Lloyd Noble Center
Arena in Norman, Oklahoma, US From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Lloyd Noble Center is a 10,967-seat multi-purpose arena located in Norman, Oklahoma, some 19 mi (31 km) south of downtown Oklahoma City. It opened in 1975 and is home to the University of Oklahoma men's and women's basketball teams of the Southeastern Conference.
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 The Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball team warms up before a game against the Texas Longhorns | |
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| Location | 2900 Jenkins Avenue Norman, Oklahoma, 73072 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°11′15″N 97°26′40″W |
| Owner | University of Oklahoma |
| Operator | University of Oklahoma |
| Capacity | 10,967 (2020-Present) 11,562 (2013–2019) 12,000 (2001–2013) 11,100 (1994–2001) 10,871 (1975–1994) |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1973 |
| Opened | October 27, 1975 |
| Renovated | 2001 |
| Construction cost | $6 million ($34 million in 2023 dollars[1])[2] $17.1 million (renovation) |
| Architect | Sorey, Hill & Sorey[3] Ellerbe Becket (renovations) |
| Tenants | |
| Oklahoma Sooners (NCAA DI) (1975–present) | |
Before the construction of the facility, the teams played in the much smaller OU Field House, located on campus near Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. With the success of Sooner basketball in the 1970s and star forward Alvan Adams, demand became sufficient to upgrade to the modern and spacious Lloyd Noble Center, named after an alumnus and former member of the OU Board of Regents who gave OU's first ever $1 million gift to finance the center. The Sooners frequently sold out the arena during the Billy Tubbs era, with All-American forward Wayman Tisdale leading the high-scoring team to several Big Eight Conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. This led to the popular colloquialism around Norman that Lloyd Noble Center is "the house that Alvan built and Wayman filled."
In January 2006, the NBA and the New Orleans Hornets decided to move two games from the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge to Oklahoma City due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent low attendance it caused. The Ford Center in Oklahoma City was unavailable for one of the games against the Sacramento Kings, so it was moved to the Lloyd Noble Center.
The center was named after Samuel Lloyd Noble (1896–1950), a Houston oilman and philanthropist, and founder of the Noble Corporation and the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation.
As a concert venue, the Lloyd Noble Center can hold between 2,848 and 4,516 in a theater set-up, 6,165 for end-stage concerts, and 11,238 for center-stage concerts. The arena contains 18,000 sq ft (1,700 m2) of arena floor space as well as 22,534 sq ft (2,093.5 m2) of concourse space, allowing for trade shows to be held at the arena. The arena stands only 51 ft (16 m) tall since the majority of the structure is under ground (including the entire lower arena level), and contains a 40 by 60 ft (12 by 18 m) portable stage and a state-of-the-art scoreboard and video system. There are 12 concession stands at the concourse.
Elvis Presley performed two back-to-back concerts at the center on March 25 & 26 1977.[citation needed] He died five months after the concerts on August 16, 1977.
The Grateful Dead performed here on October 11, 1977.
Amy Grant recorded half of her live albums, In Concert and In Concert Volume Two, here.
Journey performed 3 concerts here for their Frontiers tour on July 19, 20, 21, 1983, also 1 concert on 12/1/98.
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