UCCU Center

The UCCU Center (originally known as the McKay Events Center), is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of Utah Valley University (UVU) in Orem, Utah, United States. It was built in 1996 and is home to the Utah Valley Wolverines basketball team.

UCCU Center

Exterior of arena under former signage, January 2004
Former names	UVSC McKay Special Events Center (planning/construction) McKay Events Center (1996–2010)
Address	800 West University Parkway Orem, Utah United States
Location	Utah Valley University
Coordinates	40.278724°N 111.716956°W / 40.278724; -111.716956
Public transit	UVX (at UVU station)
Owner	Utah Valley University
Capacity	8,500
Construction
Opened	January 26, 1996 (1996-01-26)
Renovated	2007
Construction cost	$27.7 million ($52.5 million in 2023 dollars[1])
Architect	FFKR Architects
Structural engineer	Reaveley Engineers + Associates
Services engineer	Heath Engineering Company
Tenants
Utah Valley Wolverines (WAC) (1996–present) Utah Catzz (PIFL) (1998) Utah Flash (NBA D-League) (2007–11) Utah Valley Thunder (AIFA) (2009)
Website
www.uccucenter.com

History

In 1991, the Utah State Legislature passed a law allowing county governments to implement a 1% restaurant tax in order to support tourism and recreational facilities.^[2] In April that year, Utah County voters approved a 20-year bond and 1% restaurant sales tax to raise $7.7 million for a multipurpose events center. The measure passed by more than a 2–1 margin with an 8.7% voter turnout.^[3]

In December 1993, Utah Valley State College (now UVU) held a ground breaking ceremony for the Center. Officials in attendance included college president Kerry D. Romesburg and Utah County Commissioner Gary Herbert.^[4]

Construction began in January 1994 and finished in January 1996 for a total of US$27,700,000.^[5][6] The Center opened with 8,500 seats and 25,000 square feet (2,300 m²) of floor space.^[5] On January 27, 1996, former First Lady Barbara Bush was the keynote speaker at the Center's debut event, a conference titled "In Honor of Women".^[7][8]

In April 1996, the Center was dedicated and officially named in honor of David O. McKay.^[6]

On January 19, 2010, UVU announced its plans to sell the naming rights to the arena at the request of the donor family, to help the university raise money.^[9] At the same time, the university named its education building after David O. McKay. On August 30, 2010, Utah Community Credit Union (UCCU) announced it acquired the naming rights to the arena.^[10]

The UCCU Center has grown to host many top touring shows such as ZZ Top, Boston, Lonestar, Styx, Maroon 5, Lifehouse, INXS, OneRepublic, Jimmy Eat World, Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Kelly Clarkson and more recently The Killers, Phillip Phillips, Pentatonix, Panic! at the Disco and Bastille.

The Center is the former home of the minor league professional sports teams including the Utah Flash (defunct D-League affiliate team of the Utah Jazz), the Utah Valley Thunder (defunct American Indoor Football Association team), and the Utah Catzz of the Professional Indoor Football League.

Concerts

Bastille brought their Bad Blood: The Last Stand Tour to the arena on November 11, 2014.

Fall Out Boy & Paramore brought their co-headlining tour, Monumentour, to the arena on August 13, 2014, with New Politics as the opening act.

Panic! at the Disco brought their Death of a Bachelor Tour to the arena on March 18, 2017, with MisterWives and Saint Motel as the opening acts.

Bastille brought their Wild, Wild World Tour to the arena on April 13, 2017, with Mondo Cozmo as the opening act.

Paramore brought their After Laughter tour to the arena on September 22, 2017, with Best Coast as the opening act.

Louis Tomlinson brought his Louis Tomlinson World Tour to the arena on March 1, 2022, with Sun Room as the opening act.

Olivia Rodrigo brought her Sour Tour to the arena on April 9, 2022, with Gracie Abrams as the opening act.

See also

• List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas

References

1. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
2. "UTAH COUNTY COMMISSION ADOPTS 1% RESTAURANT TAX". Deseret News. 27 August 1991. Archived from the original on 30 May 2024. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
3. Zimmerman, Josephine (10 April 1991). "Voters approve special events center for UVCC". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
4. "Ground breaking held for UVSC Events Center". Orem-Geneva Times. 15 December 1993. p. 1. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
5. Eddington, Mark (22 January 1996). "New center unveild". The Daily Herald. pp. C1–C2. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
6. Eddington, Mark (23 April 1996). "McKay honored during center dedication". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
7. Wright, Lili (27 January 1996). "Women Gather at UVSC for Deluge of Advice on Success". The Salt Lake Tribune. pp. B1. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
8. Wright, Lili (28 January 1996). "Bursh Shares Her Wit, Wisdom With Women". The Salt Lake Tribune. pp. B1, B4. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
9. KSL.com, UVU selling naming rights to David O McKay Events Center
10. UCCU announces that it has acquired naming rights to the Event Center

External links

• Official website