Thomas & Mack Center

Thomas & Mack Center is an arena located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. It is home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team of the Mountain West Conference.

Thomas & Mack Center
The Shark Tank
Thomas & Mack Center, October 19, 2011
Thomas & Mack Center
Location in Nevada
Thomas & Mack Center
Location in the United States
Address4505 S. Maryland Parkway
LocationParadise, Nevada
Coordinates36°6′18″N 115°8′39″W
OwnerUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas
OperatorUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas
CapacityBasketball: 17,923
Boxing: 18,645
Arena football: 16,606
Concerts:
*End stage 180°: 14,729
*End stage 270°: 15,736
*End stage 360°: 18,069
*Center stage: 18,574
*Theatre: 9,413[1]
SurfaceMulti-surface
Construction
Broke groundOctober 21, 1981 (1981-10-21)[2]
OpenedDecember 16, 1983 (1983-12-16)
Construction cost$30 million
ArchitectW2C Architects, John Carl Warnecke and Associates and
Cambeiro & Cambeiro Ltd. (Artturo Cambeiro, AIA and Domingo Cambeiro)
Ellerbe Becket (renovation)[3]
Structural engineerJohn A. Martin & Associates[4]
General contractorPerini Building Company[5]
Tenants
UNLV Runnin' Rebels (NCAA) (1983–Present)
UNLV Lady Rebels (NCAA) (1983–2001)
Las Vegas Americans (MISL) (1984–1985)
Las Vegas Silver Streaks (WBL) (1988–1990)
Las Vegas Thunder (IHL) (1993–1999)
Las Vegas Flash (RHI) (1994)
Las Vegas Dustdevils (CISL) (1995)
Las Vegas Sting (AFL) (1995)
Las Vegas Silver Bandits (IBL) (1999–2001)
Las Vegas Gladiators (AFL) (2003–2006)
Las Vegas Sin (LFL) (2014)
Las Vegas Outlaws (AFL) (2015)
NBA Summer League (2004-Present)

History

The facility was first opened in the summer of 1983. The gala grand opening was held on December 16, 1983, featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Diana Ross.[6] The facility hosts numerous events, such as concerts, music festivals, conventions and boxing cards. For ring events, the capacity is 19,522; for basketball, the capacity is 18,000.[6]

The arena has been hosting basketball games of the UNLV Rebels since 1983 and it underwent a major interior and exterior renovation in 1999. 2008 saw the installation of all new visual equipment, which included a 4-sided new center-hung LED widescreen scoreboard, which includes four LED advertising/scoring boards above it and a LED advertising ring below it to replace the one installed in 1995, a partial LED ring beam display covering 80% of the balcony's rim, a new 50' LED scorer's table display, a new shot clock system for the backboards, six wall-mounted locker room game clocks, two new custom scoreboards with fixed digital scoring and complete player stats and a new outdoor marquee LED video billboard.

The facility is named after two prominent Nevada bankers, E. Parry Thomas and Jerome D. Mack, who donated the original funds for the feasibility and land studies. In 2001, a smaller arena, Cox Pavilion, was added to the complex; the two arenas are directly connected. Cox Pavilion is used for smaller events; its main tenants are the UNLV women's basketball and volleyball programs.

The center's primary tenant is the UNLV men's basketball team. The arena was nicknamed "the Shark Tank" after Jerry Tarkanian, whose nickname was Tark the Shark. Tarkanian, who was the UNLV coach when it opened, won a national championship in 1990 and took the team to three additional Final Fours (four Final Fours overall).[7] The facility also hosted the Las Vegas Thunder of the now defunct International Hockey League. It was also host of the Los Angeles Lakers pre-season games annually in October through 2013. In 2014 and 2015 their games were played at MGM Grand, and from 2016 onward at T-Mobile Arena.

The arena ranked 4th highest in college basketball attendance during the 2012-2013 season.

Arena Football

It was the former home of the Arena Football League's Las Vegas Sting, Las Vegas Gladiators, and Las Vegas Outlaws. In 2005 and 2006, the arena hosted the Arena Football League's ArenaBowl.

ArenaBowl XIX and ArenaBowl XX were the first two ArenaBowls to be held at a neutral site arena. In the past, the games had been played at the site of the highest seed in the playoffs.

In ArenaBowl XIX in 2005, the Colorado Crush, owned by John Elway defeated the Georgia Force on a field goal on the final play of the game. The game was ranked as one of the AFL's 20 best games ever in league history. The following year, 2006, the Chicago Rush, owned by Mike Ditka defeated the Orlando Predators 69-61 for the Rush's first championship in franchise history.

NBA

The venue hosted the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, marking the first time that this game was held in a city without a National Basketball Association (NBA) franchise. For the first time in NBA history, an on-campus college sports arena served as venue of an NBA All-Star Game. However, the arena had previously hosted home games for two NBA teams, the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers.

The Utah Jazz used the arena in the mid-1980s, and it was where Kareem Abdul-Jabbar broke Wilt Chamberlain's record for points in a career in 1984. The Lakers used the arena in 1992 for Game 4 of their first round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers, which Portland won 102–76. The NBA moved the game as a result of the Los Angeles riots.

Date Winner Score Loser Game Type Attendance
November 23, 1983Chicago Bulls128-117Utah JazzRegular season13,176
November 29, 1983Utah Jazz114-110Phoenix SunsRegular season7,143
December 9, 1983San Antonio Spurs126-117Utah JazzRegular season7,258
January 4, 1984Utah Jazz116-111Houston RocketsRegular season8,190
January 24, 1984Dallas Mavericks123-115Utah JazzRegular season7,752
January 31, 1984Utah Jazz98-94Seattle SuperSonicsRegular season7,148
February 7, 1984San Diego Clippers109-103Utah JazzRegular season7,015
March 13, 1984Utah Jazz124-119Portland Trail BlazersRegular season-
March 23, 1984Golden State Warriors115-104Utah JazzRegular season6,241
April 5, 1984Los Angeles Lakers129-115Utah JazzRegular season18,389
April 10, 1984Utah Jazz135-120Denver NuggetsRegular season7,357
November 2, 1984Utah Jazz107-101Seattle SuperSonicsRegular season3,955
December 9, 1984Utah Jazz123-120Kansas City KingsRegular season4,070
May 3, 1992Portland Trail Blazers102-76Los Angeles LakersPostseason15,478
February 18, 2007Western153-132Eastern2007 NBA All-Star Game15,694

College

The 1994-95 Big West Conference, 1997–99 Western Athletic Conference and 2000-03 Mountain West Conference men's basketball tournaments were held there as well. The Mountain West Conference basketball tournament returned in 2007 and stayed until 2013.[8]

International

The FIBA Americas Championship 2007 was held at Thomas & Mack Center from August 22 to September 2.

Date Opponent Score Home Attendance
August 22, 2007Uruguay 88-44 (OT) Panama-
Puerto Rico 89-100 Mexico-
Brazil 75-67 Canada-
Venezuela 69-112 United States-
August 23, 2007Argentina 90-69 Uruguay-
Panama 67-108 Puerto Rico-
Venezuela 73–80 Canada-
Virgin Islands 59–123 United States-
August 24, 2007Panama 75–87 Argentina-
Uruguay 82–79 Puerto Rico-
Virgin Islands 83–93 Canada-
Brazil 101–75 Venezuela-
August 25, 2007Uruguay 82–79 Puerto Rico-
Argentina 104–83 Mexico-
Canada 63-113 United States-
Virgin Islands 89–93 Brazil-
August 26, 2007Uruguay 91-82 Mexico-
Panama 92–109 (OT) Argentina-
Venezuela 100–90 Virgin Islands-
Brazil 76–113 United States-
August 27, 2007Uruguay 88–95 Canada-
Argentina 98–63 Venezuela-
Brazil 75–97 Puerto Rico-
Mexico 100-127 United States-
August 28, 2007Venezuela 89–79 Uruguay-
Argentina 85-70 Canada-
Brazil 104-90 Mexico-
Puerto Rico 78–117 United States-
August 29, 2007Mexico 80-97 Canada-
Venezuela 63–92 Puerto Rico-
Argentina 86–79 Brazil-
Uruguay 79–118 United States-
August 30, 2007Mexico 101–91 Venezuela-
Brazil 96–62 Uruguay-
Puerto Rico 72–66 Canada-
Argentina 76-91 United States-
September 1, 2007Argentina 91–80 Brazil-
 Puerto Rico91-135 United States-
September 2, 2007Brazil 107–111 Puerto Rico-
Argentina 81–118 United States-

Rodeo

In late 2007, CBS filmed part of the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode, "Bull", at the Thomas & Mack Center, which was hosting the PBR World Finals.
The Thomas & Mack Center hosts the National Finals Rodeo annually each December.[9] It also hosted the PBR World Finals from 1999 to 2015 before the event moved to the new T-Mobile Arena from the 2016 season onward;[10] the PBR returned in 2018 to host their annual "Last Cowboy Standing" event.[11] As a surprise during the 2018 PBR Finals in November, CEO Sean Gleason announced that the PBR Last Cowboy Standing event will be hosted at Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, Wyoming starting in 2019. This move to the world's largest outdoor rodeo expands on a growing partnership.[12][13]

Other sports events

On March 30, 1984, the USA Olympic volleyball team competed in the international competition at Thomas & Mack Center.

On September 12, 1992, Mexican boxing legend Julio César Chávez faced Hector "Macho" Camacho, and on September 15, 2012, his son Julio César Chávez, Jr. fought against Sergio Gabriel Martínez for the WBC Middleweight Belt.

On November 13, 1999, Boxing Legend Lennox Lewis defeated Evander Holyfield via unanimous decision in a 12 Round Contest to become The Last Undisputed Heavyweight Champion in boxing history.

The venue has hosted mixed martial arts events such as UFC 43 and Pride Fighting Championships 32 & 33.

On September 12, 2017, the Thomas and Mack Center played host to the finals of WWE's first Mae Young Classic.

Other events

The facility also hosts numerous other events, such as concerts, music festivals and conventions.

The gala grand opening was held on December 16, 1983, featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Diana Ross.

Rock band Mötley Crüe performed on March 16, 1984.

Sir Elton John's first performance at the arena was on August 24, 1984.

Other bands such as AC/DC, Van Halen, Metallica, Kiss, and Aerosmith performed in 1986.

On November 14, 1987, comedian Eddie Murphy performed at the arena.

On January 25, 1992, Guns N' Roses performed at the arena during their Use Your Illusion Tour. It was the largest attendance single performance concert with 17,590 fans in attendance. Later, the record was broken by U2 on November 18, 2001 when U2 sold 17,771 tickets.[14]

Pearl Jam performed at the arena on July 11, 1998.

Rock band Phish performed at the arena 10 times. The first time on November 13, 1997 as their Fall tour opener. They also played on October 30 and 31, 1998. During the Halloween Night performance, the band covered The Velvet Underground's "Loaded" album in its entirety during the second set. This performance is available on the band's official live release Live Phish Volume 16. The band returned to the arena for two shows in September 2000 on the 29th and 30th and again for two more shows in February 2003 on the 15th and 16th. They also played three shows in 2004 on April 15, 16 and 17th.

On September 11, 2003, Thomas & Mack Center celebrated its 20th anniversary, hosting R.E.M. in concert.

In September 2004, the World Music Awards was held at the arena, broadcast live on ABC.

On January 28, 2007, High School Musical: The Concert performed with over 10,000 people attending.

The arena has hosted lectures by Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev as part of various UNLV-affiliated lecture series.

On October 19, 2016, the arena hosted the final Presidential Debate for the 2016 presidential election.[15]

  • Inside the arena before UNLV basketball game
  • An aerial view showing the connected Cox Pavilion
  • Thomas & Mack Center August 2007
  • Thomas & Mack Center & Cox Pavilion
  • Thomas & Mack Center 2005

See also

References
  1. "Thomas & Mack Center" (PDF). unlvtickets.com.
  2. "Timelines - University Building Completions". nevada.edu. Archived from the original on 2013-04-09.
  3. "University of Nevada - Las Vegas, Sports Renovations & Improvements". Ellerbe Becket. Archived from the original on 2012-07-30.
  4. http://www.jamanv.com/projects/entertainment/
  5. "Richard Rizzo Vice Chairman of Perini Building Co". Las Vegas Sun. June 28, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  6. "UNLVREBELS.COM - University of Nevada Las Vegas Official Athletic Site". www.unlvrebels.com.
  7. Rhoden, William C. (1991-07-01). "Built on Big-Time Basketball, U.N.L.V. Tries to Scrub Its Image". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
  8. "Las Vegas awarded Mountain West tourney through 2013". lasvegassun.com. 2 June 2009.
  9. "Thomas & Mack Center Extends Rodeo Contract". VenuesNow. August 11, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  10. "Looking Back At The Thomas & Mack". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  11. "PBR and WCRA join forces to produce major rodeos". Professional Bull Riders.
  12. "PBR Last Cowboy Standing to be held at Cheyenne Frontier Days in 2019". Professional Bull Riders. www.pbr.com. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  13. "PBR Last Cowboy Standing - Cheyenne Frontier Days". Professional Bull Riders. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  14. Center, Thomas & Mack. "Thomas & Mack Center" (PDF). www.thomasandmack.com.
  15. "2016 Presidential Debate Home - 2016 Presidential Debate - University of Nevada, Las Vegas". www.unlv.edu.
Events and tenants
Preceded by
Izod Center		 Home of the
Las Vegas Gladiators
2007		 Succeeded by
Orleans Arena
Preceded by
Toyota Center		 Host of the
NBA All-Star Game
2007		 Succeeded by
New Orleans Arena
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.