The State Farm Center is a large dome-shaped 15,544-seat indoor arena located in

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metro ...

, owned and operated by the

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univers ...

. The arena hosts games for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, women's basketball, and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

teams. It also doubles as a performance and event center, and is one of the largest venues between

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and

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

. It opened in 1963 and was known until 2013 as Assembly Hall until State Farm Insurance acquired

naming rights Naming rights are a financial transaction and form of advertising or memorialization whereby a corporation, person, or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, object, location, program, or event, typically for a defined period of t ...

as part of a major renovation project.

Size

The third largest

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

arena after the

United Center United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). It is named ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

and the

Allstate Arena Allstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Rosemont, Illinois, United States. It is located near the intersection of Mannheim Road and Interstate 90, adjacent to the city limits of Chicago and O'Hare International Airport. The facility opene ...

in Rosemont, State Farm Center has 15,544 permanent seats but, when portable chairs are placed on the floor for an in-the-round performance, there is a potential for an additional 1,000 depending on the stage configuration.

Opening

State Farm Center opened as Assembly Hall on March 2, 1963, and continues to attract attention for its design and construction. From 1963 to 1965 Assembly Hall was the largest dome structure in North America until the opening of the

Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston ...

in Houston, Texas. The roof is supported by of one-quarter inch steel wire wrapped at the base of the dome under intensive pressure. The architect was

Max Abramovitz Max Abramovitz (May 23, 1908 – September 12, 2004) was an American architect. He was best known for his work with the New York City firm Harrison & Abramovitz. Life Abramovitz was the son of Romanian Jewish immigrant parents. He graduate ...

, a University of Illinois alumnus. The contractor was Felmley-Dickerson Co of Urbana, led by Ray Dickerson, who built a number of buildings for the university.

Main Uses

Fighting Illini Basketball

State Farm Center hosts home games of Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball and

Illinois Fighting Illini women's basketball The Illinois Fighting Illini women's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at State Farm Center, located on University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign's campu ...

and has earned a reputation as one of the toughest places to play in college basketball, thanks to the student cheering section, the "

Orange Krush Orange Krush is a branch of the registered student organization (RSO), Illini Pride, at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. In its current form, the Organization has two faces. First, the Orange Krush is the student cheering section ...

," which occupies the floor around the court as well as some seats. At the annual "Paint the Hall Orange" game, everyone in attendance would wear an orange shirt, resulting in an impressive and intimidating environment. In recent years, however, it has become customary for Illini fans to wear orange at all home games and so the official "PTHO" game was discontinued after the 2007-08 season. In August 2015, prior to the reopening of the newly renovated State Farm Center, the hardwood floor was dedicated and named Lou Henson Court in honor of the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball all-time leader in victories

Lou Henson Louis Ray Henson (January 10, 1932 – July 25, 2020) was an American college basketball coach. He retired as the all-time leader in victories at the University of Illinois with 423 victories and New Mexico State with 289 victories. Overall, Henso ...

IHSA

State Farm Center has hosted a variety of

Illinois High School Association The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is an association that regulates competition of interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level for the state of Illinois. It is a charter member of the National Fe ...

events. It has been the home of the state individual wrestling tournament since 1967. From 1963 to 1995, State Farm Center played host to the state finals of the boys' basketball tournament. From 1978 to 1991, it also hosted the IHSA girls' basketball tournament. The IHSA announced on June 15, 2020, that the boys' basketball tournament would return after a 25-year absence.

Broadway Series

State Farm Center is also the venue for the annual WCIA 3 Broadway Series, which features popular musicals such as ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'', ''

Miss Saigon ''Miss Saigon'' is a stage musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, with lyrics by Boublil and Richard Maltby Jr. It is based on Giacomo Puccini's 1904 opera ''Madame Butterfly'', and similarly tells the tragic tale of a doomed roma ...

'', ''

Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...

'', and '' Fiddler on the Roof''.

Concerts

The largest concerts by attendance thus far are:

"Illinois Renaissance" renovation

In the autumn of 2008, school officials, led by Athletics Director

Ron Guenther Ronald E. Guenther (born October 3, 1945) is a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois from 1975 to 1978, compiling a recor ...

, conducted a study to decide whether to refurbish the then-named Assembly Hall or build a new basketball arena. In 2010, the university opted to renovate the existing structure designed by University of Illinois alumnus Max Abramovitz, and selected the architectural firm

AECOM AECOM (, ; formerly AECOM Technology Corporation) is an American multinational infrastructure consulting firm. AECOM has approximately 51,000 employees, and is number 157 on the 2019 Fortune 500 list. The company's official name from 1990 t ...

to design the renovation. The athletic department sent surveys to I-Fund and season ticket holders to gauge demand for various premium seating options. Architects used this information to create schematic drawings and architectural renderings near the end of 2012, which then Athletics Director Mike Thomas used to aid in fundraising for the project. The anticipated renovation cost was between $150 and $160 million, and construction would not start before spring of 2014. As part of the renovations, State Farm Insurance purchased the naming rights to the arena for $60 million over 30 years. The State Farm Center began renovations after the 2013–14 men's basketball season. Work included adding luxury suites, club/loge seating, new blue seats included in the renovation. In the luxury suites and club level seats, there will be concessions where alcoholic beverages will allowed to be served as well as a buffet area. The total budget for the renovation was estimated at $169.5 million. The construction process did cause some conflicts with scheduled sporting events at the beginning of the 2015-16 basketball season. The men's basketball team played the first five games of the 2015 at the

Prairie Capital Convention Center Bank of Springfield Center (originally Prairie Capital Convention Center) is a 7,700-seat multi-purpose arena located in Springfield, Illinois. The facility is adaptable to host a variety of events, including large concerts, theatrical perform ...

in Springfield, while the 2015 Women's basketball team played their first five games at

Parkland College Parkland College is a public community college in Champaign, Illinois. It is part of the Illinois Community College System serving Community College District 505 which includes parts of Coles, Champaign, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Iroquo ...

. The renovated arena hosted its first game on December 2, when the Fighting Illini fell to Notre Dame 84–79.

Naming rights

The following corporate sponsor, Fighting Illini benefactors, former Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players, and

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

have donated sizeable contributions towards the $169.5 million renovation cost of the State Farm Center.

Historical Fighting Illini Home Courts

* Kenney Gym (1905–1925) located on the campus of the University of Illinois and is named after Harold E. (Hek) Kenney. The arena opened in 1890 and was originally known as the Men's Gym Annex. *

Huff Hall Huff Hall is a 4,050-seat multi-purpose arena in Champaign, Illinois, United States. The arena opened in 1925 and was known as Huff Gymnasium until the 1990s. It is named after George Huff, who was the school's athletic director from 1895 to 193 ...

(1925–1963) opened in 1925 and was known as Huff Gymnasium until the 1990s. It is named after George Huff, who was the school's athletic director from 1895 to 1935. *Assembly Hall/State Farm Center (1963–present)

Fighting Illini Men's basketball records at State Farm Center (Assembly Hall)

Attendance

*High attendance for game: 17,087 (Illinois 64, Michigan 52, 2/12/2015) *Low attendance for game: 3,016 (Illinois 90, North Dakota State 73, 12/8/1975) *High attendance for season: 282,506, 2006-07 (17 games, 16,618 avg.) *Low attendance for season: 72,949, 1973-74 (11 games, 6,632 avg.) *Consecutive sellouts: 60, (12/1/2005 - 3/8/2008) *Most sellouts in a season: 17 (2006–07)

Individual single game

*Most points :Overall – 50,

Von McDade Von Adrian McDade (born June 7, 1967) is an American former basketball player. He played college basketball for the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Milwaukee Panthers basketball teams. In 1991, he was third in the nation among college basketball play ...

, Wisconsin-Milwaukee...12/3/1990 :Illini player – 46, Andy Kaufmann...12/3/1990 *Most field goals :Overall – 19,

Rudy Tomjanovich Rudolph Tomjanovich Jr. (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is a consultant for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His professional playing career, whic ...

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

...2/22/1969 :Illini player – 17, Andy Kaufmann...12/1/1990 & Eddie Johnson...12/8/1979 *Most field goal attempts :Overall – 44, Von McDade, Wisconsin-Milwaukee...12/3/1990 :Illini player – 34, Nick Weatherspoon...1/27/73 *Best field goal accuracy (10 shot minimum) :Overall ''(Illini player)'' – 11/11,

Derek Harper Derek Ricardo Harper (born October 13, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player. A second-team All-American at the University of Illinois, he was the 11th overall pick of the 1983 NBA draft and spent 16 seasons as a point guar ...

...2/19/1983 :Illini player – 10/10,

Ken Norman Kenneth Darnel Norman (born September 5, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. After graduating from Crane High School in Chicago, Kenny was an outstanding forward for the Illinois Fighting Illini who was selected 19th overa ...

...12/14/1985 *Most three-point goals :Overall – 9, Von McDade, Wisconsin-Milwaukee...12/3/1990 :Illini player – 8, Brandon Paul...1/10/2012,

Trenton Meacham Trenton "Trent" Meacham (born September 26, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for Boulazac Basket Dordogne of the LNB Pro A. He played college basketball at both the University of Dayton and the University of Illinois. Professi ...

...11/19/2006, & Dee Brown...3/3/2005 *Most three-point field goal attempts :Overall – 22, Von McDade, Wisconsin-Milwaukee...12/3/1990 :Illini player – 16, Kevin Turner...1/3/1998 *Best three-point field goal accuracy (5 attempts minimum) :Overall ''(Illini player)'' – 5/5, Jamar Smith...12/6/2006 :Illini player – 5/5, Sean Harrington...11/26/2000 *Most free throws :Overall – 17, Wayne Radford,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

...3/2/1978 :Illini player – 17, Kiwane Garris...3/5/1997 *Best free throw accuracy (10 attempts minimum) :Overall – 14/14, C. J. Kupec, Michigan...1/2/1975 :Illini player - 13/13,

Kendall Gill Kendall Cedric Gill (born May 25, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who now works as a television basketball analyst. Early life Gill was born in Chicago and attended Rich Central High School in Olympia Fields, Illinoi ...

...2/8/1990 *Most rebounds :Overall – 23,

Joe Franklin Joe Franklin (March 9, 1926 – January 24, 2015), born Joseph Fortgang, was an American radio and television host personality, author and actor from New York City. Franklin is noted for having the first talk show and inventing the format. His te ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

...12/19/1966 :Illini player – 23, Nick Weatherspoon...3/2/1971 *Most assists :Illini player – 15, Bruce Douglas...12/14/1985 *Most steals :Illini player – 7, Kendall Gill...3,4,1990,

Kenny Battle Kenneth R. Battle (born October 10, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. High school career In 1984, Battle led Aurora West High School to third place in the Illinois High School Association Class AA state basketball tourn ...

...3/9/1988 & Bruce Douglas...12/8/1986 *Most blocks :Illini player – 11, Derek Holcomb...12/8/1978 *Most minutes :Illini player – 60, Bruce Douglas...1/28/84

References

External links

Official Site

{{Authority control College basketball venues in the United States Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball venues Illinois Fighting Illini women's basketball venues Basketball venues in Illinois Indoor arenas in Illinois Music venues in Illinois Wrestling venues in Illinois Buildings and structures in Champaign, Illinois Sports venues in Champaign–Urbana, Illinois Tourist attractions in Champaign County, Illinois Buildings and structures of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Harrison & Abramovitz buildings 1963 establishments in Illinois Sports venues completed in 1963 State Farm