The Charles L. Cost Sports Center is a multi-purpose indoor sports complex at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

and located at its upper campus area above and behind the

Petersen Events Center The Petersen Events Center (more commonly known as "The Pete") is a 12,508-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland neighborhood. The arena is named for philanthropists John Petersen and his wife Ge ...

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

. The Cost Sports Center sits on top of the seven-story University's Tower View Parking garage directly above Pitt's Trees Field, the university's former baseball and softball facilities as well as the school's intramural fields. The fields, planned to be converted into a new

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

complex, can be reached via elevator from within the Cost Sports Center. Designed by architectural firm Celli, Flynn, and Associates, ground was broken on February 9, 19891989 Pitt Football Media Guide, 1989, pg 162 and the Cost Sports Center opened in 1990 at a cost of $3.5 million ($ million today). The facility was named after three-sport letterman and former Pitt football running back Charles L. "Corky" Cost who donated an excess of $1 million ($ million today) for its construction.

Description

Cost Sports Center is high and houses a regulation football field that can be converted into nine tennis courts or four indoor soccer fields. It features locker room facilities and a catwalk for filming or viewing practices. Originally the primary indoor practice facility for the University's football team, since 2000 the football program has taken up primary residence at the UPMC Sports Performance Complex on Pittsburgh's South Side just across the

Monongahela River The Monongahela River ( , )—often referred to locally as the Mon ()—is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-cen ...

from Pitt's campus. Prior to the opening of the UPMC Sports Performance Complex, the Cost Sports Center was also occasionally used by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an indoor practice facility. The Cost Center currently serves as an indoor practice facility for the Panthers' varsity

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

, soccer, and track and field teams during inclement weather. It also is the site of the annual Blue and Gold inter-squad track and field meet. The baseball team has utilized it for workouts, batting practice, and to host winter Diamond Baseball Clinics, but has moved some activities into its new facilities across the street at the

Petersen Sports Complex The Petersen Sports Complex (PSC) is a multi-sport athletic facility on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It houses Charles L. Cost Field, Vartabedian Field, and Ambrose Urbanic Field, the respective home pr ...

. The Cost Sports Center is also used by other varsity and club sports, as well as for intramural activities.

Injury

On March 23, 1996, Pitt wide receiver Demale Stanley of Belle Glade, Florida crashed into a padded cement wall at the Cost Center resulting in a broken neck and quadriplegia. The incident resulted in an out-of-court settlement between Stanley and the University. Pitt's football team presents an annual Demale Stanley Award for Courage to an inspiring player.Shelly Anderson, Former Pitt receiver builds an active, new life after tragedy, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Sept. 29, 2007
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Notable events

2005

Senior Olympics The National Senior Games (Senior Olympics) are a sports competition for senior citizens in the United States. It is conducted by the National Senior Games Association (NSGA) once every two years. Akin to the Summer Olympics, it is a multi-spo ...

(badminton and volleyball

References

External links

Cost Center on Pitt's virtual Campus Tour

{{Pittsburgh Sports venues in Pittsburgh University of Pittsburgh buildings Pittsburgh Panthers football