Savage Arena
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| Former names | Centennial Hall John F. Savage Hall |
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| Location | Toledo, Ohio, USA |
| Owner | University of Toledo |
| Operator | University of Toledo |
| Capacity | 7,300 (basketball) 8,300 (concerts) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1976 |
| Renovated | 2008 |
| Architect | SSOE |
| Tenants | |
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Toledo Rockets (NCAA) Men's basketball (1976–present) Women's basketball (1976–present) Women's volleyball (1976–present) |
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John F. Savage Arena (formerly John F. Savage Hall and Centennial Hall) is a multi-purpose arena located in Toledo, Ohio, on the campus of the University of Toledo. The arena opened in 1976 and originally seated 9,000 for basketball and up to 10,000 for concerts. As part of a $30 million renovation and addition to the arena, completed in 2008, the seating capacity was reduced to 7,300 for basketball and up to 8,300 for concerts. It primarily serves as the home venue for the Toledo Rockets men's and women's basketball teams and women's volleyball team, and also hosts concerts, commencement exercises, and other events.
Savage Arena features 33,000 square feet (3,100 m2)of space on its arena floor, large enough to accommodate an ice rink, an arena football field, a rodeo ring, five basketball courts, eight volleyball courts, five tennis courts, six racquetball courts, 22 badminton courts, and a 300 yard (274 m) indoor track. There is also a 48x56 foot portable stage. The Joe Grogan Room, which seats 200 for dinners, is located at the arena's south side, above the running track. The glass-enclosed room contains a lounge and a bar. More than $350,000 was spent on building and equipping the Joe Grogan Room. All funds for the room were raised through $5,000 pledges by members of the Rocket Club, the athletic department's main support group that now totals more than 1,000 members.
The arena is built with long span trusses that support the roof, 57 feet (17 m) above the arena floor. The trusses also support the arena's public address and ventilation systems, a catwalk system for service and maintenance, and the arena's center-court scoreboard. The arena is named for John F. Savage, a university alum (Class of 1952) who was instrumental in the arena's construction. The free span is 200 feet (61 m) from wall to wall. The building structure and wall systems are constructed of noncombustible material.
In the first game played in Savage Arena, the men's basketball team defeated defending NCAA champion Indiana 59–57. With that win, the Rockets snapped Bobby Knight and the Hoosiers' 33-game winning streak. At Savage Hall, Toledo has beaten Ohio State, Xavier, Cincinnati, Houston and Pittsburgh. The longest consecutive winning streak by the Rockets in Savage Arena is 16 games, during the 1978–79 season. During that streak, UT outscored opponents by an average of 17 points per game. Between November 30, 1978 and December 1, 1981, the Rockets recorded a 45–3 (.938) home record. Prior to the 1985–86 season, they had lost back-to-back games at home only twice in 146 contests.
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