- Stephen C. O'Connell Center
Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Stephen C. O'Connell Center| nickname = "The O-Dome"
location = Gale Lemerand Dr & W University Ave
Gainesville, FL 32611
broke_ground = Fall, 1977
opened = December 30, 1980
closed =
demolished =
owner = Univ. of Florida
operator = Univ. of Florida
surface =
construction_cost= $14 million
architect = Jim Hughes
former_names =
tenants = Florida Gators
(Men's and Women's Basketball, Gymnastics, Volleyball, Indoor Track, Swimming & Diving)
seating_capacity = 12,000The Stephen C. O'Connell Center, popularly nicknamed the "O-Dome" is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose
arena at theUniversity of Florida inGainesville, Florida . The facility is named forStephen C. O'Connell , President of the University of Florida from 1967-1973. It is situated between thewest side of football'sBen Hill Griffin Stadium and theeast side ofbaseball 'sMcKethan Stadium . The arena opened in1980 , but problems with the inflatable,Teflon -coated fabric roof required replacement with a permanent, hard shell dome on top of the structure in1998 . In 2006, the arena undertook an overhaul of the four scoreboards located above the entrances to Gates 1-4. Instead of displaying information and advertisements, the scoreboards are now used for live instant replays for events inside the arena. The arena, which is the fourth on-campus home of the Gators, replaced the oldFlorida Gymnasium , nicknamed "Alligator Alley", which was the home of the Gators for the previous 31 seasons and is still located to the east of the football stadium.Tenants
It is home to the
University of Florida Gators men's and women'sbasketball ,volleyball , indoor track,gymnastics ,swimming anddiving team s. "ESPN The Magazine " nicknamed it the "House of Horrors" in 1999, a name that the sports teams began using promotionally a few years later. The student section of the stadium has been dubbed the "Rowdy Reptiles". ESPN commentatorDick Vitale said, on assignment at the Florida vs. Kentucky game in 2006, that the Rowdy Reptiles make the O-Dome one of the toughest places to play in college basketball.History
Following the men's basketball team's victory in the national title game of the
2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament , the UF athletic department bought the temporaryhardwood floor that had been installed in theIndianapolis RCA Dome for theFinal Four . Although the national finals logos will be removed by sanding, the basketball teams will now play on the same lumber on which the Gators won their first basketball National Championship. The Gators also bought the court used to win their second title from theGeorgia Dome , and displayed it in the O'Connell Center during their championship celebration event, but will sell it afterwards in pieces to raise funds for scholarships. [ [http://www.palmbeachpost.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/palmbeach/ufblog/entries/2007/04/06/floor_for_sale.html Palm Beach Post: April 6, 2007-Floor For Sale] ] .On December 23rd, 2006, a record crowd of 12,621 watched the 5th ranked Gators defeat the 3rd ranked Ohio State Buckeyes, 86-60. The two teams would meet again that season for the National Championship game, with the Gators, once again, emerging victorious as the first back-to-back National Champions since Duke in the early 90s.
In addition to its use as a basketball arena, the O'Connell Center also contains both indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and is regularly used to host other events on campus, including career fairs, graduation ceremonies, concerts, and public speakers.
Gallery
ee also
*
University of Florida Athletic Association References
External links
* [http://www.oconnellcenter.ufl.edu/ Official website]
* [http://www.gatorzone.com/facilities/?venue=oconn&sport=baskm Stephen C. O'Connell Center] In-depth history of the arena from the official Florida Gators website.
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