The William D. Mullins Memorial Center, also known as the Mullins Center, is a 9,493-seat multi-purpose arena (10,500 for 360 concerts), located on the campus of the
University of Massachusetts
The University of Massachusetts is the five-campus public university system and the only public research system in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes five campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell, and a medica ...
, in
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst () is a New England town, town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,263, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County (althoug ...
. The Mullins Center is the home of
UMass Minutemen
The UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst; strictly speaking, the ''Minutemen'' nickname applies to men's teams and athletes only — women's teams and athletes are known as ...
men's basketball, women's basketball, and
men's ice hockey. In addition, the venue hosts numerous concerts, family shows, theater shows, and commencements annually. Located adjacent to the Mullins Center is the Mullins Community Ice Rink, which is open for public skating and racquetball, while also serving as the home rink for the
UMass women's ice hockey team.
In 1985, William D. Mullins, a state representative from
Ludlow
Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The t ...
, suggested that the university needed a multipurpose arena and convocation center to help expand the athletic program and assist in the university's growth. He died in 1986, but the state went ahead with the building of the complex, naming it for him. It replaced the
Curry Hicks Cage
The Curry Hicks Physical Education Building, better known as the Curry Hicks Cage, is an athletic facility on the campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst. It was built in 1931 as the Physical Education Building by alumnus ...
, the 1930s-era basketball gymnasium, as home of the Minutemen basketball teams. In addition, it allowed the hockey team, which had been downgraded to club status since the late 1970s, to be elevated to Division I status.
![Mullins Center 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Mullins_Center_2014.JPG)
The Mullins Center is managed by Spectra, which manages over 70 different event arenas throughout the United States.
Concerts and events
The Mullins Center has hosted many performances over the years, including:
Musical
Family events
Entertainers, miscellaneous events
Sports
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby union ...
Air Force ROTC cadet Greg Tolmoff held the American Flag for the first UMass basketball game at the Mullins Center.
References
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External links
Mullins Center websiteUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst AthleticsGlobal SpectrumUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst AmherstComcast Spectacor
{{Massachusetts NCAA Division I college basketball venue navbox
College basketball venues in the United States
College ice hockey venues in the United States
Basketball venues in Massachusetts
Indoor ice hockey venues in Massachusetts
UMass Minutemen and Minutewomen basketball
University of Massachusetts Amherst buildings
1993 establishments in Massachusetts
Sports venues completed in 1993