Louis Brown Athletic Center
Encyclopedia
The Louis Brown Athletic Center, more commonly known as the RAC (for its original name, the Rutgers Athletic Center), is an 8,000-seat multi-purpose arena
in Piscataway, New Jersey on Rutgers University
's Livingston Campus. The building is shaped like a truncated tent with trapezoidal sides on the north and south ends. It is home to the men's and women's Rutgers Scarlet Knights
basketball
teams. Previously, the University used the 3,200-seat College Avenue Gym from 1931 to 1977.
.
The arena was known as the Rutgers Athletic Center until 1986, when it was renamed for Louis Brown, a Rutgers graduate and former member of the varsity golf team, who made a large bequest to the University in his will. Despite the name change, the building is still largely referred to as "The RAC" by students, alumni, fans, and players.
The RAC is renowned for being one of the loudest arenas in college basketball when at maximum capacity. The trapezoidal design of the building allows the crowd noise to resonate, creating a deafening environment. The RAC has even been described as being "louder than a 747 at Newark Airport."
ESPN
's Jay Bilas
has lauded the RAC, saying, "The Scarlet Knights play great there, and the crowd is right on top of you and intimidating."
Former opponents have also extolled the RAC's atmosphere. Former Connecticut Guard Ben Gordon said, “It is very difficult at the RAC. They have a great home crowd. The student body and everybody really comes out to support them. Just the way the gym is shaped, it seems like everybody is on top of you. At times, if you're not focused, you can get lost in the game just by how intense the crowd is."
Former Syracuse forward Hakim Warrick
notes that "they (the fans) are definitely some of the best fans on the road that I’ve played against. It’s crazy how much they love their team. The way the gym is made, it’s just made to keep the noise in. It’s loud and crazy down there.”
from their second year in the NBA, 1977, when the team moved from The Nassau Coliseum, until 1981, when the Brendan Byrne Arena
opened at the Meadowlands Sports Complex
. It also hosted the 1985 and 1989 Atlantic Ten Conference
men's basketball tournaments. The arena is also the site for the girls and boys Middlesex County high school basketball tournament finals, and various boys and girls New Jersey high school basketball state playoff games.
played at the Rutgers Athletic Center on May 15, 1981.
The arena was used on Friday, April 27, 2007 for Rutgersfest, an annual concert normally held outdoors, but held in the RAC that time due to rain. The performers were The Roots
, Hawthorne Heights
, and Everclear
. Due to lack of seating, only 5,000 tickets were given out, angering the 15,000 or so (est.) other students who were then unable to attend.
The arena is used every June as a graduation hall for Piscataway Township High School
, John P. Stevens High School, and Edison High School
, as well as for other high schools in surrounding cities. The graduations are free to attend and anyone may attend.
May 3, 2008 The RAC hosted SpringBlaze 2008, a concert featuring Christian rock
bands with a special appearance by Rutgers Football Head Coach Greg Schiano
.
have reported that Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti intends on expanding the Louis Brown Athletic Center to include more practice facilities, more concourse space, and a seating expansion to accommodate 12,500 fans, including club seating and premium restaurants. Pernetti also stated that he wanted to book more concerts at the arena and at nearby Rutgers Stadium
.
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 Piscataway, New Jersey on Rutgers University
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
's Livingston Campus. The building is shaped like a truncated tent with trapezoidal sides on the north and south ends. It is home to the men's and women's Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights are the athletic teams that represent Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey...
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. Previously, the University used the 3,200-seat College Avenue Gym from 1931 to 1977.
History
The arena opened on November 30, 1977 with a win against rival Seton HallSeton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
.
The arena was known as the Rutgers Athletic Center until 1986, when it was renamed for Louis Brown, a Rutgers graduate and former member of the varsity golf team, who made a large bequest to the University in his will. Despite the name change, the building is still largely referred to as "The RAC" by students, alumni, fans, and players.
Reputation
ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Jay Bilas
Jay Bilas
Jay Scot Bilas is an American lawyer and basketball analyst for ESPN and CBS Sports. He is also a former college basketball player.-Playing career:...
has lauded the RAC, saying, "The Scarlet Knights play great there, and the crowd is right on top of you and intimidating."
Former opponents have also extolled the RAC's atmosphere. Former Connecticut Guard Ben Gordon said, “It is very difficult at the RAC. They have a great home crowd. The student body and everybody really comes out to support them. Just the way the gym is shaped, it seems like everybody is on top of you. At times, if you're not focused, you can get lost in the game just by how intense the crowd is."
Former Syracuse forward Hakim Warrick
Hakim Warrick
Hakim Hanif Warrick is an American professional basketball player in the NBA who is currently with the Phoenix Suns. Commonly nicknamed "Helicopter" and "Skinny", the 6'9", 219 lb forward was a major part the Syracuse Orange's run to the 2003 National Championship, often being most remembered...
notes that "they (the fans) are definitely some of the best fans on the road that I’ve played against. It’s crazy how much they love their team. The way the gym is made, it’s just made to keep the noise in. It’s loud and crazy down there.”
Non-Rutgers Sporting Events
The arena was the home of the NBA's New Jersey NetsNew Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
from their second year in the NBA, 1977, when the team moved from The Nassau Coliseum, until 1981, when the Brendan Byrne Arena
Continental Airlines Arena
Izod Center is a multi-purpose arena, in the MetLife Sports Complex, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States. It opened in 1981 and currently has a maximum seating capacity of 20,000...
opened at the Meadowlands Sports Complex
Meadowlands Sports Complex
The MetLife Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority...
. It also hosted the 1985 and 1989 Atlantic Ten Conference
Atlantic Ten Conference
The Atlantic 10 Conference is a college athletic conference which operates mostly on the United States' eastern seaboard. It also has two member schools in Ohio: Dayton and Xavier, located in Dayton and Cincinnati, respectively. Another member, Saint Louis is located in St. Louis, Missouri...
men's basketball tournaments. The arena is also the site for the girls and boys Middlesex County high school basketball tournament finals, and various boys and girls New Jersey high school basketball state playoff games.
Non-Sporting Events
The Grateful DeadGrateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
played at the Rutgers Athletic Center on May 15, 1981.
The arena was used on Friday, April 27, 2007 for Rutgersfest, an annual concert normally held outdoors, but held in the RAC that time due to rain. The performers were The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
, Hawthorne Heights
Hawthorne Heights
Hawthorne Heights is an American rock band from Dayton, Ohio, formed in 2001. Their line-up currently consists of lead-singer and rhythm guitarist JT Woodruff, lead-guitarist and vocalist Micah Carli, bassist and backing vocalist Matt Ridenour, and drummer Eron Bucciarelli...
, and Everclear
Everclear (band)
Everclear is a rock band formed in Portland, Oregon in 1992 best known for their radio hits spanning more than a decade. For most of its existence, Everclear has consisted of Art Alexakis , Craig Montoya , and Greg Eklund . Eklund replaced original drummer Scott Cuthbert in 1994...
. Due to lack of seating, only 5,000 tickets were given out, angering the 15,000 or so (est.) other students who were then unable to attend.
The arena is used every June as a graduation hall for Piscataway Township High School
Piscataway Township High School
Piscataway Township High School is a four-year public high school in Piscataway Township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States, serving students in grades 9-12 as part of the Piscataway Township Schools....
, John P. Stevens High School, and Edison High School
Edison High School
Edison High School is the name of many schools named after Thomas Edison:Schools with the full name:*Thomas A. Edison High School — Jamaica, Queens*Thomas A. Edison High School — Elmira Heights, New York...
, as well as for other high schools in surrounding cities. The graduations are free to attend and anyone may attend.
May 3, 2008 The RAC hosted SpringBlaze 2008, a concert featuring Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
bands with a special appearance by Rutgers Football Head Coach Greg Schiano
Greg Schiano
Gregory Edward Schiano is the head coach for the Rutgers University football team. He has held that position since 2001.-Early life and education:...
.
Possible Expansion
The Newark, NJ based Star Ledger and the Rutgers University newspaper, The Daily TargumThe Daily Targum
The Daily Targum is the official student newspaper of Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey. Founded in 1869, it is the second-oldest collegiate newspaper in the United States. The Daily Targum is student written and managed, and boasts a circulation of 18,000...
have reported that Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti intends on expanding the Louis Brown Athletic Center to include more practice facilities, more concourse space, and a seating expansion to accommodate 12,500 fans, including club seating and premium restaurants. Pernetti also stated that he wanted to book more concerts at the arena and at nearby Rutgers Stadium
Rutgers Stadium
High Point Solutions Stadium is the on-campus football stadium for the football program at Rutgers University in Piscataway, New Jersey. It is located on the Busch Campus at Rutgers, and overlooks the Raritan River to the South. High Point Solutions Stadium was opened on September 3, 1994 when the...
.