The Michael J. Hagan Arena (previously known as the ''Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse'') of Saint Joseph's University is SJU's home court for men's and women's basketball. The new arena seats 4,200, which is 1,000 more than the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse seated. The renovation adds a concourse, larger offices and locker rooms, a Hall of Fame room, study rooms, basketball center, and practice facilities. 700 seats were added to the student section which puts the total at 1,700 and makes this part of the arena even more intimidating for opposing teams.

History

1949-2008 Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse

Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse was a 3,200-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 ...

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. The arena, home to the Saint Joseph's University Hawks

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

opened in 1949 and was inaugurated on November 26 with a loss to the

University of Rhode Island The University of Rhode Island (URI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Kingston, Rhode Island, United States. It is the flagship public research as well as the land-grant university of the state of Rhode Isla ...

. The first women's varsity home game was a loss to

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on January 17, 1974. The building was dedicated to all college soldier-heroes on its dedication day, Veterans Day 1949. In addition to serving as an arena for the basketball teams, Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse also contains locker rooms for students, faculty, and other varsity teams, an additional recreation room,

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courts, a swimming pool, and a weight room. On October 26, 1967, the Reverend Dr.

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spoke to 3,400 people in the Fieldhouse. Today, a bronze plaque in the lobby recognizes his visit. The Hawks won 34 consecutive games in Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse from the late 1950s through the early 1960s. In the mid-1970s and '90s, the Fieldhouse served as the practice home for the Philadelphia 76ers. There were over 125 sellouts over the last 15 years the Fieldhouse was open. The final game at the Fieldhouse was a win over #8 ranked

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on March 5, 2008. The sell-out crowd included Hawk legends

Jameer Nelson Jameer Lamar Nelson Sr. (born February 9, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as assistant general manager for the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Saint Joseph's Ha ...

and Jack Ramsay. AlumniFieldhouse

2009 - Hagan Arena

During the 2007 season, it was announced that the Fieldhouse would be closed and transformed with a $25 million renovation project to provide a 21st-century facility for the quickly growing campus. During renovations, the

Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball The Saint Joseph's Hawks men's basketball team represents Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The program is classified in the NCAA's Division I, and the team competes in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Saint Joseph's compete ...

team played its home games at the

Palestra The Palestra, often called the Cathedral of College Basketball, is a historic arena and the home gym of the Penn Quakers men's and women's basketball teams, volleyball teams, wrestling team, and Philadelphia Big 5 basketball. Located at 235 South ...

on the

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's campus, while the women played on the campus of

Philadelphia University Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. To signify its heritage, the univer ...

. The Fieldhouse underwent extensive renovations and additions, with many sections of the building being razed for expansion purposes. Work began in the Fall of 2007. The final product of the project added 1,000 seats to the arena, as well as the addition of a new basketball center, concourse, entrance and lobby on 54th and Overbrook and concessions.http://www.philly.com/dailynews/breaking/sports/20070607_St__Joes_Fieldhouse_to_be_renovated__renamed.html The arena was named after Michael Hagan, a 1985 graduate of Saint Joseph's and Washington Crossing resident who donated $10 million toward the project. The renovation is part of a larger project called ''With Faith and Strength To Dare: The Campaign For Saint Joseph's University''.

Ramsay Basketball Center

250px, Hagan Arena floor The Hagan also includes the Ramsay Basketball Center, named after legendary coach Jack Ramsay, which is a two-story, wing with locker rooms, offices, study space, conference rooms, and a Hall of Fame room. The first game at Hagan was a win against Drexel University and the Hawks went 8–4 in the first season at Hagan.

Concerts & performers at Hagan

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* Nappy Roots *

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* Lupe Fiasco *

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* Mac Miller *

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* Volbeat * The Mighty Mighty Bosstones * The Four Seasons * Flo Rida

References