The Watsco Center (originally named the University of Miami Convocation Center) is an 8,000-seat multi-purpose
arena on the campus of the
University of Miami in
Coral Gables, Florida. The venue hosts concerts, family shows, trade shows, lecture series, university events and sporting events, including all University of Miami men's and women's
basketball games.
Founding
The arena opened in 2003 and was originally named the University of Miami Convocation Center. The arena is home to the
Miami Hurricanes men's and
women's
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
basketball teams. Additional events held in the Watsco Center include concerts, sporting events, lectures, award shows, high school graduations, and men's and women's basketball games. It is the largest arena ever built on the
University of Miami campus.
In 2005, the arena was renamed the BankUnited Center, after
Miami Lakes
Miami Lakes is a suburb of Miami, an incorporated town and former census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. US Census, 31,628 people live in Miami Lakes.
History
The development was constructed by Sengra (now the ...
-based
BankUnited. In 2016,
Miami-based air conditioning company
Watsco
Watsco, Inc. is the largest distributor of air conditioning, heating and refrigeration equipment, and related parts and supplies (HVAC/R) in the United States. Watsco was founded more than 60 years ago as a manufacturer of parts, components, and ...
acquired the naming rights.
Prior to the opening of the Watsco Center, from 1988 until 2002, the school's basketball teams played their home games at
Miami Arena.
U.S. presidential debates
The Watsco Center has hosted two U.S. presidential debates to date:
On September 30, 2004, the University of Miami hosted one of the three nationally televised
U.S. presidential debates between presidential candidates
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
and
John Kerry during the
2004 presidential election at the Watsco Center. The debate, which was moderated by
Jim Lehrer of ''
PBS NewsHour'', was viewed by 62.5 million people.
On March 10, 2016, the University of Miami hosted the
2016 Republican presidential primary
Sixteen or 16 may refer to:
*16 (number), the natural number following 15 and preceding 17
*one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016
Films
* ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film
* ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film dir ...
's
twelfth and final debate at Wastso Center, which aired nationally on
CNN and featured Republican presidential candidates
Ted Cruz,
John Kasich,
Marco Rubio
Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the senior United States senator from Florida, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Speaker of the Florida Hous ...
, and
Donald Trump.
Ranking
The 2007 issue of ''Venues Today'', an entertainment industry publication, reports that the Watsco Center outperformed all but one other venue in Florida in its size category for number of concerts and touring events held in 2006.
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas
References
External links
Official Web SiteBankUnited Center - Traditions - University of Miami Hurricanes
Coral Gables, Florida
2003 establishments in Florida
Arena football venues
Basketball venues in Florida
Buildings and structures in Coral Gables, Florida
College basketball venues in the United States
Esports venues in Florida
Indoor arenas in Florida
Miami Hurricanes basketball venues
Mixed martial arts venues in Florida
Music venues completed in 2003
Music venues in Florida
Sports venues completed in 2003
Sports venues in Florida
University of Miami
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