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THOMPSON-BOLING ARENA
In the fall of 2008, the University of Tennessee Athletics Department unveiled Phase I of a two-phase renovation project for Thompson-Boling Assembly Center and Arena. The $35 million project marked the first major renovation to Thompson-Boling Arena since it opened in 1987. In that time, more than 13 million patrons have attended thousands of arena events, including basketball games, concerts, UT and high school graduations and other special events. Phase I included new seats for the entire arena, a center-hung scoreboard and concourse refurbishments, such as graphics and other amenities. Phase I also included new luxury suites and loge seating, which are a primary funding source for much of the renovations. The 32 luxury suites are located in the existing north balcony of Thompson-Boling Arena. The loge area features 166 side court seats, located directly below the luxury suites and includes private adjoining hospitality areas.
Phase II will begin this summer with the construction of a bridge connecting the G-10 parking garage to the arena at concourse level. Depending on the bids for the project, UT officials hope to add a passenger elevator on the west side of the arena. Funding for Thompson-Boling Arena renovations is from donors to the Campaign for Tennessee Basketball and revenue from new premium seating areas such as Thompson-Boling Arena luxury suites and loge seats and membership to the Riverview Club. The aforementioned capital projects will bolster Thompson-Boling Arena's reputation as one of the nation's premier basketball facilities (only Syracuse's Carrier Dome, which also is utilized for football, can seat more on-campus basketball fans). Named for the late B. Ray Thompson and former UT President Dr. Edward J. Boling, the arena regularly hosts women's volleyball matches, concerts, camps, conferences and other special events throughout the year. But much of the facility's storied history has centered around Volunteers and Lady Vols basketball. The last two decades have seen the mammoth arena play host to record collegiate basketball crowds as well as WNBA and NCAA Tournament basketball games. The Vols have ranked fourth in the nation in average home attendance for each of the past three seasons, including an average of 20,483 fans per game in 2008-09. Tennessee's 1989 men's battle with Kentucky set the SEC regular-season record with a crowd of 25,610. The Lady Vols drew 24,597 for their 1998 game with Connecticut to establish a women's NCAA record, while the Celtics-Bullets contest in 1988 attracted a then-record NBA exhibition record crowd of 23,611.
The arena's largest basketball crowd since its capacity dipped to 21,678 prior to the 2007-08 season came on Jan. 7, 2009, when the Vols hosted Gonzaga in front of a sellout crowd of 22,326. In head coach Bruce Pearl's four seasons at Tennessee, the Vols have hosted 30 crowds of at least 20,000. UT hosted the NCAA Tournament's South Regional Finals in 1999 and 1994 in the spacious facility. The 1990 NCAA Southeast Region's first and second round games, followed by the NCAA Women's Final Four made Knoxville a basketball hotspot. The 1989 SEC Tournament was the first of what promised to be many postseason tournaments to be held in Thompson-Boling Arena. The riverfront arena has drawn rave reviews from the teams, administrators and media for the building's modern facilities needed for hosting major tournaments. The Vols opened the facility in grand fashion during the 1987-88 campaign. The opening game saw Tennessee thrash Marquette 82-56 before a then-record crowd of 25,272. The 1987-88 season saw the Vols shatter all of their previous attendance records, finishing third nationally by averaging more than 20,000 per game. Ticket facilities are conveniently located on the Phillip Fulmer Way level on the west end of the building. Tennessee men?s head coach Bruce Pearl and his basketball staff, along with the women's hoops staff, occupy offices in the arena on the Phillip Fulmer Way level. The arena's dining center?also located on Phillip Fulmer Way and highlighted by a McAlister?s Deli? location?opened in 1989. It operates on a daily basis, catering to the university's athletic and administrative staffs. Entrances to the building are located on the east and west ends, with protection from the elements provided by tucking the doors under the structure. There are a total of 132 entrance doors to the arena. A continuous-ring concourse encircles the building permitting entrance to eight large restrooms, six concession areas and 32 portals leading to the arena. The playing floor level provides access to team dressing rooms, press work areas and storage rooms. The distance from the playing floor to the roof is 120 feet, the equivalent of a 12-story building. The arena is 448 feet long and 310 feet wide. It contains more than 411,000 square feet of floor space and more than 17 million cubic feet of space. The structure's roof measures 142,000 square feet, which is approximately three-and-one-quarter acres.
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