Wednesday, September 16, 2015

I saw Luis Miguel sing with my 2nd wife here.......then my fiance........on Valentine's day of 2000....


EagleBank Arena

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
EagleBank Arena
The then-Patriot Center west entrance in 2011.
Full nameEagleBank Arena at George Mason University
Former namesPatriot Center (1985–2015)
Location4500 Patriot Circle
Fairfax, VA 22030
Coordinates38°49′37″N 77°18′35″WCoordinates38°49′37″N 77°18′35″W
OwnerGeorge Mason University
OperatorMonumental Sports & Entertainment
CapacityBasketball: 10,000
SurfaceMulti-surface
Construction
Broke ground1982
OpenedOctober 4, 1985[3]
Construction cost$16 million[1]
($35.1 million in 2015 dollars[2])
ArchitectHOK Sport
Mosley Architects
Tenants
George Mason Patriots
Washington Commandos (AFL) (1990)
The EagleBank Arena (originally the Patriot Center) is a 10,000-seat arena in Fairfax, Virginia. It is located on the campus of George Mason University (which has over 30,000 students), and has attracted 9.6 million people to over 2,958 events. In 2010, the Patriot Center was ranked No. 7 nationwide and No. 12 worldwide according to ticket sales for venues with capacities between 10,001 and 15,000 by trade publication Venues Today. Also in 2010, the Patriot Center was ranked No. 8 nationwide and No. 18 worldwide according to top grossing venues with a capacity between 10,001 and 15,000 by Billboard magazine.[4] On May 7, 2015, George Mason University announced that the name would be changed on July 1 to "EagleBank Arena at George Mason University", following a partnership deal with EagleBank.[5][6]

History[edit]

The Patriot Center is the first university venue to be managed by a private company, Monumental Sports and Entertainment, who also owns and manages Verizon Centerin Washington D.C.The first use was graduation in May 1985. It opened on October 4, 1985, when the New York Knicks played the Washington Bullets (now Washington Wizards ) in a pre-season game, debuting the first game of future Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Patrick EwingTim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs also made his first professional appearance. The arena is home to the George Mason University basketball teams, as well as concerts and family shows, with the 17,000 square feet (1,600 m2) of space.[7]
In 1990, the Patriot Center held the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championships .In 1986, the Patriot Center hosted the first men’s CAA (Colonial Athletic Association) Tournament and hosted its first women’s CAA Tournament in 2005. The Patriots have amassed an overall record of 220–92 at the Patriot Center. The Patriots are also 85–10 in the Patriot Center against Colonial Athletic Association opponents. During the 2010–2011 men's NCAA basketball season, the Patriots amassed a perfect 13–0 home record, which was the second time that occurred in three seasons.

Renovations and recent events[edit]


Inside before the Mason vs Bucknell game
The arena has recently undergone a $10 million renovation, adding new concession stands, hospitality area, locker rooms and bathrooms, and an improved main concourse. On February 4, 2012, GMU men’s basketball team set an attendance record against Old Dominion University on homecoming, which then was reached again against James Madison University; both games were won by double digits. The Patriot Center also graduates many students ofNorthern Virginia high schools.
The Patriot Center hosted the sold-out UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz on January 11, 2010. That was the first time that the UFC had staged an event in the state of Virginia.[8]
On February 4, 2012, the Patriot Center debuted a new center court scoreboard against conference rival Old Dominion University.[9]

Records[edit]

Men's Basketball Game Attendance - 9,900 on February 4, 2012 vs Old Dominion University
Concert Attendance - Phish - 10,356
Grossing Concert - Bruce Springsteen in 2005, $573,885
Grossing Family Show - The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus in 2009, $1.86 million

References[edit]

  1. Jump up^ George Mason Timeline
  2. Jump up^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2014. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  3. Jump up^ "Knicks Lose in Ewing's Debut"Gainesville Sun. October 5, 1985. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  4. Jump up^ Staff (November 27, 2011). "Staff editorial: Rigging some revenue". Diamondback Online. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  5. Jump up^ "George Mason Univ. sells naming rights to Patriot Center"WVIR. May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  6. Jump up^ "George Mason, EagleBank Announce Multimillion-Dollar Education Partnership" (Press release). George Mason Patriots. May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  7. Jump up^ "Patriot Center". George Mason University. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  8. Jump up^ "UFC Fight Night 20 targeted for Jan. 11 in Virginia, Spike TV to broadcast (Updated)". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2011-02-13. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  9. Jump up^ "What's New at the Patriot Center". George Mason Athletics. 2012-01-27. Retrieved 5 April 2012

No comments:

Post a Comment