O'Connell Center
| "The O'Dome" | |
 |
|
| Location | 250 Gale Lemerand Drive Gainesville, Florida 32611 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°38′58″N 82°21′04″W / 29.64944°N 82.35111°WCoordinates: 29°38′58″N 82°21′04″W / 29.64944°N 82.35111°W |
| Owner | University of Florida |
| Operator | University of Florida |
| Capacity | 11,548 (1980-2016) 10,133 (2016–present) |
| Record attendance | 12,633 |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | October 1977 |
| Opened | December 30, 1980 |
| Renovated | 1998, 2016 |
| Construction cost | $15,6 million ($45.3 million in 2016 dollars) |
| Architect |
Caudill Rowlett Scott Moore, May & Harrington |
| Structural engineer | Geiger–Berger Associates |
| General contractor | Dyson and Company, Inc. |
| Tenants | |
|
Florida Gators men's basketball Florida Gators women's basketball Florida Gators women's gymnastics Florida Gators swimming and diving Florida Gators indoor track Florida Gators women's volleyball |
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The Stephen C. O'Connell Center, also known as the O'Dome, is a 10,133-seat multi-purpose arena located on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, Florida. The facility is named for the sixth president of the university, Stephen C. O'Connell, who served from 1967 to 1973. The facility is located on the northern side of the university's campus, between its football field, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field, and its baseball field, McKethan Stadium.
The entire facility was known as the O'Connell Center until from 1980 until 2016. The building underwent a major $64.5 million renovation / reconstruction during that year, and Exactech, a Gainesville medical firm, signed a $5.9 million, 10-year naming rights deal for the main arena, which was officially renamed the Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
The O'Connell Center is the home arena of several of the university's Florida Gators intercollegiate sports teams, including the men's and women's college basketball, gymnastics, swimming and diving, indoor track and volleyball teams.
The facility was quickly dubbed the "O'Dome" by students, a nickname that is still in use. ESPN The Magazine nicknamed it the "House of Horrors" in 1999, a name that the sports teams began using promotionally a few years later. The student section of the stadium has been dubbed the "Rowdy Reptiles." ESPN commentator Dick Vitale, on assignment at the Florida-Kentucky game in 2006, said that the Rowdy Reptiles make the O'Dome one of the toughest places to play in college basketball.
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