CEFCU Arena

CEFCU Arena, formerly known as Redbird Arena, is a 10,200-seat multi-purpose arena located in Normal, Illinois, on the campus of Illinois State University. Built in 1989, the building is notable for its use of a Teflon-coated roof that gives off a "glow" during night events. Three Illinois State Redbirds athletic teams use the facility as their home court: men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball.^[5]

CEFCU Arena

Former names	Redbird Arena
Location	232 West College Avenue Normal, IL 61761
Coordinates	40°30′38.18″N 88°59′56.44″W
Public transit	Connect Transit
Owner	Illinois State University
Operator	Illinois State University
Capacity	10,200
Surface	Hardwood
Construction
Broke ground	May 8, 1986[1]
Opened	January 11, 1989[2]
Construction cost	$17.4 million ($42.8 million in 2023 dollars[3])
Architect	CRS Sirrine Inc.[4]
Structural engineer	Geiger Engineers
General contractor	C. Iber & Sons Inc.[4]
Tenants
Illinois State Redbirds (NCAA) Men's basketball (1989–present) Women's basketball (1989–present) Women's volleyball (1989–present)
Website
CEFCU Arena

The arena was renamed CEFCU Arena after the school and CEFCU agreed to a 10-year naming rights deal.^[6]

Sports

Illinois State is one of just 10 college volleyball programs to draw more than 250,000 fans in the last decade.^[7]

Students who enjoy men's basketball and sit in the student section often paint their faces red and wear red T-shirts and become part of "Red Alert", the official student spirit group of Illinois State athletics.

Amenities

CEFCU Arena boasts new scoreboards installed during the 2006-2007 basketball season. The center-hung scoreboard has four-sided HD video boards. They were initiated at the Bradley game when the court was named after ISU great Doug Collins.^[8][9] For the 2011-2012 basketball season an HD video board between opposing benches courtside was installed. It was funded and named after sponsor Frontier Communications Company, that also provided new black leather chairs for players and coaches.

Miscellaneous

CEFCU Arena has hosted a variety of Illinois High School Association events. It has been the home of the girls' volleyball tournament since 1990 and the girls' basketball tournament since 1992. It has also hosted the dual team portion of the state wrestling tournament and in 2006 hosted the inaugural state competitive cheerleading meet.^[10]

See also

• List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas

References

1. Marquardt, Susan (November 19, 1988). "So Long Horton...Hello Redbird Arena". The Pantagraph. Bloomington–Normal. p. 50. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
2. Hanley, Brian (January 12, 1989). "Illinois State a Winner in Arena Debut". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
3. 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.
4. "CEFCU Arena". Structurae. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
5. "2021 Volleyball Schedule".
6. [e-mail], Randy Reinhardt. "Naming rights finalized for Illinois State's CEFCU Arena". pantagraph.com. Retrieved 2022-12-19.
7. "Redbird Arena". Illinois State University Department of Athletics. May 12, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
8. Benson, Jim (February 4, 2007). "ISU Falls to Bradley". The Pantagraph. Bloomington–Normal. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
9. Benson, Jim (February 21, 2007). "Students Get Real–World Experience at ISU Games". The Pantagraph. Bloomington–Normal. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
10. Sharer, Randy (March 10, 2006). "Good Cheer Name of Game at Redbird". The Pantagraph. Bloomington–Normal. Retrieved February 21, 2015.

External links

• Redbird Arena (RBA)