Williams Arena
Encyclopedia
Williams Arena, located on the Twin Cities main campus
of the University of Minnesota
is the home of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men's
and women's basketball teams, and the men's
and women's hockey
teams until 1992, when the hockey teams received their own buildings (Mariucci Arena
and Ridder Arena
). The building is known affectionately as "The Barn," and its student section is known as "The Barnyard".
Williams Arena is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of University Avenue
and 19th Ave. SE in Minneapolis on the East Bank of the University of Minnesota, in a section of Minneapolis, Minnesota
known as Stadium Village, named for the old Memorial Stadium
that stood there until its demolition in 1992. The arena is adjacent to TCF Bank Stadium
and Mariucci Arena
, where the football and hockey teams respectively play.
Initially known as the Minnesota Field House (another building has that name today), Williams Arena was constructed in the 1920s and opened in 1928. The arena was remodeled in the 1950s, and renamed Williams Arena after Dr. Henry L. Williams
, the football coach from 1900 to 1921.
During a 1950s renovation, it was divided into two separate arenas within one building. The larger one for basketball
and the smaller one for hockey
were called Williams Arena until March 2, 1985, when the hockey section was renamed Mariucci Arena after John Mariucci
. The hockey team moved into a new building across the street from Williams in the early 1990s. This building was also named Mariucci Arena
. The old Mariucci Arena within Williams was remodeled into the Sports Pavilion and now houses the volleyball, wrestling and gymnastic teams.
The venue hosted the 1951 NCAA Men's Division I championship game and the Frozen Four in 1958 and 1966.
. The double arch steel beams allows an open space for the bleachers and floor. There are some seats with partially obscured views due to the upper deck extending past the trusses.
to host stadiums for their Final Four as of 2009
to have the floor about three feet off the stadium floor as part of an increased capacity to a minimum of 70,000. The floor in Williams Arena recently underwent a replacement. PCL Construction began work on , replacing the original playing surface from 1928 with a new floor along with new basketball goals. This was the first major upgrade to the facility since a renovation occurred in the early 1990s. Memorial Gymnasium
at Vanderbilt University
and Hinkle Fieldhouse
in Indianapolis
are two other existing arenas with a raised floor. Robertson Memorial Field House
at Bradley University
, since demolished, also used a raised floor.
From 1950 until the opening of Marriott Center
at Brigham Young University
in 1971, it had the largest capacity of any collegiate basketball arena in the country. Hinkle Fieldhouse
at Butler University
also was constructed in 1928, and held the honor of being the highest capacity arena until the remodeling of Williams Arena in 1950.
. In 1896, the team moved into the campus Armory
, a large building with gymnasium space for the team to use, even if basketball was not its primary purpose. The Gophers remained in the Armory for almost thirty years. Halfway through the 1924-25 season, coach Harold Taylor
moved the team from the University Armory to the Kenwood Armory in downtown Minneapolis. This significantly increased the attendance: capacity at the University Armory was 2,000, but it was 6,500 at Kenwood. The team only played at Kenwood for a few seasons, however, as the University of Minnesota Field House (later known as Williams Arena) opened partway through the 1927-1928 season. The team moved in on January 31, 1928.
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
of the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
is the home of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men's
Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball
The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team represents the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Golden Gophers have played in the Big Ten since the conference began sponsoring basketball in 1905...
and women's basketball teams, and the men's
Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey
The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team is the college ice hockey team at the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota. They are members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I ice hockey...
and women's hockey
Minnesota Golden Gophers women's ice hockey
The Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s ice hockey team plays for the University of Minnesota at the Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis. The team is one of the members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association in Division I...
teams until 1992, when the hockey teams received their own buildings (Mariucci Arena
Mariucci Arena
Mariucci Arena is the home arena for the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team of the University of Minnesota. The arena is located on the Minneapolis campus and seats approximately 10,000 fans...
and Ridder Arena
Ridder Arena
Ridder Arena is the ice rink of the women's hockey team at the University of Minnesota. The Golden Gophers are the only collegiate women's hockey team to have an arena built for them. The arena was opened in 2002. The arena seats about 3,400 people; included in that total are the occupants of about...
). The building is known affectionately as "The Barn," and its student section is known as "The Barnyard".
Williams Arena is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of University Avenue
University Avenue (Minneapolis-St. Paul)
University Avenue in the Minneapolis–St. Paul region of Minnesota begins near the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul and extends westward into neighboring Minneapolis, where it passes the University of Minnesota, and then turns north to pass through several suburbs before ending in Blaine,...
and 19th Ave. SE in Minneapolis on the East Bank of the University of Minnesota, in a section of Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
known as Stadium Village, named for the old Memorial Stadium
Memorial Stadium (University of Minnesota)
Memorial Stadium, also known as the "Brick House," was an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. It was the home of the Minnesota Golden Gophers football team for 58 seasons, from 1924 until 1981. Before moving to Memorial Stadium in 1924, the Gophers...
that stood there until its demolition in 1992. The arena is adjacent to TCF Bank Stadium
TCF Bank Stadium
TCF Bank Stadium, sometimes referred to as either "The Bank" or "The Gopher Hole," is the football stadium for the Minnesota Golden Gophers college football team at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota...
and Mariucci Arena
Mariucci Arena
Mariucci Arena is the home arena for the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team of the University of Minnesota. The arena is located on the Minneapolis campus and seats approximately 10,000 fans...
, where the football and hockey teams respectively play.
History
Henry L. Williams
Dr. Henry Lane Williams was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at the United States Military Academy in 1891 and the University of Minnesota from 1900 to 1921, compiling a career college football record of 141–34–12...
, the football coach from 1900 to 1921.
During a 1950s renovation, it was divided into two separate arenas within one building. The larger one 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 the smaller one 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...
were called Williams Arena until March 2, 1985, when the hockey section was renamed Mariucci Arena after John Mariucci
John Mariucci
John Mariucci was an American ice hockey player, administrator and coach. Mariucci was born in Eveleth, Minnesota. He attended the University of Minnesota where he played for both the hockey and football teams. He was named an All-American in hockey in 1940...
. The hockey team moved into a new building across the street from Williams in the early 1990s. This building was also named Mariucci Arena
Mariucci Arena
Mariucci Arena is the home arena for the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey team of the University of Minnesota. The arena is located on the Minneapolis campus and seats approximately 10,000 fans...
. The old Mariucci Arena within Williams was remodeled into the Sports Pavilion and now houses the volleyball, wrestling and gymnastic teams.
The venue hosted the 1951 NCAA Men's Division I championship game and the Frozen Four in 1958 and 1966.
Design
The building has an arched roof, in the same manner as an airplane hangarHangar
A hangar is a closed structure to hold aircraft or spacecraft in protective storage. Most hangars are built of metal, but other materials such as wood and concrete are also sometimes used...
. The double arch steel beams allows an open space for the bleachers and floor. There are some seats with partially obscured views due to the upper deck extending past the trusses.
Raised floor
Williams Arena features an unusual raised floor design. The court surface is raised above the ground approximately two feet so that players' benches, officials tables, etc., are actually below the court. The same goes for fans with the first row looking at players at about knee-level. Normally, other than the officials and those players actively playing, only head coaches are allowed to be on the court itself. The raised floor is one of only a few remaining examples left and contributes significantly to the historic aura of the 80 year-old arena. This served as the inspiration for the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball ChampionshipNCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
to host stadiums for their Final Four as of 2009
2009 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The first and second round games were played at the following sites:First and Second Rounds: Thursday and Saturday, March 19 and 21, 2009-Qualifying teams:-Brackets:Results to date * – Denotes overtime periodAll times in U.S. EDT....
to have the floor about three feet off the stadium floor as part of an increased capacity to a minimum of 70,000. The floor in Williams Arena recently underwent a replacement. PCL Construction began work on , replacing the original playing surface from 1928 with a new floor along with new basketball goals. This was the first major upgrade to the facility since a renovation occurred in the early 1990s. Memorial Gymnasium
Memorial Gymnasium (Vanderbilt University)
Memorial Gymnasium is a multi-purpose facility located in Nashville, Tennessee. Usually called Memorial Gym or simply Memorial, the building is located on the western end of the Vanderbilt University campus. It was built in 1952 and currently has a seating capacity of 14,316...
at Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
and Hinkle Fieldhouse
Hinkle Fieldhouse
Hinkle Fieldhouse is a basketball arena located on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. When it was built in 1928, it was the largest basketball arena in the United States, and it retained that distinction until 1950. It is the sixth-oldest college basketball arena still in...
in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
are two other existing arenas with a raised floor. Robertson Memorial Field House
Robertson Memorial Field House
Robertson Memorial Field House was a multi-purpose arena at on the Bradley University campus in Peoria, Illinois. The arena, built inside two World War II airplane hangars in 1949 for $400,000 , had a 3 foot rasied floor as its sports court and event stage.The Field House was dedicated on...
at Bradley University
Bradley University
Bradley University, founded in 1897, is a private, co-educational university located in Peoria, Illinois. It is a small institution with an enrollment of approximately 6,100 undergraduate and postgraduate students and a full-time faculty of approximately 350....
, since demolished, also used a raised floor.
Seating capacity
| 1928–1950 | 14,100 |
| 1950–1971 | 18,025 |
| 1971–1987 | 17,500 |
| 1987–1993 | 16,434 |
| 1993–1997 | 14,321 |
| 1997–present | 14,625 |
From 1950 until the opening of Marriott Center
Marriott Center
Marriott Center is a 22,700-seat multi-purpose arena at 1497 N 450 E on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and is home to the BYU Cougars men's and women's basketball teams. It is also used for weekly devotionals and forums...
at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
in 1971, it had the largest capacity of any collegiate basketball arena in the country. Hinkle Fieldhouse
Hinkle Fieldhouse
Hinkle Fieldhouse is a basketball arena located on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. When it was built in 1928, it was the largest basketball arena in the United States, and it retained that distinction until 1950. It is the sixth-oldest college basketball arena still in...
at Butler University
Butler University
Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
also was constructed in 1928, and held the honor of being the highest capacity arena until the remodeling of Williams Arena in 1950.
Before Williams Arena
When the Gophers basketball team first organized, they played games in the on campus YMCAYMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
. In 1896, the team moved into the campus Armory
University of Minnesota Armory
The University of Minnesota Armory is a building on the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus. The Armory was constructed in 1896 after the previous space for military training on the campus burnt in a fire in 1894...
, a large building with gymnasium space for the team to use, even if basketball was not its primary purpose. The Gophers remained in the Armory for almost thirty years. Halfway through the 1924-25 season, coach Harold Taylor
Harold Taylor (basketball coach)
Harold Taylor was an American basketball coach. He succeeded L.J. Cooke as the second coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team. Taylor was the Gophers head coach for three seasons, from 1924 to 1927, and finished with a 19-30 career record. Taylor served as Cooke's assistant...
moved the team from the University Armory to the Kenwood Armory in downtown Minneapolis. This significantly increased the attendance: capacity at the University Armory was 2,000, but it was 6,500 at Kenwood. The team only played at Kenwood for a few seasons, however, as the University of Minnesota Field House (later known as Williams Arena) opened partway through the 1927-1928 season. The team moved in on January 31, 1928.