U.S. Cellular Arena - Marquette University Athletics

U.S. Cellular Arena

Serving as the home to Marquette women's basketball is the U.S. Cellular Arena. The Arena, the site of the 2001 C-USA Women's Basketball Tournament, will serve as the venue for the 2002 NCAA Women's Basketball Mideast Regional (Mar. 23-25).

In March 2000, officials from the Wisconsin Center District and U.S. Cellular announced a $2 million "title sponsorship" agreement renaming the for Milwaukee Arena the "U.S. Cellular Arena" for six years.

When it opened on April 9, 1950, it was one of the first venues in the nation designed to accommodate the new medium of television and it came of age with rock and roll. Over its 50 years, it has hosted such rock legends as Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa and Jimi Hendrix, as well as other performers ranging from Frank Sinatra to Luciana Pavarotti.

The home of the Milwaukee Bucks, Milwaukee Admirals, the Milwaukee Wave and Marquette men's basketball until 1988, the Arena remains a sentimental favorite for many fans. It has a national reputation as an intense venue, a great place for spectators and a nightmare for opposing teams. The Marquette men's basketball team played one game at the U.S. Cellular Arena in 2000-01 (vs. Minnesota).

A recently completed $10 million renovation includes the following improvements:

Scoreboard
A versatile new White Way scoreboard houses four 7.5' x 10' Toshiba video wall displays.

Seating
All 9,000 permanent seats were stripped, refinished, and reupholstered with new foam-filled cushions and cloth coverings. The Wisconsin Center District chose to refurbish the existing wood-backed seats to preserve the Arena's comfort and acoustical quality. All permanent seats are 20" wide, 2" wider than the industry norm. Six hundred new seats are high-backed, extra-wide (22") Club Seats, available as a premium seat with extra services.

Basketball Floor
The District's new Powerlock basketball floor is a cushioned system which protects athletes' knees and can be assembled in less time, with less damage to the floor, than traditional portable floors. It is painted in a variation of the Robert Indiana "MECCA" floor which brought national television fame to the Arena after 1978.

Disability Access
New wheelchair platforms throughout the seating area provide disabled patrons more seating choices. New fixtures and stalls make restrooms more attractive and more accessible to patrons with disabilities. Many concession stand and box office countertop sections were lowered to better serve patrons in wheelchairs. A new elevator near the southwest corner of the building now takes any patrons between the main, lobby and ground levels. Skid-resistant floor coverings enhance the safety of all ramps and inclined surfaces.