The Beeghly Physical Education Center, or simply Beeghly Center, is a 6,300-seat multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

. The arena, built at a cost of $5.5 million and named for local businessman Leon A. Beeghly, opened on December 2, 1972. It is home to the

Youngstown State University Youngstown State University (YSU or Youngstown State) is a public university in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1908 and is the easternmost member of the University System of Ohio. The university is composed of six undergrad ...

Penguins

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 (appro ...

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 ...

, and

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to in ...

s. The first event at the arena was a basketball game against the

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

Bobcats, which ended in a 68–59 Youngstown State victory. The arena, which originally seated 6,000, has undergone many changes since its opening. The Youngstown State women's basketball team moved into the arena in the mid-1970s. In 1983, permanent seats at both ends of the court and 1,260 chairback seats at mid-court were added. On September 15, 1996, YSU dedicated Veterans' Plaza directly in front of Beeghly Center. This $500,000 community project was funded in-part through private donations to honor all United States Veterans. In 2000, the court was repainted, two additional scoreboards were added and expanded press-row seating was created. In May 2002, the facility underwent more than $2.5 million in additional renovations, including a new front and rear lobby, new hallways and locker rooms and a new $150,000 sound system. The multipurpose facility includes an Olympic-sized swimming and diving facility, racquetball and squash courts, classrooms, and administrative offices. Beeghly is also home to the men's and women's basketball offices as well as the Olympic sports offices. In addition to YSU intercollegiate basketball and volleyball contests, as well as university events, Beeghly Center has served as the site for high school competitions,

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...

matches (though the WWE now uses the newer

Covelli Centre The Covelli Centre is a multi-purpose arena in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. It opened in 2005, thanks in a large part to a $26 million HUD redevelopment grant secured in 2000 by Congressman James Traficant, James A. Traficant Jr. It is home ...

nearby when visiting Youngstown), concerts, tradeshows, and numerous other functions that dot the busy facility schedule throughout the year. The venue also hosted a

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

rally in February 2008. The Beeghly Center holds many YSU classes throughout each semester, as well as the Youngstown City School District's "All-City" Science Fair competition. The facility is used for

graduation A graduation is the awarding of a diploma by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it, which can also be called Commencement speech, commencement, Congregation (university), congregation, Convocat ...

ceremonies at the end of every semester. The facility should not be confused with the nearby—and newer— Beeghly Hall, where YSU's Beeghly College of Education is housed, and also holds YSU classes. File:BeeghlyCenter2.jpg, Interior 2008 File:Ysubeeghly.JPG, Interior 2006

References

External links

Beeghly Center Official Website
{{Youngstown College basketball venues in Ohio Indoor arenas in Ohio Buildings and structures in Youngstown, Ohio Convention centers in Ohio Youngstown State Penguins basketball Sports venues completed in 1972 1972 establishments in Ohio Tourist attractions in Youngstown, Ohio College volleyball venues in the United States College swimming venues in the United States Swimming venues in Ohio

See also

References

External links