McKale Center
| Lute & Bobbi Olson Court | |
 |
|
| Full name | McKale Memorial Center |
|---|---|
| Location | 1 National Championship Drive Tucson, AZ 85721 |
| Coordinates | 32°13′49″N 110°56′45″W / 32.23030°N 110.94595°WCoordinates: 32°13′49″N 110°56′45″W / 32.23030°N 110.94595°W |
| Owner | University of Arizona |
| Operator | University of Arizona |
| Capacity | 14,644 (2015–present) 14,655 (2014–2015) 14,545 (2000–2014) 14,489 (1997–2000) 14,343 (1996–1997) 14,257 (1994–1996) 13,814 (1992–1994) 13,662 (1990–1992) 13,477 (1988–1990) 13,124 (1986–1988) 13,316 (1984–1986) 13,658 (1973–1984) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 1970 |
| Opened | February 1, 1973 |
| Construction cost | $8,145,077 ($43.9 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | Place and Place, Inc. |
| General contractor | Sundt Construction, Inc. |
| Tenants | |
| Arizona Wildcats (NCAA) (1973–present) | |
McKale Memorial Center is an athletic arena located at 1721 E Enke Dr on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. It is primarily used for basketball, but also has physical training and therapy facilities. Its construction is marked with a large copper cap that has turned brown over time. McKale Center is home to the University of Arizona Wildcats basketball team. The arena opened in February 1973 and has an official capacity of 14,644 spectators. It hosted the 1988 Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball tournament.
The McKale Center was named in honor of J.F. "Pop" McKale, a major athletic figure at U of A from 1914 to 1957. At one time, he was head coach of all of the school's athletic teams. He was head basketball coach from 1914 to 1921, where he achieved a 49-12 record.
McKale was coach of the Arizona football team from 1914 to 1930, with a record of 80 wins, 32 losses and six ties. It was his first team that resulted in Arizona's teams being nicknamed "Wildcats." In 1914, Arizona's name meant very little in the college football world. Although they lost to Occidental College in Los Angeles 14-0, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times was so impressed with Arizona's effort that he wrote, "The Arizona men showed the fight of wild cats ..." Soon afterward, Arizona's student-athletes were nicknamed the Wildcats.
Following the Arizona State University game on February 26, 2000, the University of Arizona athletic department honored head coach Lute Olson with a ceremony to name the McKale Center playing surface "Lute Olson Court". Then, during a memorial service in January 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.
In 2002, the Eddie Lynch Athletics Pavilion, a state-of-the-art medical and strength/conditioning facility for Wildcat student athletes, was completed and opened. The pavilion (which cost $14 million) was a 36,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) addition to the north end of McKale Center. The upper level has a 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) museum-like display area, open to the public, showcasing the history of Arizona Wildcat athletics.
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