Thompson-Boling Arena
Encyclopedia
Thompson-Boling Arena is multi-purpose arena
on the campus of the University of Tennessee
in Knoxville, Tennessee
. The arena opened in 1987. It is home to the Tennessee Volunteers (men) and Lady Vols
(women) basketball
team
s. Since 2008, it has been home to the Lady Vol volleyball team. It is named after B. Ray Thompson and former university president Dr. Edward J. Boling. The basketball court is named "The Summitt" after Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt
. It replaced the Stokely Athletic Center
. The mammoth octagonal building lies just northwest of the Tennessee River
, and just southwest of Neyland Stadium
. As an echo of its neighbor and a tribute to the brick-and-mortar pattern atop Ayres Hall, the baselines of the court are now painted in the familiar orange-and-white checkerboard
pattern.
, Thompson-Boling was at one time the largest facility ever built specifically for basketball in the United States
with a seating capacity
of 24,678 until its 2007 renovation. The men's record crowd was 25,610 for a game against Kentucky on January 21, 1989, which is also the SEC record for a regular-season game. The Lady Vols record crowd of 24,653, set at their win over archrival
UConn
on January 7, 2006, is also the all-time record for an NCAA regular-season women's game.
The facility hosted the 1989 Southeastern Conference
men's basketball tournament. It hosted games of the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 1994 and 1999, and the 1990 NCAA Women's Final Four.
Since 2001, it has played host to Knoxville's Living Christmas Tree
.
In August 2006, ground was broken for the Pratt Pavilion, a basketball practice facility to be located adjacent to the arena. It was ready for use in early November, but not all exterior construction were finished.
On November 30, 2006, plans were announced at utsports.com to add new renovations to Thompson-Boling Arena. Renovations included black seats, a center hung scoreboard and concourse refurbishments, such as graphics and other amenities. Also added were luxury suites and loge seating. Construction began in March 2007. Phase I was finished in late October 2007 with an opening game against the Temple Owls
of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Phase II is scheduled to include a new lighting system, new ticket kiosks and new food courts.
The outer volume of Thompson-Boling Arena is approximately 17 Mcuft.
During the 2006–2007 and the 2007–2008 year, The University of Tennessee
Men's Basketball team went 16–0 in Thompson-Boling Arena. As of November 18, 2008, Bruce Pearl
's home record at Thompson-Boling Arena was 47–2, a home winning percentage at Tennessee of 96%.
On February 5, 2009, history was made at Thompson-Boling Arena, as the Tennessee Lady Vols defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 73–43, to give head coach Pat Summitt
her 1,000th win.
It is also a concert venue, holding up to 25,000 people. It is presently Tennessee's largest arena, as it has been since it opened. Only Greensboro Coliseum
has had a larger capacity among other arenas in the Southeast.
WWE has held Monday Night RAW here four times, with the Intercontinental Championship changing hands here twice. The WWE Cruiserweight Championship
has also changed hands here once, along with the World Tag Team Championship
, before it was unified with the WWE Tag Team Championship and has held Smackdown!/ECW once.
It is home to the Lady Volunteers the 2007 champions and 2008 champions.
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...
on the campus of the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
. The arena opened in 1987. It is home to the Tennessee Volunteers (men) and Lady Vols
Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball
The Tennessee Lady Volunteers basketball team represents the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee in NCAA women's basketball competition...
(women) 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...
s. Since 2008, it has been home to the Lady Vol volleyball team. It is named after B. Ray Thompson and former university president Dr. Edward J. Boling. The basketball court is named "The Summitt" after Lady Vols basketball coach Pat Summitt
Pat Summitt
Patricia "Pat" Head Summitt is an American women's college basketball coach. She is currently the head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team. She is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history of either a men's or women's team in any division...
. It replaced the Stokely Athletic Center
Stokely Athletic Center
The Stokely Athletic Center is an on-campus arena located at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. Prior to the opening of Thompson-Boling Arena in 1987, it was home to the men's and women's basketball teams starting. In 2008, the Lady Vol volleyball team also left Stokely for...
. The mammoth octagonal building lies just northwest of the Tennessee River
Tennessee River
The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...
, and just southwest of Neyland Stadium
Neyland Stadium
Neyland Stadium is a sports stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. It serves primarily as the home of the Tennessee Volunteers football team, but is also used to host large conventions and has been a site for several NFL exhibition games. The stadium's official capacity is 102,455...
. As an echo of its neighbor and a tribute to the brick-and-mortar pattern atop Ayres Hall, the baselines of the court are now painted in the familiar orange-and-white checkerboard
Checkerboard
A checkerboard or chequerboard is a board of chequered pattern on which English draughts is played. It is an 8×8 board and the 64 squares are of alternating dark and light color, often red and black....
pattern.
History
In terms of seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
, Thompson-Boling was at one time the largest facility ever built specifically for basketball in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 24,678 until its 2007 renovation. The men's record crowd was 25,610 for a game against Kentucky on January 21, 1989, which is also the SEC record for a regular-season game. The Lady Vols record crowd of 24,653, set at their win over archrival
UConn-Tennessee rivalry
The women's basketball rivalry between the University of Tennessee Lady Vols and the University of Connecticut Huskies is one of the fiercest rivalries in college basketball, and perhaps the only one to reach national consciousness out of the women's game...
UConn
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
on January 7, 2006, is also the all-time record for an NCAA regular-season women's game.
The facility hosted the 1989 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. It hosted games of the NCAA men's basketball tournament in 1994 and 1999, and the 1990 NCAA Women's Final Four.
Since 2001, it has played host to Knoxville's Living Christmas Tree
Singing Christmas Tree
A Singing Christmas Tree, sometimes called a Living Christmas Tree, is an artificial Christmas tree filled with singers used as part of nativity plays. First appearing in 1933 in Mississippi, they later made their debut indoors in 1958 in North Carolina...
.
In August 2006, ground was broken for the Pratt Pavilion, a basketball practice facility to be located adjacent to the arena. It was ready for use in early November, but not all exterior construction were finished.
On November 30, 2006, plans were announced at utsports.com to add new renovations to Thompson-Boling Arena. Renovations included black seats, a center hung scoreboard and concourse refurbishments, such as graphics and other amenities. Also added were luxury suites and loge seating. Construction began in March 2007. Phase I was finished in late October 2007 with an opening game against the Temple Owls
Temple Owls
Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has a very long-running athletic program. The school's sports teams are called the Owls, originating from the university's early days as a night school. The current athletic director is Bill Bradshaw....
of the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Phase II is scheduled to include a new lighting system, new ticket kiosks and new food courts.
The outer volume of Thompson-Boling Arena is approximately 17 Mcuft.
During the 2006–2007 and the 2007–2008 year, The University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
Men's Basketball team went 16–0 in Thompson-Boling Arena. As of November 18, 2008, Bruce Pearl
Bruce Pearl
Bruce Dean-Fredrick Pearl is an American college basketball coach who most recently served as head coach of the University of Tennessee Volunteers men's team. He is a graduate of Boston College, where he obtained his first position as an assistant basketball coach. He was the first coach to lead...
's home record at Thompson-Boling Arena was 47–2, a home winning percentage at Tennessee of 96%.
On February 5, 2009, history was made at Thompson-Boling Arena, as the Tennessee Lady Vols defeated the Georgia Bulldogs 73–43, to give head coach Pat Summitt
Pat Summitt
Patricia "Pat" Head Summitt is an American women's college basketball coach. She is currently the head coach of the Tennessee Lady Vols basketball team. She is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history of either a men's or women's team in any division...
her 1,000th win.
It is also a concert venue, holding up to 25,000 people. It is presently Tennessee's largest arena, as it has been since it opened. Only Greensboro Coliseum
Greensboro Coliseum
The Greensboro Coliseum Complex is an entertainment complex located in College Hill neighborhood of Greensboro, North Carolina. Opening in 1959, the arena was one of the largest venues in the South, with a seating capacity of over 7,000...
has had a larger capacity among other arenas in the Southeast.
WWE has held Monday Night RAW here four times, with the Intercontinental Championship changing hands here twice. The WWE Cruiserweight Championship
WWE Cruiserweight Championship
The World Wrestling Entertainment Cruiserweight Championship was a professional wrestling championship in World Wrestling Entertainment and was originally a World Championship Wrestling title. It was challenged by cruiserweights at a maximum weight of 215 lbs...
has also changed hands here once, along with the World Tag Team Championship
World Tag Team Championship
The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in World Wrestling Entertainment . It served as the premier title for tag teams in WWE from 1971 until 2002 when a second WWE Tag Team Championship was established...
, before it was unified with the WWE Tag Team Championship and has held Smackdown!/ECW once.
It is home to the Lady Volunteers the 2007 champions and 2008 champions.