Savage Hall
Encyclopedia
John F. Savage Arena has served Northwest Ohio
since opening in 1976. Originally seating 9,000 for basketball and up to 10,000 for concerts, it now seats 7,300 for basketball and up to 8,300 for concerts. Located in Toledo, Ohio
, on the University of Toledo
campus, the arena is home to the university's Rockets basketball
teams.
Savage Arena features 33,000 square foot (3,000 m2) of space on its arena floor, large enough to accommodate an ice rink, an arena football
field, a rodeo
ring, five basketball courts, eight volleyball
courts, five tennis
courts, six racquetball
courts, 22 badminton
courts, and a 300 yard (274 m) indoor track. There is even a 48x56 foot portable stage at the arena. The Joe Grogan Room, which seats 200 for dinners, is located at the arena's south side, above the running track. The glass-enclosed room contains a lounge and a bar. More than $350,000 was spent on building and equipping the Joe Grogan Room. All funds for the room were raised through $5,000 pledges by members of the Rocket Club, the athletic department's main support group that now totals more than 1,000 members.
The arena is built with long span trusses that support the roof, 57 feet (17.4 m) above the arena floor. The trusses also support the arena's public address and ventilation systems, a catwalk system for service and maintenance, and the arena's center-court scoreboard. The arena is named for John F. Savage, a university alum (Class of 1952) who was instrumental in the arena's construction.
The facility has hosted five Mid-American Conference
men's basketball tournaments: 1985, 1987–1989, and 1995.
During the Rockets' time in Savage Arena, the Rockets have ranked among the MAC leaders in attendance, averaging 6,640 fans per game since the arena opened in 1976. Last year, Toledo led the MAC with an average attendance of 5,292.
In 1980–81, the Rockets set a school record with 147,203 in total attendance, the 30th-best total in the nation, and during the 1999–2000 season the Rockets eclipsed the 2,500,000 attendance mark in arena history.
In the first game played in Savage Arena, Toledo defeated defending NCAA champion Indiana University 59–57. With that win, the Rockets snapped Bobby Knight and the Hoosiers' 33-game winning streak. At Savage Hall, Toledo has beaten Ohio State, Xavier, Cincinnati, Houston and Pittsburgh.
At Savage Arena, Toledo has won 73.5% of its games at home, posting a 312–112 record. During the first five years in Savage Arena, UT posted a 71–10 (.877) record, with a 15–1 mark in 1976–77 and 1978–79 and a 14–1 slate in 1979–80. Under former head coach Stan Joplin
, the Rockets were 84–22 (.792) at Savage Arena.
The longest consecutive winning streak by the Rockets in Savage Arena is 16 games, during the 1978–79 season. During that streak, UT outscored opponents by an average of 17 points per game. Between November 30, 1978 and December 1, 1981, the Rockets recorded a 45–3 (.938) home record. Prior to the 1985–86 season, they had lost back-to-back games at home only twice in 146 contests.
In addition to the activity areas, Savage Arena contains athletic department offices, a reception area, press room, sports medicine and therapy rooms, laundry and equipment facilities and locker rooms with showers and saunas for both men and women.
The free span is 200 feet (61 m) from wall to wall. The building structure and wall systems are constructed of noncombustible material for the safety of all who use the facility.
It is also the site of convocations and commencement ceremonies, as well as the occasional conventions.
In addition, the arena welcomed President
George W. Bush
and Mexican president Vicente Fox
in 2001.
World Championship Wrestling
used Savage Arena as its Toledo stop until its 2001 folding.
As of July 17, 2006, a gift of $5 million, the largest single gift ever made to the UT athletic department, was donated and earmarked for use on the new Savage Hall update project. These funds were used along with those obtained in a capital raising campaign in order to make major repairs and upgrades to the facility, including an all new athletic center. Final plans included new locker rooms, weight rooms, a pro shop, a Rocket Hall-of-Fame, new ticket offices and a professional office area, as well as revamping of the main arena area which modernized every aspect of the Savage Hall experience. The complex was also renamed Savage Arena. The renovations, which totaled $30 million, were completed in time for the 2008-09 basketball season.
There are also plans in the works to attach an enclosed indoor practice complex for both the basketball and football teams.
To date, over 4 million people have attended Savage Hall for various forms of entertainment. It was northwest Ohio's largest indoor concert venue until Huntington Center
opened.
Northwest Ohio
Northwest or northwestern Ohio consists of multiple counties in the northwestern corner of the US state of Ohio. This area borders Lake Erie, southern Michigan, and eastern Indiana. Some areas in northwestern Ohio are also considered the Black Swamp area. The Toledo metropolitan area is also part...
since opening in 1976. Originally seating 9,000 for basketball and up to 10,000 for concerts, it now seats 7,300 for basketball and up to 8,300 for concerts. Located in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
, on the University of Toledo
University of Toledo
The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...
campus, the arena is home to the university's Rockets 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...
teams.
Savage Arena features 33,000 square foot (3,000 m2) of space on its arena floor, large enough to accommodate an ice rink, an arena football
Arena football
Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
field, a rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
ring, five basketball courts, eight 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...
courts, five tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
courts, six racquetball
Racquetball
For other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court...
courts, 22 badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
courts, and a 300 yard (274 m) indoor track. There is even a 48x56 foot portable stage at the arena. The Joe Grogan Room, which seats 200 for dinners, is located at the arena's south side, above the running track. The glass-enclosed room contains a lounge and a bar. More than $350,000 was spent on building and equipping the Joe Grogan Room. All funds for the room were raised through $5,000 pledges by members of the Rocket Club, the athletic department's main support group that now totals more than 1,000 members.
The arena is built with long span trusses that support the roof, 57 feet (17.4 m) above the arena floor. The trusses also support the arena's public address and ventilation systems, a catwalk system for service and maintenance, and the arena's center-court scoreboard. The arena is named for John F. Savage, a university alum (Class of 1952) who was instrumental in the arena's construction.
The facility has hosted five Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
men's basketball tournaments: 1985, 1987–1989, and 1995.
During the Rockets' time in Savage Arena, the Rockets have ranked among the MAC leaders in attendance, averaging 6,640 fans per game since the arena opened in 1976. Last year, Toledo led the MAC with an average attendance of 5,292.
In 1980–81, the Rockets set a school record with 147,203 in total attendance, the 30th-best total in the nation, and during the 1999–2000 season the Rockets eclipsed the 2,500,000 attendance mark in arena history.
In the first game played in Savage Arena, Toledo defeated defending NCAA champion Indiana University 59–57. With that win, the Rockets snapped Bobby Knight and the Hoosiers' 33-game winning streak. At Savage Hall, Toledo has beaten Ohio State, Xavier, Cincinnati, Houston and Pittsburgh.
At Savage Arena, Toledo has won 73.5% of its games at home, posting a 312–112 record. During the first five years in Savage Arena, UT posted a 71–10 (.877) record, with a 15–1 mark in 1976–77 and 1978–79 and a 14–1 slate in 1979–80. Under former head coach Stan Joplin
Stan Joplin
Stan Joplin is a former head men's basketball coach at the University of Toledo from 1996 to 2008.-Playing career:Joplin played guard at the University of Toledo from 1975–79. He was named to the second-team All-MAC for the 1977–78 and 1978–79 seasons...
, the Rockets were 84–22 (.792) at Savage Arena.
The longest consecutive winning streak by the Rockets in Savage Arena is 16 games, during the 1978–79 season. During that streak, UT outscored opponents by an average of 17 points per game. Between November 30, 1978 and December 1, 1981, the Rockets recorded a 45–3 (.938) home record. Prior to the 1985–86 season, they had lost back-to-back games at home only twice in 146 contests.
In addition to the activity areas, Savage Arena contains athletic department offices, a reception area, press room, sports medicine and therapy rooms, laundry and equipment facilities and locker rooms with showers and saunas for both men and women.
The free span is 200 feet (61 m) from wall to wall. The building structure and wall systems are constructed of noncombustible material for the safety of all who use the facility.
It is also the site of convocations and commencement ceremonies, as well as the occasional conventions.
In addition, the arena welcomed President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and Mexican president Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox
Vicente Fox Quesada is a Mexican former politician who served as President of Mexico from 1 December 2000 to 30 November 2006 and currently serves as co-President of the Centrist Democrat International, an international organization of Christian democratic political parties.Fox was elected...
in 2001.
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
used Savage Arena as its Toledo stop until its 2001 folding.
As of July 17, 2006, a gift of $5 million, the largest single gift ever made to the UT athletic department, was donated and earmarked for use on the new Savage Hall update project. These funds were used along with those obtained in a capital raising campaign in order to make major repairs and upgrades to the facility, including an all new athletic center. Final plans included new locker rooms, weight rooms, a pro shop, a Rocket Hall-of-Fame, new ticket offices and a professional office area, as well as revamping of the main arena area which modernized every aspect of the Savage Hall experience. The complex was also renamed Savage Arena. The renovations, which totaled $30 million, were completed in time for the 2008-09 basketball season.
There are also plans in the works to attach an enclosed indoor practice complex for both the basketball and football teams.
To date, over 4 million people have attended Savage Hall for various forms of entertainment. It was northwest Ohio's largest indoor concert venue until Huntington Center
Huntington Center
The Huntington Center is a complex in Columbus, Ohio. It contains the Huntington Center, Huntington Plaza, Doubletree Hotel Guest Suites Columbus, and the Huntington Bank Building. The Huntington Center is 512ft tall, and has 37 floors. It is the 4th tallest building in Columbus, and the tallest...
opened.