Mohegan Sun Arena
Encyclopedia
The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena
in Uncasville, Connecticut
located inside Mohegan Sun
. The arena facility features 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) of configurable exhibition space and a 400 feet (121.9 m) clear span. It was built by the Perini Building company, and opened in 2001.
arena football
team until it was sold and moved to Manchester, New Hampshire
in 2004.
On January 28, 2003 the arena was announced publicly to be the official home court for the Connecticut Sun
. Prior to the fall of 2002, the NBA operating model prevented any WNBA team to exist without an NBA "brother" counterpart. By the time the Connecticut Sun
moved in, Val Ackerman
was the WNBA president, M. Jodi Rell was the state's Lieutenant Governor and Mark L. Brown was the chairman of the Mohegan
Tribe. While the arena is attached to the Mohegan Sun casino, the facility does not accept any form of sports wagering or sports booking; in fact, sports betting is illegal in Connecticut.
The multi-purpose facility has hosted a wide variety of events; including the American Kennel Club
, concerts from major Classical, Country, Jazz, Metal, Rap, Rock, and Pop acts, as well as sporting events such as WWE
shows, PBR events, NCAA
games, PBA
tournaments, UFC
bouts, World's Strongest Man
Super Series Competition.
Major network and cable television broadcasting companies, including CBS
, NBC
, ABC
, FOX
, ESPN
and CNN
have all produced events through this arena.
On September 8, 2005, as a companion to the arena, the Mohegan Sun casino opened its first Connecticut Sun
merchandise store called "Winter Essentials". It mainly sold Connecticut Sun
WNBA team goods. It was the first store in the United States
that sold professional basketball
goods on casino ground. However, the store was closed when the casino underwent renovations in 2008. Connecticut Sun
merchandise can now be purchased at the Clay Pipe store in the mall area.
Grand Prix events.
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 Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville, Connecticut
Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut. The area traditionally known as Uncasville is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River...
located inside Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun
Mohegan Sun, located in Uncasville, Connecticut, is the second largest casino in the United States with of gaming space. It is located on along the banks of the Thames River. It is at the heart of the scenic foothills of southeastern Connecticut, where 60 percent of the state's tourism is...
. The arena facility features 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) of configurable exhibition space and a 400 feet (121.9 m) clear span. It was built by the Perini Building company, and opened in 2001.
History
The arena originally served as home of the Mohegan WolvesManchester Wolves
The Manchester Wolves were a professional arena football team, based at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, which folded at the end of the 2009 season along with the rest of the league...
arena football
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
team until it was sold and moved to Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
in 2004.
On January 28, 2003 the arena was announced publicly to be the official home court for the Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
. Prior to the fall of 2002, the NBA operating model prevented any WNBA team to exist without an NBA "brother" counterpart. By the time the Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
moved in, Val Ackerman
Val Ackerman
Valerie B. "Val" Ackerman was born on November 7, 1959 in Lakewood Township, New Jersey but grew up in Pennington, New Jersey, United States. She is an attorney, sports executive, and former basketball player...
was the WNBA president, M. Jodi Rell was the state's Lieutenant Governor and Mark L. Brown was the chairman of the Mohegan
Mohegan
The Mohegan tribe is an Algonquian-speaking tribe that lives in the eastern upper Thames River valley of Connecticut. Mohegan translates to "People of the Wolf". At the time of European contact, the Mohegan and Pequot were one people, historically living in the lower Connecticut region...
Tribe. While the arena is attached to the Mohegan Sun casino, the facility does not accept any form of sports wagering or sports booking; in fact, sports betting is illegal in Connecticut.
The multi-purpose facility has hosted a wide variety of events; including the American Kennel Club
American Kennel Club
The American Kennel Club is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. Beyond maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, an annual event which predates the official...
, concerts from major Classical, Country, Jazz, Metal, Rap, Rock, and Pop acts, as well as sporting events such as WWE
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...
shows, PBR events, NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
games, PBA
Professional Bowlers Association
The Professional Bowlers Association is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the PBA membership consists of almost 4,300 members worldwide...
tournaments, UFC
Ultimate Fighting Championship
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...
bouts, World's Strongest Man
World's Strongest Man
The World's Strongest Man is a well recognised event in strength athletics and has been described by a number of highly respected authorities in the sport as the premier event in strongman. Organized by TWI, an IMG Media company, it is broadcast around the end of December each year...
Super Series Competition.
Major network and cable television broadcasting companies, including CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
, 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....
and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
have all produced events through this arena.
On September 8, 2005, as a companion to the arena, the Mohegan Sun casino opened its first Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
merchandise store called "Winter Essentials". It mainly sold Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
WNBA team goods. It was the first store in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that sold professional 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...
goods on casino ground. However, the store was closed when the casino underwent renovations in 2008. Connecticut Sun
Connecticut Sun
The Connecticut Sun is a professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was founded in Orlando, Florida before the 1999 season began; the team moved to Connecticut before the 2003 season...
merchandise can now be purchased at the Clay Pipe store in the mall area.
Seating
As of 2006, the seatings can be configured into 5 common sports configurations. Basketball, boxing, bowling, rodeo, ping pong. It also can be reconfigured to fit many types of concerts: regular, fullhouse, centerstage, and halfhouse. The arena has won awards for being one of America's most modern concert venues. The arena was awarded the 2008 and 2010 Country Music Award for "Casino of the Year". It was also ranked the 4th best venue by Billboard Magazine.Notable events
- WNBA All-Star Game – (2005), (2010)
- WWE SmackDown and NXTWWE NXTWWE NXT is a sports entertainment television program produced by WWE that debuted on February 23, 2010. Described as a hybrid between reality television and WWE's scripted live event shows, the premise of the show follows select talent contracted to WWE's developmental territory Florida...
– (2011)
Strength Athletics Grand Prix
Since 2005, the arena has hosted one of the premier international strongmanStrongman (strength athlete)
In the 19th century, the term strongman referred to an exhibitor of strength or circus performers of similar ilk who displayed feats of strength such as the bent press , supporting large amounts of...
Grand Prix events.
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | 3rd Place | Event Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 |  Mariusz PudzianowskiMariusz Pudzianowski Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski is a Polish former strongman and current mixed martial artist... |
 Jessen PaulinJessen Paulin Jessen Paulin is a Canadian Strongman. A resident of Gatineau, Quebec, Paulin is known for being a multiple-Quebec's Strongest Man champion and a two-time Canada's Strongest Man in 2005 and 2006 succeeding, multiple-time champion and former World Champion Hugo Girard who was in rehabilitation... |
 Don PopeDon Pope Don Pope is a strongman competitor from the USA. He is best known for participating in the World's Strongest Man finals of 2005, 2006 and 2007. His best finish was 3rd at the 2006 World's Strongest Man competition. Don has a maximum dead lift of 800 pounds, and can squat nearly 1000 pounds. He... |
Mohegan Sun Grand Prix Final of WSM Super Series 2005 Strongman Super Series The Strongman Super Series, known from 2005 to 2008 as the World's Strongest Man Super Series and reverting in 2009 to the World Strongman Super Series, is a sequence of grand prix events in the sport of strength athletics... |
| 2006 | Mariusz Pudzianowski Mariusz Pudzianowski Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski is a Polish former strongman and current mixed martial artist... |
Jesse Marunde Jesse Marunde Jesse Marunde was an American strongman athlete who placed second in the 2005 World's Strongest Man competition.... |
Josh Thigpen |
Mohegan Sun Grand Prix Final of WSM Super Series 2006 |
| 2007 | Mariusz Pudzianowski Mariusz Pudzianowski Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski is a Polish former strongman and current mixed martial artist... |
Kevin Nee Kevin Nee Kevin Nee is an American professional Strongman athlete. He is notable as being the youngest person ever to reach the finals in the World's Strongest Man in 2007 at age 21.... |
 Mark FelixMark Felix Mark Felix is a strongman competitor and regular entrant to the World's Strongest Man competition... |
Mohegan Sun Grand Prix Start of WSM Super Series 2007 |
| 2008 | Derek Poundstone Derek Poundstone Derek Poundstone Derek Poundstone Derek Poundstone (born on September 28, 1981, 6'1" (1,85m), 341 lb is an American professional strongman athlete from Waterbury, Connecticut.... |
Mariusz Pudzianowski Mariusz Pudzianowski Mariusz Zbigniew Pudzianowski is a Polish former strongman and current mixed martial artist... |
Terry Hollands Terry Hollands Terry Hollands , is one of the world's leading strongman competitors and was Britain's Strongest Man .-Early life:... |
Mohegan Sun Grand Prix Start of WSM Super Series 2008 Strongman Super Series The Strongman Super Series, known from 2005 to 2008 as the World's Strongest Man Super Series and reverting in 2009 to the World Strongman Super Series, is a sequence of grand prix events in the sport of strength athletics... |
| 2009 | Derek Poundstone Derek Poundstone Derek Poundstone Derek Poundstone Derek Poundstone (born on September 28, 1981, 6'1" (1,85m), 341 lb is an American professional strongman athlete from Waterbury, Connecticut.... |
Travis Ortmayer Travis Ortmayer Travis Ortmayer is an American Professional Strongman athlete from Cypress, Texas. Travis is the owner of Athletic Nation gym... |
Brian Shaw Brian Shaw (strongman) Brian Shaw is a professional strongman competitor and winner of the 2011 World's Strongest Man competition.-Early life:... |
Mohegan Sun Grand Prix 2009 17 May 2009 Start of Giants Live Giants Live Giants Live or The Giants Live Grand Prix Competition Series was created in 2009 as the official World’s Strongest Man Qualifying Tour taking over from the Strongman Super Series... 2009 |
| 2010 | Derek Poundstone Derek Poundstone Derek Poundstone Derek Poundstone Derek Poundstone (born on September 28, 1981, 6'1" (1,85m), 341 lb is an American professional strongman athlete from Waterbury, Connecticut.... |
Brian Shaw Brian Shaw (strongman) Brian Shaw is a professional strongman competitor and winner of the 2011 World's Strongest Man competition.-Early life:... |
 Stojan TodorchevStojan Todorchev Stojan Todorchev is a leading strongman competitor and entrant to the World's Strongest Man competition.- Biography :... |
Mohegan Sun Grand Prix 2010 25 April 2010 Start of WSM Super Series 2010 Strongman Super Series The Strongman Super Series, known from 2005 to 2008 as the World's Strongest Man Super Series and reverting in 2009 to the World Strongman Super Series, is a sequence of grand prix events in the sport of strength athletics... |
External links
- http://www.mohegansun.com/entertainment/arena-360view-popup.html
- http://www.wnba.com/sun/news/winteressentials.html Mohegan Sun Winter Essentials Store