Dedmon Center
Encyclopedia
Dedmon Center is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena
in Radford, Virginia
. It was built in 1981 and is home to the Radford University
Highlanders basketball
team
. The Center is named after Dr. Donald Dedmon
, a former Radford university president. It was the tenth air-supported
roof built in the United States
. The air-supported roof was removed during a major renovation in April 2008 and replaced with steel truss supported roof.
The Dedmon Center reopened on January 21, 2009, with a new lights system, sound system, and a new basketball floor. The venue hosted the final of the 2009 Big South Conference
men's basketball tournament.
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 Radford, Virginia
Radford, Virginia
Radford is a city in Virginia, United States. The population was 16,408 in 2010. For statistical purposes, the Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Radford with neighboring Montgomery County, including the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg, calling the combination the...
. It was built in 1981 and is home to the Radford University
Radford University
Radford University is one of Virginia's eight doctoral-degree granting public universities. Originally founded in 1910, Radford offers comprehensive curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, and graduate programs including the M.F.A., M.B.A...
Highlanders 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...
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...
. The Center is named after Dr. Donald Dedmon
Donald Dedmon
Donald Newton Dedmon was an American educator.Dedmon was born in Missouri, and received his undergraduate degree at Southwestern Missouri State College, and later, an M.A...
, a former Radford university president. It was the tenth air-supported
Air-supported structure
An air-supported structure is any building that derives its structural integrity from the use of internal pressurized air to inflate a pliable material envelope, so that air is the main support of the structure, and where access is via airlocks.The concept was popularized on a large scale by...
roof built in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The air-supported roof was removed during a major renovation in April 2008 and replaced with steel truss supported roof.
The Dedmon Center reopened on January 21, 2009, with a new lights system, sound system, and a new basketball floor. The venue hosted the final of the 2009 Big South Conference
Big South Conference
The Big South Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. The conference's football teams are part of the Football Championship Subdivision...
men's basketball tournament.