![]() The 1992 season saw the installation of four huge video replay screens in each corner of the arena. Sophisticated computerized message boards spanning the upper deck on both sides of the court, along with padded press row and officials' tables with computer-drive scoreboards were added in the early 1990s. Since its initial construction at a cost of $8.1 million in 1973, McKale Center has undergone numerous face lifts to keep up with the times. The largest crowd in the Lute Olson era showed up for the 1997-98 home opener against Morgan State (14,672), the first home game after Arizona's National Championship. The largest crowd in McKale history was the 15,176 who watched Arizona face New Mexico on Jan. After a renovation was completed prior to the 2014-15 season, current capacity stands at 14,655. ![]() Elimination of all bleacher seating dropped the level to 13,124 in 1986 before additional seats were added in the period from 1988 to 2000 that pushed capacity to 14,545. McKale opened in 1973 with a capacity of 13,658, but the installation of chair-back seating in 1984 reduced that figure to 13,316. The seating capacity has fluctuated through the 42 years of the buildings existence. Since the National-Championship season of 1996-97, Arizona has a record of 220-38 in McKale. UA has won 74 of its 85 home games under Sean Miller and has an overall record of 525-102 in McKale, for a winning percentage of. ![]() That tradition keeps growing as Arizona teams continue to win games in front of sell-out crowds. 11, 1992 with an 89-87 upset of the Cats, there was rarely an empty seat in McKale for any game. By the time UCLA snapped the string on Jan. Then, from 1987-1992, Arizona put together the 10th-best home court winning streak in NCAA history, winning 71 consecutive games in McKale and making tickets nearly impossible to find. 1, 1973, and went on to win 67 of the first 70 contests in McKale. Arizona defeated WAC rival Wyoming, 87-69, in the first varsity event on Feb. Part of the attraction for fans is the winning tradition that was quickly established in McKale. Olson led seven teams to undefeated seasons at home, and Arizona has led the Pac-10/12 in attendance every year since 1984-85. McKale houses the offices for the entire athletic department, aside from the football program, and includes a state-of-the-art weight room and the Hall of Champions on the north end of the building.įollowing the Arizona State game on February 26, 2000, the University of Arizona athletic department honored head coach Lute Olson with a ceremony to name the McKale Center floor, "Lute Olson Court." Then, during a memorial service in January of 2001 for Olson's late wife, Bobbi, it was renamed, "Lute and Bobbi Olson Court" in recognition of the couple's impact on the University and the city of Tucson. It is situated off the UA mall, adjacent to Arizona Stadium and the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center. "Pop" McKale, athletic director and coach from 1914 to 1957, the facility is part of a series of showcase athletic facilities located on the extreme eastern edge of campus. After playing several games in front of crowds of a few thousand in Bear Down Gym to open the 1972-73 season, the team moved to McKale and literally filled the upscale arena overnight with crowds over 11,000 from the beginning. The opening of McKale Memorial Center in February of 1973 marked a new era in Wildcat basketball.
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