Pete Maravich Assembly Center
Encyclopedia
Pete Maravich Assembly Center is a 13,472-seat multi-purpose arena
in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
. The arena
opened in 1972. It is home to the Louisiana State University
Tigers and Lady Tigers basketball
teams. It was originally known as the LSU Assembly Center, but was renamed in memory of Pete Maravich
, a Tiger basketball legend, shortly after his death in 1988. Maravich never played in the arena, but it was his exploits which led LSU to build a larger home for the basketball team, which languished for decades in the shadow of the school's football program.
The Assembly Center also hosted the Southeastern Conference
men's basketball tournament in 1988, two months after Maravich's death at age 40 and four months before Louisiana governor Buddy Roemer
signed an act to rename the building in Maravich's honor (under Louisiana law, no LSU building may be named after a living person). The assembly center is known to locals as "The PMAC" or "The House that Pete Built," or by its more nationally-known nickname, "The Deaf Dome," coined by Dick Vitale
. The PMAC's neighbor to the south, Tiger Stadium is known as "Death Valley".
The slightly oval building is located directly to the north of Tiger Stadium, and its bright white roof can be seen in many telecasts of that stadium. The concourse includes Pete Maravich Pass, an area dedicated to the life and accomplishments of the famous LSU alumnus, and other memorablilia pertaining to the history of LSU Basketball. Prior to the building of the Assembly Center, LSU played its games at John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum
(aka, the "Cow Palace"), located on the southeast corner of the campus.
played host to the Louisiana Bayou Beast
of the Professional Indoor Football League
. The Beast played 2 preseason games, 8 regular season games, and the PIFL Championship Game on August 15, 1998 in the PMAC. The building also played host to the NCAA Basketball tournament twice, in 1976 and 1986. In 1976, Indiana defeated Alabama and Marquette in the Mideast Regional en route to an undefeated season and the national championship, and in 1986, LSU defeated Purdue and Memphis to begin an unlikely run to the Final Four as a #11 seed, the lowest seed (through 2007) to reach the national semifinals.
After the NBA's
New Orleans Hornets were displaced by Hurricane Katrina
in 2005, the arena was under consideration as a possible temporary home for the team. The Hornets played just one of six scheduled home games at the Maravich Center in the 2005-06 season.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
, the arena, locally known as the PMAC, was quickly turned into the largest triage center and acute care field hospital ever created in U. S. history. The 800 bed facility, which was under FEMA direction, was staffed mostly by volunteers, from teenagers to doctors, some of whom were themselves displaced from New Orleans. Helicopters with injured evacuees landed in LSU's Bernie Moore Track Stadium, which is adjacent to the arena, while ambulances from around the region lined up with other patients that needed treatment. Those healthy enough were either transferred to out-of-state facilities or to LSU's Fieldhouse which had been transformed into a large shelter.
Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd was involved in a plane crash on their way to play at the Assembly Center in 1977. Several of their members were killed.
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 Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. The arena
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...
opened in 1972. It is home to the Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
Tigers and Lady Tigers 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...
teams. It was originally known as the LSU Assembly Center, but was renamed in memory of Pete Maravich
Pete Maravich
Peter "Pistol Pete" Press Maravich was an American professional basketball player. Born and raised in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, Maravich starred in college at Louisiana State University and played for three NBA teams until injuries induced him to retire in 1980...
, a Tiger basketball legend, shortly after his death in 1988. Maravich never played in the arena, but it was his exploits which led LSU to build a larger home for the basketball team, which languished for decades in the shadow of the school's football program.
The Assembly Center also hosted the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
men's basketball tournament in 1988, two months after Maravich's death at age 40 and four months before Louisiana governor Buddy Roemer
Buddy Roemer
Charles Elson "Buddy" Roemer III is an American politician who served as the 52nd Governor of Louisiana, from 1988 to 1992. He was elected as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party on March 11, 1991...
signed an act to rename the building in Maravich's honor (under Louisiana law, no LSU building may be named after a living person). The assembly center is known to locals as "The PMAC" or "The House that Pete Built," or by its more nationally-known nickname, "The Deaf Dome," coined by Dick Vitale
Dick Vitale
Richard J. "Dick" Vitale , also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well-known as a college basketball broadcaster and for the enthusiastic and colorful remarks he makes during games. He is known for his...
. The PMAC's neighbor to the south, Tiger Stadium is known as "Death Valley".
The slightly oval building is located directly to the north of Tiger Stadium, and its bright white roof can be seen in many telecasts of that stadium. The concourse includes Pete Maravich Pass, an area dedicated to the life and accomplishments of the famous LSU alumnus, and other memorablilia pertaining to the history of LSU Basketball. Prior to the building of the Assembly Center, LSU played its games at John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum
John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum
The John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum is a 6,756-seat multi-purpose arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. It hosts local sporting events and concerts. It was opened in 1937...
(aka, the "Cow Palace"), located on the southeast corner of the campus.
Non-LSU use
In 1998, the arenaArena
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...
played host to the Louisiana Bayou Beast
Louisiana Bayou Beast
The Louisiana Bayou Beast was a team in the Professional Indoor Football League in 1998, in the Indoor Professional Football League in 1999, and reincarated in 2001 in the National Indoor Football League . The Bayou Beast franchise was owned by James and Carolyn Shiver, who currently own and...
of the Professional Indoor Football League
Professional Indoor Football League
The Professional Indoor Football League was the second league to successfully play indoor football as a paid pro-league sport, after the Arena Football League. Since the AFL had a patent given in 1990 on the gameplay of "Arena Football" , the PIFL played with mostly the same rules, but without the...
. The Beast played 2 preseason games, 8 regular season games, and the PIFL Championship Game on August 15, 1998 in the PMAC. The building also played host to the NCAA Basketball tournament twice, in 1976 and 1986. In 1976, Indiana defeated Alabama and Marquette in the Mideast Regional en route to an undefeated season and the national championship, and in 1986, LSU defeated Purdue and Memphis to begin an unlikely run to the Final Four as a #11 seed, the lowest seed (through 2007) to reach the national semifinals.
After the NBA's
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
New Orleans Hornets were displaced by Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
in 2005, the arena was under consideration as a possible temporary home for the team. The Hornets played just one of six scheduled home games at the Maravich Center in the 2005-06 season.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, the arena, locally known as the PMAC, was quickly turned into the largest triage center and acute care field hospital ever created in U. S. history. The 800 bed facility, which was under FEMA direction, was staffed mostly by volunteers, from teenagers to doctors, some of whom were themselves displaced from New Orleans. Helicopters with injured evacuees landed in LSU's Bernie Moore Track Stadium, which is adjacent to the arena, while ambulances from around the region lined up with other patients that needed treatment. Those healthy enough were either transferred to out-of-state facilities or to LSU's Fieldhouse which had been transformed into a large shelter.
Rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd was involved in a plane crash on their way to play at the Assembly Center in 1977. Several of their members were killed.