Savage Hall

John F. Savage Hall (formerly Centennial Hall) has served Northwest Ohio since opening in 1976. Located in Toledo, Ohio USA, on the University of Toledo campus, the arena is home to the university's Rockets basketball teams. It seats 9,000 for basketball and up to 10,000 for concerts.

Savage Hall features 33,000 square foot (3,000 m²) of space on its arena floor, large enough to accommodate each of the following: an ice rink, an arena football field, a rodeo ring, 5 basketball courts, 8 volleyball courts, 5 tennis courts, 6 racquetball courts, 22 badminton courts, and a 300 yard (274 m) indoor track. There is even a 48x56 foot portable stage at the arena. The Joe Grogan Room, which seats 200 for dinners, is located at the arena's south side.

Many concert tours also frequently stop by Savage Hall. It is also the site of convocations and commencement ceremonies, as well as the occasional conventions. In addition, the arena welcomed President George W. Bush and Mexican president Vicente Fox in 2001.

The arena is built with long span trusses that support the roof, 57 feet (17 m) above the arena floor. The trusses also support the arena's public address and ventilation systems, a catwalk system for service and maintenance, and the arena's center-court scoreboard. The arena is named for John F. Savage, a university alum who was instrumental in the arena's construction.

The facility has hosted five Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournaments: 1985, 1987-1989, and 1995.

During the Rockets time in Savage Hall, the Rockets have ranked among the MAC leaders in attendance, averaging 6,640 fans per game since the arena opened in 1976. Last year, Toledo led the MAC with an average attendance of 5,292.

In 1980-81, the Rockets set a school record with 147,203 in total attendance, the 30th-best total in the nation, and during the 1999-2000 season the Rockets eclipsed the 2,500,000-attendance mark in arena history.

With big crowds have come big wins. The first game played in Savage Hall is perhaps the biggest win of them all — the 59-57 victory over defending NCAA champion Indiana University in 1976. With that win, the Rockets snapped Bobby Knight and the Hoosiers' 33-game winning streak and started a supreme basketball tradition in the Hall. The Rockets have continued the tradition with home victories over Ohio State, Xavier, Cincinnati, Houston and Pittsburgh.

Trips to Savage Hall have meant frustration for visiting opponents, as UT has won nearly 74 percent of its games at home, posting a 312-112 record. During the first five years in Savage Hall, UT posted an amazing 71-10 (.877) record, with a 15-1 mark in 1976-77 and 1978-79 and a 14-1 slate in 1979-80. Under Head Coach Stan Joplin, the Rockets have an impressive 84-22 (.792) ledger.

The longest consecutive winning streak by the Rockets in Savage Hall is 16 games, run up at the end of the 1978-79 season. During that streak, UT outscored opponents by an average of 17 points per game. Between Nov. 30, 1978, and Dec. 1, 1981, the Rockets recorded an incredible 45-3 mark. Further proof of the Rockets' dominance on their home-court is the fact that prior to the 1985-86 season, they had lost back-to-back games in the Hall only twice in 146 contests.

A multi-purpose complex, Savage Hall not only serves the needs of intercollegiate athletics, but it also hosts concerts, convocations and graduation exercises. To date, over over four million people have visited the Hall for various forms of entertainment.

The list of entertainers who have performed in Savage Hall include Elvis Presley, Cher, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Hootie and the Blow Fish, Sheryl Crow, TLC, Boyz II Men, Elton John, M.C. Hammer, Michael Bolton, Rod Stewart, Bob Seger, Steve Winwood and many others.

Highlighting the start of the 2001-02 academic year was President George W. Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox speaking in Savage Hall on Sept. 6 as part of Fox's state visit.

In addition to the activity areas, Savage Hall contains athletic department offices, a reception area, press room, sports medicine and therapy rooms, laundry and equipment facilities and locker rooms with showers and saunas for both men and women.

At the south side of Savage Hall above the running track is the Joe Grogan Room. The Grogan Room is a glass-enclosed structure containing a lounge area, seating for up to 200 dinner guests and a bar. More than $350,000 was spent on building and equipping the Joe Grogan Room. All funds for the room were raised through $5,000 pledges by members of the Rocket Club, the athletic department's main support group that now totals more than 1,000 members.

In addition, Savage Hall's main roof supports are long span trusses almost 57 feet above the main arena floor, providing spectators with an excellent unobstructed view of the playing area. The trusses carry the ventilation system, a four-sided scoreboard at center court, the building's sound system and a catwalk system for service and maintenance. The free span is 200 feet from wall to wall. The building structure and wall systems are constructed of noncombustible material for the safety of all who use the facility.

Formerly Centennial Hall, the building opened in 1976. In July 1988, the University of Toledo Board of Trustees voted to rename building John F. Savage Hall. Mr. Savage, a 1952 UT graduate, was instrumental in the campaign to raise funds for the arena, as well as the Glass Bowl Renovation Project.

As of July 17th, 2006, a gift of $5 million, the largest single gift ever made to the UT athletic department, has been donated and earmarked for use on the new Savage Hall update project. These funds will be used along with those obtained in a capital raising campaign in order to make major repairs and upgrades to the facility, including an all new athletic center. Final plans include new locker rooms, weight rooms, a pro shop, a Rocket Hall-of-Fame, new ticket offices and a professional office area, not to mention a revamping of the main arena area which will modernize every aspect of the Savage Hall experience.

There are also plans in the works to attach an enclosed indoor practice complex for both the basketball and football teams.

Right now a 30 million dollar renovation is underway on savage hall, adding more seats and adding two new parts to the building. The project is scheduled to complete before the 2008-2009 basketball season.

External links

* [http://www.utrockets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=18000&ATCLID=1255492 John F. Savage Hall]

* [http://www.utrockets.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=18000&ATCLID=1419737&KEY=&DB_OEM_ID=18000&DB_LANG=&IN_SUBSCRIBER_CONTENT=]