Bob Martinez Sports Center is a 3,432-seat multi-purpose
arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
in
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
named after former
Tampa mayor and
governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
of
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
,
Bob Martinez
Robert Martinez (born December 25, 1934) is an American retired politician who served as the 40th governor of Florida from 1987 to 1991. A member of the Republican Party, Martinez was the first person of Spanish descent to be elected governor o ...
.
The facility is home to the
University of Tampa
The University of Tampa (UT) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UT offers more than 200 programs of study, including 22 master's degrees and a broad variety of majors, ...
Spartans men's and women's
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
teams, as well as the Spartans volleyball team. The Spartan Sports Center, as it was then known, hosted the
Continental Basketball Association's
Tampa Bay Thrillers
The Tampa Bay Thrillers were a franchise in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1984–1987. They won back-to-back championships in 1984–85 and 1985–86. At the end of the 1986–87 CBA regular season the team relocated to Rapi ...
for their 1985–86 season. It was also the planned home of the
Tampa Bay Strong Dogs of the
American Basketball Association, but the team folded without playing a game in Tampa. The facility is on the University of Tampa campus across the
Hillsborough River from downtown Tampa and was opened in 1984.
[Facilities](_blank)
at tampaspartans.com, URL accessed November 7, 2009
Archived
11/7/09
References
American Basketball Association (2000–present) venues
Basketball venues in Florida
College basketball venues in the United States
Sports venues in Tampa, Florida
1984 establishments in Florida
Continental Basketball Association venues
Sports venues completed in 1984
Former South Florida Bulls sports venues
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