Qwest Center Omaha
Encyclopedia
CenturyLink Center is an arena
and convention center
facility in the North Downtown neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska
. The 1.1 million ft² facility has an 18,300-seat arena, a 194,000-ft² exhibition hall and 62,000 ft² of meeting space.
The arena opened in 2003 as Qwest Center Omaha. It adopted its current name on July 22, 2011 as part of a $22 billion buyout of Qwest
by CenturyLink
(formerly CenturyTel). All signage, inside and outside, will be changed to conform to the new arena name; lighting will also be switched (from blue to green). The transition was expected to be completed by August 1, 2011. However, all the inside changes have been made, but the signage on the outside of the arena has yet to be changed.
The arena hosts various basketball
games, hockey
games, professional wrestling
events and concert
s. Another notable event held there is the annual shareholders meeting of Omaha-based conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway
.
Other names for the facility are "The Qwest", "The Riverfront Centre", "The Omaha Convention Center & Arena" or "The CLink".
. Naming rights to the arena were purchased by Qwest.
Qwest Center Omaha opened in September 2003 with an initial seating capacity
of 17,000 for concerts, 15,500 for basketball
, and 14,700 for hockey
. In 2006, a $5.7-million expansion of the arena increased capacity by approximately 1,500 seats.
The Qwest Center displaced the 1954 Omaha Civic Auditorium
as the premier indoor arena in the city. The venerable Ak-Sar-Ben
Coliseum was closed in 2002 and was demolished in 2005.
The arena hosted games in the first and second rounds of the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
and the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Wrestling Championships. It was also home to the WWE Judgment Day 2008
pay-per-view, as well as other events from the WWE.
The 2008 USA Swimming
Summer Olympic
Trials were hosted over eight days at the Qwest Center and on June 29, 2009 it was announced the trials would return again in 2012. The 2008 event averaged more than 12,000 spectators each night.
Part of the first and second round games for the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
will be held on either March 15 and March 17 or March 16 and March 18.
A portion of the roof, "The Hat", was damaged by a storm on June 27, 2008. There was no structural damage, however, the damage caused water to pour into parts of the Qwest Center, flowed down two sets of arena steps and onto the deck of the competition pool for the USA Swimming
Summer Olympic
Trials. The schedule for the trials went on as scheduled.
In 2011 it was announced the name would be changed to The CenturyLink
Center Omaha.
The CenturyLink Center holds several NCAA attendance records, especially in college volleyball. Qwest Center owns the top three NCAA tournament attendance record. The highest attendance to ever watch a volleyball match in the United States occurred when 17,340 fans watched the 2008 NCAA National Semifinal match between Penn State and Nebraska
. The second highest attendance in NCAA tournament history occurred when 17,209 fans watched Nebraska defeat Stanford for the 2006 NCAA championship. For the 2008 NCAA National Championship, 14,299 people watched Penn State defeat Stanford, the third highest attendance in NCAA tournament history and just two days after the Qwest Center broke the attendance record for the semifinals.
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...
and convention center
Convention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...
facility in the North Downtown neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
. The 1.1 million ft² facility has an 18,300-seat arena, a 194,000-ft² exhibition hall and 62,000 ft² of meeting space.
The arena opened in 2003 as Qwest Center Omaha. It adopted its current name on July 22, 2011 as part of a $22 billion buyout of Qwest
Qwest
Qwest Communications International, Inc. was a large United States telecommunications carrier. Qwest provided local service in 14 western U.S. states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.On April...
by CenturyLink
CenturyLink
CenturyLink, Inc. is a United States telecommunications firm, headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana. The company, founded as Central Telephone & Electronics Corporation in 1968, later changed its name to Century Telephone Enterprises, Inc. in 1971, and then was called CenturyTel, Inc. from 1999 to 2010...
(formerly CenturyTel). All signage, inside and outside, will be changed to conform to the new arena name; lighting will also be switched (from blue to green). The transition was expected to be completed by August 1, 2011. However, all the inside changes have been made, but the signage on the outside of the arena has yet to be changed.
The arena hosts various 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...
games, hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
games, professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
events and concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s. Another notable event held there is the annual shareholders meeting of Omaha-based conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. is an American multinational conglomerate holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, United States, that oversees and manages a number of subsidiary companies. The company averaged an annual growth in book value of 20.3% to its shareholders for the last 44 years,...
.
Other names for the facility are "The Qwest", "The Riverfront Centre", "The Omaha Convention Center & Arena" or "The CLink".
History
In 2000, Omaha voters approved a $216 million bond issue to build a new convention center and arena; the remainder of the $291 million project was provided by private organizations and individuals. The facility design was led by architectural firm DLR GroupDLR Group
DLR Group is an architectural design firm providing architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design to clients throughout the United States...
. Naming rights to the arena were purchased by Qwest.
Qwest Center Omaha opened in September 2003 with an initial 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 17,000 for concerts, 15,500 for 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...
, and 14,700 for hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
. In 2006, a $5.7-million expansion of the arena increased capacity by approximately 1,500 seats.
The Qwest Center displaced the 1954 Omaha Civic Auditorium
Omaha Civic Auditorium
The Omaha Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of CenturyLink Center Omaha in 2003....
as the premier indoor arena in the city. The venerable Ak-Sar-Ben
Ak-Sar-Ben
Ak-Sar-Ben, or Aksarben, was an indoor arena and horse racing complex in Omaha, Nebraska. Built to fund the civic and philanthropic activities of the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben, the thoroughbred race track was built in 1920 and the Coliseum was built in 1929...
Coliseum was closed in 2002 and was demolished in 2005.
The arena hosted games in the first and second rounds of the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball season...
and the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Wrestling Championships. It was also home to the WWE Judgment Day 2008
Judgment Day (2008)
Judgment Day was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on May 18, 2008 at the Qwest Center Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska...
pay-per-view, as well as other events from the WWE.
The 2008 USA Swimming
USA Swimming
USA Swimming is the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States. It is charged with selecting the United States Olympic Swimming team and any other teams which officially represent the United States, as well as the overall organization and operation of the sport within the...
Summer Olympic
Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held over a thirteen day period from August 9 to August 21, with the conventional events ending on August 17 and the new marathon 10 km events being held on August 20 and 21...
Trials were hosted over eight days at the Qwest Center and on June 29, 2009 it was announced the trials would return again in 2012. The 2008 event averaged more than 12,000 spectators each night.
Part of the first and second round games for the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament will involve 68 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball...
will be held on either March 15 and March 17 or March 16 and March 18.
A portion of the roof, "The Hat", was damaged by a storm on June 27, 2008. There was no structural damage, however, the damage caused water to pour into parts of the Qwest Center, flowed down two sets of arena steps and onto the deck of the competition pool for the USA Swimming
USA Swimming
USA Swimming is the national governing body for competitive swimming in the United States. It is charged with selecting the United States Olympic Swimming team and any other teams which officially represent the United States, as well as the overall organization and operation of the sport within the...
Summer Olympic
Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held over a thirteen day period from August 9 to August 21, with the conventional events ending on August 17 and the new marathon 10 km events being held on August 20 and 21...
Trials. The schedule for the trials went on as scheduled.
In 2011 it was announced the name would be changed to The CenturyLink
CenturyLink
CenturyLink, Inc. is a United States telecommunications firm, headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana. The company, founded as Central Telephone & Electronics Corporation in 1968, later changed its name to Century Telephone Enterprises, Inc. in 1971, and then was called CenturyTel, Inc. from 1999 to 2010...
Center Omaha.
Tenants
- CreightonCreighton UniversityCreighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
BluejaysCreighton BluejaysThe Creighton Bluejays, or Jays, are the athletic teams of Creighton University, a Jesuit/Catholic University located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Creighton competes in NCAA Division I athletics, competing in the Missouri Valley Conference...
men's college basketballCollege basketballCollege basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III.... - UNO MavericksUniversity of Nebraska at OmahaThe University of Nebraska at Omaha is a four-year state university located in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Founded in 1908 as Omaha University, the institution became the public Municipal University of Omaha in 1931. It assumed its current name in 1968 following a merger into the University...
ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take... - Nebraska School Activities AssociationNebraska School Activities AssociationThe Nebraska School Activities Association is the organization which oversees interscholastic competition in the state of Nebraska at the high school level. The mission statement of the NSAA is:-Classification:...
-- Nebraska State WrestlingWrestlingWrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
Tournament
Attendance history
Top 10 Largest Home Crowds at Qwest Center Omaha, Creighton History| Rank | Attendance | Opponent | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17,954 | Wichita State | W 68-56 | December 28, 2008 |
| 2 | 17,607 | Drexel | L 58-64 | February 17, 2007 |
| 3 | 17,459 | Southern Illinois | L 57-58 | January 20, 2007 |
| 4 | 17,411 | George Mason | W 76-63 | February 21, 2009 |
| 5 | 17,371 | Indiana State | W 86-69 | January 19, 2008 |
| 6 | 17,263 | Indiana State | W 71-55 | January 27, 2007 |
| 7 | 17,193 | Drake | L 62-74 | January 24, 2009 |
| 8 | 17,152 | Northern Iowa | L 52-60 | December 29, 2009 |
| 9 | 17,116 | Illinois State | W 74-70 | February 28, 2009 |
| 10 | 17,110 | Wichita State | W 71-54 | February 24, 2007 |
Records and milestones
On the evening of December 28, 2008, the largest crowd to ever watch a basketball game in Nebraska occurred when 17,954 fans witnessed the game between Creighton University and Wichita State University. This crowd was also the largest crowd to witness a Missouri Valley Conference regular season Men's basketball game.The CenturyLink Center holds several NCAA attendance records, especially in college volleyball. Qwest Center owns the top three NCAA tournament attendance record. The highest attendance to ever watch a volleyball match in the United States occurred when 17,340 fans watched the 2008 NCAA National Semifinal match between Penn State and Nebraska
Nebraska Cornhuskers volleyball
Nebraska is home to one of the nation's most storied collegiate women's volleyball programs. The Nebraska women's volleyball team has won three NCAA Women's Volleyball National Championships, in 1995, 2000, and 2006 and has had three NCAA National Runner-Up finishes in 1986, 1989, and 2005 as well...
. The second highest attendance in NCAA tournament history occurred when 17,209 fans watched Nebraska defeat Stanford for the 2006 NCAA championship. For the 2008 NCAA National Championship, 14,299 people watched Penn State defeat Stanford, the third highest attendance in NCAA tournament history and just two days after the Qwest Center broke the attendance record for the semifinals.
See also
- Omaha Civic AuditoriumOmaha Civic AuditoriumThe Omaha Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center in Omaha, Nebraska. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of CenturyLink Center Omaha in 2003....
- Mid-America CenterMid-America CenterThe Mid-America Center is an arena and convention center located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, just five minutes from downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The arena's maximum capacity is about 8,000 for concerts and 6,700 for ice hockey and arena football. The arena continues to provide free parking.It is the...
- Rosenblatt Stadium
- Ak-Sar-BenAk-Sar-BenAk-Sar-Ben, or Aksarben, was an indoor arena and horse racing complex in Omaha, Nebraska. Built to fund the civic and philanthropic activities of the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben, the thoroughbred race track was built in 1920 and the Coliseum was built in 1929...
- (defunct) - TD Ameritrade Park
- Morrison StadiumMorrison StadiumMichael G. Morrison, S.J., Stadium is a 6,000-seat soccer-specific stadium located at 2500 California Plaza in the NoDo neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. The stadium is home to the Creighton Bluejays men's and women's soccer teams.-History:...