University Arena is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...
in
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...
, United States. Located in Read Fieldhouse, the arena opened in 1957 and is home to multiple
Western Michigan Broncos
The Western Michigan Broncos are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I program representing Western Michigan University (WMU) in college athletics. They compete in the Mid-American Conference in men's baseball, basketball ...
athletic teams, including
men's and women's basketball, women's gymnastics, women's indoor track and field, and women's volleyball. The facility seats 5,421 people. Read Fieldhouse was named for
Buck Read
Herbert William "Buck" Read (February 8, 1880 - August 15, 1970) was an American basketball coach. He was the head coach for the Western Michigan Broncos men's basketball team from 1922 through 1949. He was also president of the National Associati ...
, WMU head men's basketball coach from 1922 to 1949.
In 1994, University Arena went through a major renovation, adding to bring the total to . The renovation included rotating the playing surface 90 degrees and reducing the seating capacity from over 10,000 to 5,421.
Before the basketball team moved into Read Fieldhouse, WMU played at Oakland Gymnasium from the 1938–39 season through the 1956–57 season.
In addition to hosting WMU basketball games, the arena also hosts high school basketball games between
Kalamazoo Central and
Kalamazoo Loy Norrix high schools twice a year as a neutral site.
The Zoo
University Arena is home to ''The Zoo'', Western Michigan's student section for basketball games. Formerly known as the ''Bronco Brigade'', ''The Zoo'' was formed in 2003 and officially named in 2004.
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 ...
References
College basketball venues in the United States
Western Michigan Broncos basketball
Basketball venues in Michigan
Buildings and structures in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Sports in Kalamazoo, Michigan
Sports venues completed in 1957
1957 establishments in Michigan
College volleyball venues in the United States
College indoor track and field venues in the United States
Athletics (track and field) venues in Michigan
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