Calihan Hall is a 7,917-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 spectator ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

. It is home to the

University of Detroit Mercy The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic univers ...

Titans In Greek mythology, the Titans ( grc, οἱ Τῑτᾶνες, ''hoi Tītânes'', , ''ho Tītân'') were the pre-Olympian gods. According to the ''Theogony'' of Hesiod, they were the twelve children of the primordial parents Uranus (Sky) and Gai ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

team. The arena opened in 1952. The building was dedicated on May 25, 1952 as the Memorial Building. The first basketball game was played on December 2 of that year when the Titans defeated

Kalamazoo College Kalamazoo College, also known as Kalamazoo, K College, KC or simply K, is a private liberal arts college in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Founded in 1833 by Baptist ministers as the Michigan and Huron Institute, Kalamazoo is the oldest private college in ...

, 75–61. In 1977, the name was changed to Calihan Hall in honor of Bob Calihan, the Titans' first basketball All-American who went on to become the school's winningest coach. The

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA)

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at L ...

played some games in Calihan Hall in the late 1950s. The Titan Pep Band is featured at all men's and women's home basketball games in Calihan Hall. Capacity at Calihan Hall was listed at over 10,000 in the 1960s and 70s, and standing-room admissions allowed attendance in excess of that figure; since then, limitations ordered by fire marshals and other safety personnel have reduced capacity to the current figure of 7,917. Detroit Catholic High School League (CHSL) playoff games are regularly held at Calihan Hall, which has also hosted numerous

Michigan High School Athletic Association The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Unlike ...

(MHSAA) tournament games. The

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

hosted the championship game of the

2017 Women's National Invitation Tournament The 2017 Women's National Invitation Tournament was an annual single-elimination tournament of 64 NCAA Division I teams that were not selected to participate in the 2017 Women's NCAA tournament. The tournament committee announced the 64-team fiel ...

at Calihan Hall due to the unavailability of the

Crisler Center Crisler Center (formerly known as the University Events Building and Crisler Arena) is an indoor arena located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It is the home arena for the University of Michigan's men's and women's basketball teams as well as its women's ...

, its on-campus home. The Wolverines defeated

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

89-79 in three overtimes. On December 5, 2011, the playing surface was named Dick Vitale Court in honor of longtime ESPN analyst

Dick Vitale Richard John Vitale (; born June 9, 1939), also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well known for his 41-year tenure as a college basketball broadcaster f ...

, who began his head coaching career at the University of Detroit in 1973 and later served as the school's athletic director. The date coincides with the 32nd anniversary of Vitale's first game at ESPN.

Calihan Hall records

* Points: 63 –

Hersey Hawkins Hersey R. Hawkins Jr. (born September 29, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player. After starring at Chicago's Westinghouse High School, the 6'3" (1.90 m) shooting guard attended Bradley University. Hawkins played for 4 teams ...

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. Th ...

(vs. Detroit, February 22, 1988) * Points (Titan): 49 – Archie Tullos (vs. Bradley, February 22, 1988) * Points (team): 135 – Detroit (vs. CCNY, February 10, 1979) * Rebounds: 39 – Dave DeBusschere (vs. Central Michigan, January 30, 1960) * Margin of victory: 71 (Detroit 114,

Western Ontario Southwestern Ontario is a secondary region of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. It occupies most of the Ontario Peninsula bounded by Lake Huron, including Georgian Bay, to the north and northwest; the St. Clair River, Lake St. ...

43, January 11, 1964) * Attendance: 11,065 (Detroit vs. Marquette, March 4, 1978)

References

{{Former NBA arenas College basketball venues in the United States Detroit Mercy Titans basketball Former National Basketball Association venues Detroit Pistons venues Sports venues in Detroit Sports venues completed in 1952 Continental Basketball Association venues

Calihan Hall records

See also

References