The John A. Lally Athletics Complex, formerly known as Manley Field House, is a multi-purpose academic and athletics village at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...

. Located at the university's South Campus, it is home to 20 Syracuse Orange athletics teams and serves as a hub for over 600 student-athletes. Following announcement of a $150 million expansion plan, it was renamed the John A. Lally Athletics Complex in 2021.

History

1960s

Named after Dr. George L. Manley, a University trustee and graduate of the now defunct College of Medicine, Manley Field House was built to replace the old

Archbold Gymnasium Archbold Gymnasium is a gymnasium located on the campus of Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. History It was built in 1908 with money donated by John Dustin Archbold, a major benefactor of the university, who also funded the building of ...

. While the facility was used primarily as a basketball facility, it was originally intended to be an indoor football practice facility. It was home to the Syracuse Orange men's and

women's basketball Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It began being played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large part via women's college compet ...

teams, the indoor track team, and the women's volleyball team before the

Carrier Dome The JMA Wireless Dome, originally the Carrier Dome (1980–2022) and colloquially called "The Dome," or more recently "The JMA Dome," is a domed sports stadium in Syracuse, New York. Located on the campus of Syracuse University in the University ...

opened in 1980. At one time it held 9,500 people for home games.

1980s and the opening of Carrier Dome

After 1980 season, Syracuse basketball started playing their games in the newly constructed

, now known as JMA Wireless Dome, and Manley field house was relegated to a secondary stadium status. On February 13, 1980, the

Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team The Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball program represents Georgetown University in NCAA Division I men's intercollegiate basketball and the Big East Conference. Georgetown has competed in men's college basketball since 1907. The current head co ...

defeated No. 2 Syracuse 52-50 in the final game played in Manley. After the victory, Georgetown head coach John Thompson Jr. said that "Manley Field House is officially closed". With basketball out of Manley Field House, the arena was converted into an indoor practice facility for football and men's and women's lacrosse.

1990s

In the 1990s, Syracuse University developed a new football wing on Manley. The football world was a large complex with a Hall of Fame Gallery at its center. The facility was designed by a Syracuse alumni and architect Lawrence C. Apgar. Due to the climate of

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

, the University had lost a recruiting edge to other schools with newer football facilities. The field house was retrofitted with FieldTurf and provided practice space for outdoor teams, which usually fight for space (usually only half of a field) in the Carrier Dome in late winter/early spring when the basketball court is still set up. Full glass windows were installed and seating was removed, creating room for nearly a full-sized football field.

2000s

On September 26, 2007, ground was broken for the new Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, which houses practice courts, weight rooms, locker rooms and offices for both the men's and women's basketball teams. This freed up Manley Field House, which was the practice facility for the teams. For the 2007-2008 season, the women's basketball team played all of its home games in the Carrier Dome for the first time. On January 27, 2008, a temporary AstroTurf-like "carpet" was installed to provide practice space for the outdoor teams until the permanent installation took place.

Recent developments

In 2015, nearby Ensley Athletic Center took over as the primary football practice facility. In November 2021,

announced a $150 million initiative to renovate and expand Manley Field House. The complex was renamed the John A. Lally Athletics Complex following a $25 million donation by former Syracuse offensive lineman and alumnus, John A. Lally and his wife Laura. The first phase of the multi-million dollar, years-long project began in the Spring of 2022.

Facilities

The complex houses an indoor FieldTurf practice area, a three-lane running track, as well as athletics and administrative offices, academic support offices, study facilities, lockerrooms, the sports medicine complex, and the Stevenson Educational Center.

Tournaments hosted

Manley Field House hosted the ECAC Upstate Region tournament organized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

as well as a semifinal game of the 1977 ECAC South Region tournament.

References

External links

Manley Field House Information on SUAthletics.com
{{Sports in Syracuse College basketball venues in the United States Indoor track and field venues in New York (state) Sports venues in Syracuse, New York Syracuse Orange basketball venues Syracuse Orange sports venues 1962 establishments in New York (state) Sports venues completed in 1962