- Dean Smith Center
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Dean Smith Center The Dean Dome 
Full name Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center Location 300 Skipper Bowles Dr, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 Coordinates 35°53′59″N 79°2′38″W / 35.89972°N 79.04389°WCoordinates: 35°53′59″N 79°2′38″W / 35.89972°N 79.04389°W Opened January 18, 1986 Expanded 1992, 2000 Owner University of North Carolina Operator University of North Carolina Construction cost $33.8 million Architect Corley Redfoot Zack, Inc. Capacity 21,750 Tenants North Carolina Tar Heels (NCAA) (1986–present) The Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center, usually called simply the Smith Center and popularly referred to as the Dean Dome is a multi-purpose arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The arena is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels men's basketball team, and temporary home to the women's team during renovations to Carmichael Auditorium. The arena opened in 1986.
The arena is named after former North Carolina coach Dean Smith, who coached the team from 1961 to 1997. According to David Halberstam's biography of Michael Jordan, Smith did not want the arena named after him, but was persuaded by the UNC administration and the arena's backers that fundraising efforts for the facility could fail if they did not use his name.[1] Smith coached the last 11 years of his career in the arena, making him one of the few college coaches in any sport to coach in an arena or stadium that is named for him.
Contents
General information
The arena originally seated 21,444. Seating adjustments brought capacity to 21,572 in 1992 and 21,750[2] in 2000.
The largest crowd to see a game in the Dean Dome was on March 6, 2005, when 22,125 fans saw the Tar Heels win 75-73 against Duke.[3]
The arena is somewhat spread out, making the seats seem far from the floor; however, the sight lines throughout most of the arena are very good, as they are almost the same as those of Carmichael Auditorium, UNC's previous basketball arena. The only obstructed seats are in the upper rows of the lower level, where the view is partially cut-off by the upper level's overhang.
The first game at the Dean E. Smith Center featured the #1 North Carolina Tar Heels against the #3 Duke Blue Devils on January 18, 1986. Warren Martin scored the first Tar Heel basket in the new arena, Kenny Smith was credited with the assist. North Carolina ended up defeating Duke 95-92.
Seating issues
Summer 2006
The arena's seating arrangement has been somewhat controversial. Most of the lower-level seats were allocated to members of UNC's athletic booster foundation, the Educational Foundation (better known as the Rams Club). Furthermore, most of those seats are season tickets. While tickets are usually available for most non-conference games, Atlantic Coast Conference games are almost always sold out. For many years, scalping was virtually the only way to get in for ACC games. Recently, UNC has begun putting any tickets returned by the visiting team on sale at 5 pm Eastern Time on the day before the game. This is usually the only way to get a seat for anywhere near face value.
In its early years, the arena was known as among the quieter ones in the country because many seats that would have been occupied by students at other schools were occupied by considerably older alumni who were not so inclined to cheer anywhere near as loudly. This led Florida State player Sam Cassell to say that the Dean Dome “is not a Duke kind of crowd. It’s more like a cheese-and-wine crowd, kind of laid back."[4] In contrast, Carmichael Auditorium, the team's previous arena, was known for its noise level; before one game, the University of Virginia Cavaliers couldn't hear their names announced during player introductions because of the din.[5]
Since 1992, however, expanded student seating and a younger alumni base has made the Smith Center louder. For example, after the then top-ranked Connecticut Huskies were defeated by Carolina at the Dean Dome in 2004, Huskies coach Jim Calhoun said, "I don't know what they are talking about because there was no 'wine and cheese' crowd here today." After the Tar Heels defeated then top-ranked Ohio State University in 2007, Buckeye coach Thad Matta stated, "I think I’ve never been in a building that was as loud as that building was at times."[6]
The arena is usually at its loudest for games against Duke; however, during a regular-season game against Maryland in 2000, more students were allowed into the lower level. The game had been postponed two days because of a heavy snowstorm. Students were also allowed to take most of the lower level seats during the Tar Heels' National Invitation Tournament appearance in 2003.
Home court advantage
Tipoff of North Carolina-Duke game at Dean Smith CenterThe Tar Heels have one of the most formidable home-court advantages in the country, rarely losing more than three home games in a season. One of the few times they have lost more than that was the 2009-2010 season, when they finished with a disappointing 5 home losses (16-16 overall). As of the end of the 2009-10 season, North Carolina had a record of 282-56 (.834) at the Smith Center,[7] an average of 11.5 wins and just 2.1 losses per year. They have gone undefeated at home four times since the arena opened (1986-87, 1992-93, 2004-05 and 2010-11). North Carolina has an overall record in the Smith Center of 285-52.[8][9] UNC's ACC record in the Smith Center is 146-40.[8][10]
Non-basketball uses
The arena has also held many concerts and is used by many of the graduate and professional schools, such as the UNC School of Law, for commencement ceremonies each year, as well as the same for all undergraduates receiving degrees in December of each year. It is also the graduation site for the local high schools each June.
Advertising arrangements, such as a signage deal with Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo) fund the arena.[11]
The arena has also hosted concerts from Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Guns & Roses, Boyz II Men, and many others. On April 28, 2008, then presidential-candidate Barack Obama held a rally in the arena in anticipation of the North Carolina primary. Senator Obama spoke in front of 18,000 while showing support of his surroundings in a Carolina-blue tie. [12] [13]
Notes
References
- ^ Halberstam, David (1999). Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made. New York: Random House. p. 77. ISBN 0679415629.
- ^ "2008-09 Quick Facts". Tarheelblue.com. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/unc/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/0809quickfacts.pdf. Retrieved 2008-11-22.
- ^ NCAA Basketball - Duke Blue Devils/North Carolina Tar Heels Recap Sunday March 6, 2005 - Yahoo! Sports
- ^ North Carolina Collection-Carolina Quotables - Sam Cassell
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=4YhGeDCjS7wC&pg=PA88&lpg=PA88&dq=carmichael+auditorium+unc+loud&source=web&ots=o6JHaJ3gjR&sig=MvdMzqKz_thtWY21L_xx-01p-5A&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result
- ^ "UNC-OSU: Thad Matta Press Conference". http://northcarolina.scout.com/2/595950.html.
- ^ "Tar Heels 2008-09 Men's Basketball Facts". Tarheelblue.com. http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/unc/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/0809quickfacts. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
- ^ a b "2008-09 Quick Facts". Tarheelblue.com. http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/unc/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/0809quickfacts.pdf. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
- ^ "North Carolina Tar Heels". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/clubhouse?teamId=153. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
- ^ "North Carolina Tar Heels". ESPN.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/clubhouse?teamId=153. Retrieved 2009-01-11.
- ^ Independent Weekly: Columns: Editorial: Ad nauseum [sic]
- ^ "Obama to speak at Smith Center Monday". The Daily Tar Heel. UNC Chapel Hill. http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2008/04/obama_to_speak_at_smith_center_monday. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ^ Nichols, Allison. "Obama and team draw a crowd to the Smith Center". The Daily Tar Heel. UNC Chapel Hill. http://www.dailytarheel.com/index.php/article/2008/04/obama_and_team_draw_a_crowd_to_the_smith_center. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
External links
North Carolina Tar Heels basketball arenas Men Bynum Gymnasium (now Bynum Hall, 1910–24) • Tin Can (Indoor Athletic Center, 1924–38) • Woollen Gymnasium (1938–65) • Carmichael Auditorium (now Carmichael Arena, 1965–86) • Dean Smith Center (1986–) • Carmichael Arena (2010 postseason)
Women Carmichael Auditorium (now Carmichael Arena, 1974–2008) • Dean Smith Center (2008–09) • Carmichael Arena (2009–)
Basketball arenas of the Atlantic Coast Conference Conte Forum (Boston College) • Littlejohn Coliseum (Clemson) • Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke) • Donald L. Tucker Center (Florida State) • Philips Arena and Arena at Gwinnett Center (Georgia Tech) • Comcast Center (Maryland) • BankUnited Center (Miami) • RBC Center (NC State, men's) • Reynolds Coliseum (NC State, women's) • Dean Smith Center (North Carolina, men's) • Carmichael Arena (North Carolina, women's) • John Paul Jones Arena (Virginia) • Cassell Coliseum (Virginia Tech) • Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Wake Forest)
Categories:- Basketball venues in North Carolina
- College basketball venues in the United States
- North Carolina Tar Heels basketball venues
- Buildings and structures completed in 1986
- North Carolina Tar Heels sports venues
- Indoor arenas in the United States
- Event venues established in 1986
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