The Nutter Center is a 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 ...

located at

Wright State University Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio. Originally opened in 1964 as a branch campus of Miami University and Ohio State University, it became an independent institution in 1967 and was named in honor of aviation ...

, in

Fairborn, Ohio Fairborn is a city in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 34,620 at the 2020 census. Fairborn is a suburb of Dayton, and part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the only city in the world named Fairborn, a port ...

. It mainly serves as the home court of the Wright State Raiders 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. It is also regularly used as a

music venue A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from a small coffeehouse for folk music shows, an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Ty ...

for touring concerts and shows and for area high school graduation ceremonies.

History

A local businessman and inventor, Ervin J. Nutter, donated $1.5 million to Wright State University in 1986. Funds from both the state of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

and the university contributed an additional $8 million to construction efforts which began in 1988. Work was completed twenty months later and on December 1, 1990, the Nutter Center held its first official event.

Events

Sports

*2002 Kelly Cup Finals (Game 3 and 4) *1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001 & 2007 Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now

Horizon League The Horizon League is an 11-school collegiate athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, whose members are located in and near the Great Lakes region. The Horizon League founded in 1979 as the Midw ...

) men's basketball tournament. *2014

championship game *The

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name ''Harlem'' because of i ...

have performed at the Nutter Center every New Year's Eve since at least 2005.

Wrestling

*1993

WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...

's King of the Ring 1993 tournament. *Taping of ''WWE SmackDown'' on Tuesday September 25, 2001. *WWE vs. ECW Head to Head special held in 2006. *Hosted its second

WWE Raw ''WWE Raw'', also known as ''Monday Night Raw'' or simply ''Raw'', is an American professional wrestling television show, television program produced by WWE that currently airs live every Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time Zone, ET on the USA Networ ...

, the night following

WrestleMania 23 WrestleMania 23 was the 23rd annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown!, and ECW brand divisions. The event ...

on April 2, 2007. *Taping of ''

WWE Friday Night SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...

'' on Tuesday May 12, 2009. *Live ''WWE Raw'' on Monday January 4, 2010, which featured the return of

Bret Hart Bret Hart (born July 2, 1957) is a Canadian-American retired professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE under a legend's contract. A member of the Hart wrestling family and a second-generation wrestler, he has an amateur wrestling backgr ...

to the company, who served as a guest host. This episode of Raw went head-to-head against wrestling promotion TNA on TV for the very first time. *Taping of ''WWE Friday Night SmackDown'' on Tuesday December 7, 2010. *Live ''WWE Raw'' on Monday April 30, 2012. *Live ''WWE Raw'' on Monday November 19, 2012. *Live ''WWE Raw'' on Monday January 20, 2014. Which Saw The Return Of The Animal Batista. *Taping of "WWE SmackDown" on Tuesday February 10, 2015. *Taping of "WWE SmackDown" on Tuesday January 19, 2016. *Live "WWE SmackDown" on Tuesday June 20, 2017. *Live "WWE SmackDown" on Tuesday March 12, 2019.

Other

Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan (; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; born 1 September 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been ...

played the Nutter Center on her comeback “Into The Light World Tour” on August 19, 1991. Dire Straits played on their final tour, the ‘On Every Street’ tour. They played the Nutter Center on February 21, 1992. * The band

Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...

played a concert at the venue on December 7, 1997, which was released in its entirety on their 2008 live album ''Live Phish 12.07.97''. *

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

's "Keeping America’s Promise" rally, on Monday, February 25, 2008. *“Road to the Convention Rally” on August 29, 2008, at which time

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 R ...

, Governor of Alaska, was announced as presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain's vice-presidential candidate, or running mate. *On May 17–18, 2013, the Nutter Center hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2013

Science Olympiad Science Olympiad is an American team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Over 7,800 middle school and high school team ...

National Tournament. *July 22, 2015, the band

Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...

performed one of their last stops on their

History of the Eagles Tour History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

. *The Nutter Center was originally scheduled to host the first 2016 presidential debate but the venue was changed due to security and financial concerns. *The Nutter Center is frequently used as a competition venue for the

Winter Guard International Winter Guard International (WGI) is an American performing arts association, governing body, and the producer of regional championship events for three activities: color guard (known as winter guard), percussion ensembles, and small marching bands ...

indoor percussion,

color guard In Military, military organizations, a colour guard (or color guard) is a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of Colours, standards and guidons, regimental colours and the national flag. This duty is so prestigious that the militar ...

, and winds championship. *On May 19–20, 2017, the Nutter Center hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2017 Science Olympiad National Tournament. *On November 16, 2022, touring giant

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and bac ...

played the arena.http://dmbalmanac.com/TourShowSet.aspx?id=453090946&tid=8172&where=2022

References

External links

The Nutter Center

Wright State University
{{Authority control 1990 establishments in Ohio Basketball venues in Ohio Buildings and structures in Greene County, Ohio College basketball venues in the United States Sports venues in Dayton, Ohio Tourist attractions in Greene County, Ohio Wright State Raiders basketball Ice hockey in Dayton, Ohio Sports venues completed in 1990 Indoor arenas in Ohio