Mackey Arena is located in

West Lafayette, Indiana West Lafayette () is a city in Wabash Township, Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, about northwest of the state capital of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette is directly across the Wabash River from its sister cit ...

. Part of the

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and mone ...

campus, it is home to the university's

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teams, and occasionally hosts home games for the

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and

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teams. The arena opened in 1967 as a replacement for Lambert Fieldhouse.

History

Originally named Purdue Arena, it was renamed in 1972 to honor Purdue alumnus and long time athletic director Guy "Red" Mackey. On December 12, 1997, the floor was renamed Keady Court in honor of longtime men's coach

Gene Keady Lloyd Eugene Keady (born May 21, 1936) is an American basketball coach. He is best known for his 25 years serving as the head men's basketball coach at Purdue University in Indiana. In his tenure leading the Boilermakers from 1980 to 2005, he went ...

. The circular arena, similar to several built in the 1960s, seats 14,804, and is considered by many as one of the loudest arenas in the nation due to its domed aluminum roof.

Renovations

In recent years, Mackey Arena has experienced numerous upgrades and improvements, including: *1997 - New playing surface and basketball hoops installed *1998 - Roof repainted *2000 - New bleachers installed *2002 - Women's basketball locker room renovated *2002 - Men's basketball locker room renovated *2003 - Video and meeting room for women's basketball constructed *2003 - Team championship and Consensus All-American jersey banners hung *2003 - Men's basketball player lounge renovated *2003 - Lower press row reconstructed *2003 - Press conference and media work room renovated *2004 - Video board installed *2004 - Sound system installed *2005 - Playing surface refinished *2007-2012 - Mackey Complex Project *2011 - New playing surface installed after water damage *2016 - Playing surface replaced after a flood due to a broken water main *2017 - Center video board and stat boards replaced and upgraded, new LED ribbons installed above both baselines

NCAA Tournament

Mackey Arena hosted first and second round games of the 1980 NCAA tournament. The arena also hosted the First Four and first round games of the

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tournament.

Mackey Arena Complex Project

On May 18, 2007, the university's board of trustees voted to award a contract to HNTB Architecture of Kansas City, Mo., for a $99.5 million project that extends from the outer edges of the arena north along Northwestern Avenue to Cherry Lane. A three-level structure is planned north of Mackey and currently is being referred to as the Student-Athlete Development Center. Its highlights include: *A sports medicine facility approximately three and a half to four times larger than the current area in Mackey. *A strength and weight training facility approximately four times larger than the existing Intercollegiate Athletic Facility weight room. *An oversized basketball practice facility, including Danielle and

Brian Cardinal Brian Lee Cardinal (born May 2, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 456 games in the NBA between 2000 and 2012, and won an NBA championship with the Dallas Mavericks in 2011. Before his NBA career, he was one o ...

Court and three breakout shooting areas. *The

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and Britney Brees Student Athlete Academic Center, towards which the couple donated $2 million in the fall of 2007. *New playing surface for Keady Court *Reseating of the Paint Crew for the 2011-2012 season *Proposed visitors tunnel on be cut into the southeast lower bowl seating area *Interactive fan elements and coaching technologies in concourse The concourse width will be approximately doubled, concessions will increase four times (from 12 to 48 points of sale) and restrooms will increase three times for women and by 35% for men. In addition, the lower seating sections on the east side will be modified to allow for some premium seats, with club seats (fixed padded stadium chairs) and loge seats (office-style chairs on casters) provided. A limited number of premium courtside seats will be available in the west pit area. Accessible seating will increase approximately six times. Two club spaces will be created, one for general fans on the west side and a premium club to the east.

References

External links