The Thomas J. Frericks Center is a 5,000 seat 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 ...

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...

. It is the home of the

University of Dayton The University of Dayton (UD) is a private, Catholic research university in Dayton, Ohio. Founded in 1850 by the Society of Mary, it is one of three Marianist universities in the nation and the second-largest private university in Ohio. The univ ...

Flyers

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

teams.

History

Before 1950, the Flyers men's basketball team played its home games at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds Coliseum. On May 3, 1949, the university broke ground on a $600,000 on-campus basketball facility at the corner of Alberta and L streets. Completed the following year, the facility could seat 5,800 patrons for basketball. The Fieldhouse served as Dayton's home court from 1950 to 1969, with the Flyers compiling a 256-33 record in the facility. Upon completion of the

UD Arena University of Dayton Arena (commonly known as UD Arena) is a 13,409-seat multi-purpose arena located in Dayton, Ohio. The arena opened in 1969. It is home to the University of Dayton Flyers basketball teams. From 2001 to 2010, the facility host ...

, the Fieldhouse served as a training facility for sports teams, a recreation complex for UD students and office space for the athletic department. In 1975, the Physical Activities Center was built and joined to the south side of the Fieldhouse. In the late 1980s, the University renovated the interior of the facility and updated the western external facade of the Fieldhouse. Following the death of longtime

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...

Tom Frericks, the university renamed the Fieldhouse in his honor.

Current Use

The Frericks Center is the third-largest volleyball-only venue in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

with a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 5,000. In 2004, the university completed a seating renovation and environmental graphics package. The facility also houses volleyball administrative offices.

References

College volleyball venues in the United States Dayton Flyers Sports venues in Dayton, Ohio Sports venues completed in 1950 1950 establishments in Ohio {{Ohio-sports-venue-stub