Beeghly Center
Encyclopedia
The Beeghly Physical Education Center, or simply Beeghly Center, is a 6,500-seat multi-purpose arena
in Youngstown, Ohio
. The arena, built at a cost of $5.5 million and named for local businessman Leon A. Beeghly, opened on December 2, 1972. It is home to the Youngstown State University
Penguins basketball
, volleyball
, and swimming
team
s. The first event at the arena was a basketball game against the Ohio University
Bobcats, which ended in a 68-59 Youngstown State victory.
The arena, which originally seated 6,000, has undergone many changes since its opened. The Youngstown State women's basketball team moved into the arena in the mid-1970s. In 1983, permanent seats at both ends of the court and 1,260 chairback seats at mid-court were added. On September 15, 1996, YSU dedicated Veterans' Plaza directly in front of Beeghly Center. This $500,000 community project was funded in-part through private donations to honor all United States Veterans. In 2000, the court was repainted, two additional scoreboards were added and expanded press-row seating was created. In May 2002, the facility underwent more than $2.5 million in additional renovations, including a new front and rear lobby, new hallways and locker rooms and a new $150,000 sound system.
The multipurpose facility includes an Olympic-sized swimming and diving facility, racquetball and squash courts, classrooms, and administrative offices. Beeghly is also home to the men's and women's basketball offices as well as the Olympic sports offices.
In addition to YSU intercollegiate basketball and volleyball contests, as well as university events, Beeghly Center has served as the site for high school competitions, World Wrestling Entertainment
matches (though the WWE now uses the newer Covelli Centre nearby when visiting Youngstown), concerts, tradeshows, and numerous other functions that dot the busy facility schedule throughout the year. The venue also hosted a Barack Obama
rally in February 2008.
The Beeghly Center holds many YSU classes throughout each semester, as well as the Youngstown City School's "All-City" Science Fair competition. The facility is used for graduation
ceremonies at the end of every semester.
The facility should not be confused with the nearby--and newer--Beeghly Hall, where YSU's Beeghly College of Education is housed, and also holds YSU classes.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
in Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
. The arena, built at a cost of $5.5 million and named for local businessman Leon A. Beeghly, opened on December 2, 1972. It is home to the Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University
Youngstown State University, founded in 1908, is an urban research university located in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. As of fall 2010, there were 15,194 students and a student-faculty ratio of 19:1. It is recognized as being one of the premier schools in the country, comparable to Ivy League...
Penguins basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, and swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
team
Team
A team comprises a group of people or animals linked in a common purpose. Teams are especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and have many interdependent subtasks.A group in itself does not necessarily constitute a team...
s. The first event at the arena was a basketball game against the Ohio University
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
Bobcats, which ended in a 68-59 Youngstown State victory.
The arena, which originally seated 6,000, has undergone many changes since its opened. The Youngstown State women's basketball team moved into the arena in the mid-1970s. In 1983, permanent seats at both ends of the court and 1,260 chairback seats at mid-court were added. On September 15, 1996, YSU dedicated Veterans' Plaza directly in front of Beeghly Center. This $500,000 community project was funded in-part through private donations to honor all United States Veterans. In 2000, the court was repainted, two additional scoreboards were added and expanded press-row seating was created. In May 2002, the facility underwent more than $2.5 million in additional renovations, including a new front and rear lobby, new hallways and locker rooms and a new $150,000 sound system.
The multipurpose facility includes an Olympic-sized swimming and diving facility, racquetball and squash courts, classrooms, and administrative offices. Beeghly is also home to the men's and women's basketball offices as well as the Olympic sports offices.
In addition to YSU intercollegiate basketball and volleyball contests, as well as university events, Beeghly Center has served as the site for high school competitions, World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
matches (though the WWE now uses the newer Covelli Centre nearby when visiting Youngstown), concerts, tradeshows, and numerous other functions that dot the busy facility schedule throughout the year. The venue also hosted a Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
rally in February 2008.
The Beeghly Center holds many YSU classes throughout each semester, as well as the Youngstown City School's "All-City" Science Fair competition. The facility is used for graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
ceremonies at the end of every semester.
The facility should not be confused with the nearby--and newer--Beeghly Hall, where YSU's Beeghly College of Education is housed, and also holds YSU classes.