Stokely Athletic Center
Encyclopedia
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 Thompson-Boling Arena
. It is located about a block from both the new arena and Neyland Stadium
. It replaced Alumni Gymnasium
, a 3,200-seat arena-auditorium built in 1931 which had hosted the SEC basketball tournament four times (1936, '37, '39 and '40).
The University of Tennessee's Armory-Fieldhouse was built in 1958 to accommodate larger on-campus crowds. It originally housed 7,800 people in the elongated building, with permanent seating in the west end and temporary seating lining the rest of the arena, which was also used for the ROTC, indoor track, and other events. However, by the mid-1960s the fieldhouse was already becoming obsolete for its size. A $500,000 gift from industrialist William B. Stokely was the impetus for an expansion to the final size of 12,700 in 1966, when the building was renamed for Stokely and his family. Permanent seating was installed on the other three sides, including balcony seating on the north and south sides. Interestingly, the expansion had been planned by the original designers when creating the original layout.
Stokely was the home of many great teams, including several SEC titles. It also served as the home of the women's basketball team from midway through the 1976-77 season until the end of the 1986-87 season, which was also the year of their first NCAA women's basketball championship. They had hosted the NCAA Mideast regionals in the building. Besides serving as the current home of the indoor track and field team, it has been the home of the women's athletics offices, and still occasionally serves as an alternate site when the larger arena is booked for events.
Probably one of more memorable basketball games played at Stokely didn't even involve a Tennessee team. The NCAA Mideast Regional Final (AKA "The Dream Game") was played there on March 26, 1983, with Louisville beating Kentucky 80-68 in overtime. It was the first game between the two since the 1959 NCAA tournament.
Stokely also was one of Knoxville's premier concert venues during its heyday. Elvis Presley appeared at Stokely on April 8, 1972, March 15, 1974 and May 20, 1977. Portions of the 1972 shows, and other scenes around Knoxville and at McGhee-Tyson Airport, were filmed and brief moments were included in the 1972 MGM documentary, "Elvis on Tour."
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...
. Prior to the opening of Thompson-Boling Arena
Thompson-Boling Arena
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 and Lady Vols basketball teams. Since 2008, it has been home to the Lady Vol volleyball team. It is named after B....
in 1987, it was home to the men's and women's basketball teams starting. In 2008, the Lady Vol volleyball team
Tennessee Volunteers volleyball
The Tennessee Lady Volunteers volleyball team represents the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Lady Vols compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Southeastern Conference...
also left Stokely for Thompson-Boling Arena
Thompson-Boling Arena
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 and Lady Vols basketball teams. Since 2008, it has been home to the Lady Vol volleyball team. It is named after B....
. It is located about a block from both the new arena and 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...
. It replaced Alumni Gymnasium
Alumni Memorial Gym (Knoxville)
The Alumni Memorial Gym is an indoor athletic facility on the campus of the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. It was built in 1934 during a construction campaign under school president James D. Hoskins, and was replaced by the Stokely Athletics Center in 1967. The facility hosted the...
, a 3,200-seat arena-auditorium built in 1931 which had hosted the SEC basketball tournament four times (1936, '37, '39 and '40).
The University of Tennessee's Armory-Fieldhouse was built in 1958 to accommodate larger on-campus crowds. It originally housed 7,800 people in the elongated building, with permanent seating in the west end and temporary seating lining the rest of the arena, which was also used for the ROTC, indoor track, and other events. However, by the mid-1960s the fieldhouse was already becoming obsolete for its size. A $500,000 gift from industrialist William B. Stokely was the impetus for an expansion to the final size of 12,700 in 1966, when the building was renamed for Stokely and his family. Permanent seating was installed on the other three sides, including balcony seating on the north and south sides. Interestingly, the expansion had been planned by the original designers when creating the original layout.
Stokely was the home of many great teams, including several SEC titles. It also served as the home of the women's basketball team from midway through the 1976-77 season until the end of the 1986-87 season, which was also the year of their first NCAA women's basketball championship. They had hosted the NCAA Mideast regionals in the building. Besides serving as the current home of the indoor track and field team, it has been the home of the women's athletics offices, and still occasionally serves as an alternate site when the larger arena is booked for events.
Probably one of more memorable basketball games played at Stokely didn't even involve a Tennessee team. The NCAA Mideast Regional Final (AKA "The Dream Game") was played there on March 26, 1983, with Louisville beating Kentucky 80-68 in overtime. It was the first game between the two since the 1959 NCAA tournament.
Stokely also was one of Knoxville's premier concert venues during its heyday. Elvis Presley appeared at Stokely on April 8, 1972, March 15, 1974 and May 20, 1977. Portions of the 1972 shows, and other scenes around Knoxville and at McGhee-Tyson Airport, were filmed and brief moments were included in the 1972 MGM documentary, "Elvis on Tour."