university offices. It hosted the last ECAC South men's basketball tournament in 1985 (the conference added more championships in the 1985-86 school year and was renamed the CAA). Retired jersey banners depicting some of W&M's own basketball greats hang from the rafters of Kaplan Arena. The arena opened in 1971 and is home to the Tribe basketball,gymnastics andvolleyball teams.The Hall's lower level houses the coaching & staff offices for the school's athletic department. William & Mary Hall also hosts a seminar room, medical suite, and a gymnastics workout area. Completed in 17 months by the Southeastern Construction Company of
Charlotte, North Carolina , the building cost $5.3 million but was financed by staterevenue bond s.The
Harlem Globetrotters and theRoller Derby , as well as other sports and entertainment acts, have also utilized Kaplan Arena as a venue over the years. " [People] in the Williamsburg area have seenauto show s, dog shows,Prince Charles ,Glenn Close , aBilly Graham crusade,Bette Midler ,Billy Joel , [the 1976 televised presidential debates] between candidatesJimmy Carter andGerald Ford , the "Shakespeare Players ", athree-ring circus , and even a "Howdy Doody " show." It also hosted the G-7 Conference in 1983 for some of the world's leaders, includingRonald Reagan ,Margaret Thatcher , andFrancois Mitterand .The first musical concert in Kaplan Arena, performed in 1971, was by
Sly and the Family Stone . The record for the largest crowd to ever attend a concert was 13,514 forThe Police in February 1982. Other notable performers have includedMy Chemical Romance , Muse, R.E.M., Sting,The Grateful Dead ,Bruce Hornsby ,10,000 Maniacs ,Beach Boys , Chicago, and theStone Temple Pilots ..External links
* [http://www.tribeathletics.com/files/mbb/2008/MediaGuide/0708mbbguide(71-90).pdf William & Mary Hall men's basketball arena records] "(page 9)"
References
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