Carver-Hawkeye Arena

1 Elliot Drive
Iowa City, IA 52242

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Carver-Hawkeye Arena Revitalization

Carver-Hawkeye Arena, one of the 25 largest university-owned facilities in the nation, plays host to all home men's and women's basketball, wrestling, volleyball and select men's and women's gymnastics events. Opened in January of 1983, the building seats 15,500 for basketball. Over the next year, a $43 million addition and renovation project will enhance what is arguably one of the top college basketball facilities in the nation. The renovation will include:

• A new practice complex
• A state-of-the-art, 12,000-square foot strength and conditioning center
• Renovation and expansion of the Dan Gable Wrestling Complex
• New locker rooms for men's and women's basketball, wrestling and volleyball

Capacity crowds have been the rule rather than the exception at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Over six million basketball fans have viewed games in Carver-Hawkeye Arena the past 27-and-a-half seasons. On Feb. 14, 2009, Iowa hosted Purdue and the 14,665 fans in attendance helped the Black and Gold top the six million mark in Carver-Hawkeye Arena history. Iowa played 60 consecutive home games in front of sellout crowds and more recently had a streak of 41 consecutive sell outs for regular season games. The single-game record of 15,570 was set against Indiana in 1987.

The Iowa men's basketball team has won nearly 80 percent of their home games since the building opened. Iowa had a 15-game home court winning streak in 1986-87 and won 43 straight non-conference home games prior to a 79-76 loss to NCAA runner-up Duke during the 1994 season. Iowa is a staggering 181-19 (.905) in non-conference games in Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

The multi purpose facility also serves as home to Hawkeye wrestling, gymnastics and volleyball and has been the site of numerous concerts, commencements, sports camps and other events.

Fans enjoy an unobstructed view from each of the theatre seats. The building won a design award from the American Institute of Architects in 1984.

In a poll of 70 members of the media, conducted by the Lafayette, IN, Courier Journal, Carver-Hawkeye Arena was voted as the top arena in the Big Ten. The Iowa pep band and the media section in Carver-Hawkeye were also voted best in the league.

Named for the late Roy Carver, a long-time supporter of the University, the building has 20,000 square feet of floor space when the lower level seats are retracted. The 42 rows of seating are divided in 28 lettered sections. A 100-seat press section for print and radio media is located in sections AA-BB.

Connected to the Arena is an athletic office building, which is four levels high and occupies over 60,000 square feet. Athletic department coaches and administrators have offices in the building. The administrative portion of Carver-Hawkeye Arena will be remodeled and expanded in the upcoming renovation.

The arena features six locker rooms, including the permanent men's basketball locker room, along with fully-equipped weight training and athletic training facilities. Within the last three years, the Hospitality Room has been re-modeled, allowing for the men's basketball team to have training table meals in the arena, just down the hall from the locker room.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena is constantly being improved. The renovation project will include improved concourse space and additional rest rooms, premium seating opportunities with expanded hospitality and entertainment areas and a new, high-speed patron elevator.

The men's basketball locker room was remodeled prior to the 2003 season. A player's lounge and a coaches meeting room and locker area were added, while the player's locker area was enlarged and remodeled.

New scoreboards and video walls were installed prior to the 2006-07 season. The new state-of-the-art equipment features two video walls with live action and instant replay capabilities. The video walls on each side of the arena measure 80 feet in length and feature 288 x 512 Led Matrix display areas. The scoreboards at each end of the court are 48 feet in length and feature a 256 x 72 Led Matrix display area, along with the usual scoreboard display areas for scores, time remaining and team and individual statistics.

The Arena cost $18,402,962 to build and was completed in three years. It was financed from private contributions from Iowa athletic department supporters. The first event (Jan. 3) in the Arena was a 1983 wrestling dual vs. Oklahoma (a 35 7 Iowa victory). The initial basketball game was a 61-59 loss to Michigan State on Jan. 5, 1983.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena has hosted the Big Ten and NCAA wrestling championships and Big Ten and NCAA regional and national gymnastics championships. The 1984 U.S. Olympic wrestling trials were held in Carver-Hawkeye and the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team also played an exhibition contest in the facility. The National Duals wrestling tournament was held in Carver-Hawkeye in 1998 and 1999. Iowa hosted the 1995 NCAA wrestling championships, in which the Hawkeyes won the national crown while setting tournament attendance records, and the 2001 NCAA finals.

In 2008, all eyes were on Iowa City and Carver-Hawkeye Arena as the Iowa-Iowa State wrestling match attracted a national-record 15,955 fans. Iowa won the meet 20-15.

The arena also serves as home to the University of Iowa volleyball team. When the Hawkeye volleyball team takes the court, Carver-Hawkeye Arena has a volleyball-specific setup that is used in all home games. The court is moved to an east-west setup on the North end of the arena, with the south end of the court draped off. The new setup gives the arena a more intimate feel - not to mention concentrates all the rabid Hawkeye fans on one end.

In 2009, fans flocked to Carver-Hawkeye Arena in record numbers. The Hawkeyes ranked 23rd in national attendance, averaging a program-record 1,632 fans in 13 home contest.

Speaking of fans, the faithful Hawkeye followers have a chance to get an up close and personal look at all the volleyball action by sitting in floor seats. The setup allows fans to sit just a few feet off the court on both ends and along the north sideline.

The University of Iowa reconfigures Carver-Hawkeye Arena to provide an up-close and personal view of the action for more than 5,000 fans of the Hawkeye volleyball program.