Irving Gymnasium
Encyclopedia
Irving Gymnasium is an indoor athletics facility on the campus of Ball State University
in Muncie, Indiana
. Opened in 1962 with a capacity of 4,200 spectators, it hosted primarily Ball State Cardinals
basketball
and volleyball
games until the John E. Worthen Arena
was opened in 1992. It hosted the 1972 and 1976 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship
games.
In 2008, Irving Gymnasium closed to undergo renovations for the new Student Recreation and Wellness Center. The Student Recreation and Wellness Center will reopen with two new basketball courts, an indoor turf building for indoor football and soccer, a rock climbing wall, and expanded weight lifting and cardio equipment space. The construction process will also include adding a 1/8 suspended walking/jogging track, a grab-and-go food service area, and space devoted to yoga and martial arts.
spoke in Irving Gymnasium on April 4, 1968 to a crowd of 12,000 people, almost three times the seating capacity
. The university only had 7,000 seats to offer which left 5,000 students to stand during Kennedy's half-hour speech. A little over an hour after Kennedy's speech, on his way to another campaign stop in Indianapolis, Kennedy learned of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.
President Barack Obama
made a stop in Irving Gymnasium on April 12, 2008 on his campaign trail, 40 years and one week after Kennedy's speech in Irving Gym in 1968.
Ball State University
Ball State University is a state-run research university located in Muncie, Indiana. It is also known as Ball State or simply BSU.Located on the northwest side of the city, Ball State's campus spans and includes 106 buildings...
in Muncie, Indiana
Muncie, Indiana
Muncie is a city in Center Township, Delaware County in east central Indiana, best known as the home of Ball State University and the birthplace of the Ball Corporation. It is the principal city of the Muncie, Indiana, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a population of 118,769...
. Opened in 1962 with a capacity of 4,200 spectators, it hosted primarily Ball State Cardinals
Ball State Cardinals
Ball State University's athletic teams are called the Cardinals. The Cardinals are part of the NCAA Mid-American Conference and located in Muncie, Indiana...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
games until the John E. Worthen Arena
John E. Worthen Arena
John E. Worthen Arena is a basketball arena in Muncie, Indiana. The arena opened in the year 1992 and it is home to the Ball State University Cardinals men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams...
was opened in 1992. It hosted the 1972 and 1976 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship
NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship
The NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship is the tournament that determines the national championship of American college volleyball.The "Final Four" is a term used exclusively by NCAA Basketball but is commonly used to describe the Men's Volleyball Championship...
games.
In 2008, Irving Gymnasium closed to undergo renovations for the new Student Recreation and Wellness Center. The Student Recreation and Wellness Center will reopen with two new basketball courts, an indoor turf building for indoor football and soccer, a rock climbing wall, and expanded weight lifting and cardio equipment space. The construction process will also include adding a 1/8 suspended walking/jogging track, a grab-and-go food service area, and space devoted to yoga and martial arts.
Notable appearances
Presidential hopeful Robert F. KennedyRobert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
spoke in Irving Gymnasium on April 4, 1968 to a crowd of 12,000 people, almost three times the seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
. The university only had 7,000 seats to offer which left 5,000 students to stand during Kennedy's half-hour speech. A little over an hour after Kennedy's speech, on his way to another campaign stop in Indianapolis, Kennedy learned of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.
President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
made a stop in Irving Gymnasium on April 12, 2008 on his campaign trail, 40 years and one week after Kennedy's speech in Irving Gym in 1968.