Thompson boling

#2
#2
As a former season ticket holder, I would say that the modifications during the Bruce Pearl years helped trememdously. During the years when we were getting 6000-8000 per game, it wasn't one of the best venues in the country(who remembers the big black curtains?). When we have good teams and good crowds, it's a good arena.

As a basketball fan, I tend to like the 16000-18000 seat arenas.
 
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#3
#3
b-ball fan said:
As a former season ticket holder, I would say that the modifications during the Bruce Pearl years helped trememdously. During the years when we were getting 6000-8000 per game, it wasn't one of the best venues in the country(who remembers the big black curtains?). When we have good teams and good crowds, it's a good arena.

As a basketball fan, I tend to like the 16000-18000 seat arenas.
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Agree, Bruce Pearl brought the excitement back to our basketball program. The arena renovations that wee done during his tenure made TBA one of the best college venues around. Over 19,000 in the seats for Saturday's noon game vs. Wake Forest while students are on Winter break and it's the last Saturday before Christmas is quite a testament to this fan base and the passion we have for basketball ( we' re not just a football school).
 
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#5
#5
Like Pearl said when he came back a couple yrs back ... " the place is a palace". But honestly it looked very boring, even the creation of a committee in the early years. Those block walls behind benches we're prominant at first and looked bad at first. Still there but not seen as much somehow.

I don't know if it's possible w new building codes, but fans have always looked far separated from the court. As compared to the classic crazy fan venues.

The place is very attractive these days tho.
 
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#7
#7
1985Vols said:
Agree, Bruce Pearl brought the excitement back to our basketball program. The arena renovations that wee done during his tenure made TBA one of the best college venues around. Over 19,000 in the seats for Saturday's noon game vs. Wake Forest while students are on Winter break and it's the last Saturday before Christmas is quite a testament to this fan base and the passion we have for basketball ( we' re not just a football school).
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Took my 2 kids to their first game there Saturday, boy 12 & girl 7, because I thought it wouldn’t be as crowded with students on break. That place was still pretty full, I was surprised. Also my kids had a great time and thanked me for 2 days (even with the 3 hour drive back home) my girl even told me “I am def going to school here!” while we where at the game, made me feel great. Can’t wait to take them back, we are hoping to go to the Georgia game in a couple weeks.
 
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#9
#9
I went there for the first time this year. My son and I took a long, much needed weekend in Nobember, went to Calhouns before the game and then watched the VOLS beat the Rajun Cajuns on Friday night. Saturday my son and I meet up with some old friends from high school and we watched the VOLS beat the wildcats. Great weekend made the 12 hour drive home easy.
 
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#11
#11
wtmvol said:
That’s awesome. When did they stop doing the women’s game just before the men?
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They did double headers once or twice a year with the Lady Vols until maybe the early 1990s.

In the early 1970s, before freshmen were eligible, there were several double headers at Stokely every season with the junior varsity. 1973-74 was Grunfeld's first year and that might have been the first year that freshmen were eligible to play on the varsity.
 
#13
#13
I used to work camps for Don Devoe, he got camp workers great seats for the first game, got us a metal replica of the ticket. If I remember correctly Clarence Swearingen stole the ball and dunked for the first points in TBA
 
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#14
#14
Considering how long it took to build the place, it should be a nice arena. Think about this:

The groundbreaking was on November 2, 1983. The first game was not played in TBA until December 3, 1987. By comparison, it took slightly less time to open AT&T Stadium (aka Jerry World - perhaps the nicest stadium in the NFL) where the groundbreaking was on September 20, 2005 and the first game was played on September 20, 2009.
 
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#16
#16
I Love Lamp said:
The inside looks great but the outside needs some renovation pretty badly.
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I think there was talk recently about renovations to the facade.The renovations may not occur until the pedestrian bridge over the river is built. It seems like that bridge is a while off.
 
#17
#17
BowlBrother85 said:
Considering how long it took to build the place, it should be a nice arena. Think about this:

The groundbreaking was on November 2, 1983. The first game was not played in TBA until December 3, 1987. By comparison, it took slightly less time to open AT&T Stadium (aka Jerry World - perhaps the nicest stadium in the NFL) where the groundbreaking was on September 20, 2005 and the first game was played on September 20, 2009.
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I was living there then. It did seem forever getting it finished.
 
#19
#19
backdoorcutvol said:
I used to work camps for Don Devoe, he got camp workers great seats for the first game, got us a metal replica of the ticket. If I remember correctly Clarence Swearingen stole the ball and dunked for the first points in TBA
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It wasn't a steal. Swearengen took the opening tip for an uncontested slam dunk.
 
#20
#20
BowlBrother85 said:
Considering how long it took to build the place, it should be a nice arena. Think about this:

The groundbreaking was on November 2, 1983. The first game was not played in TBA until December 3, 1987. By comparison, it took slightly less time to open AT&T Stadium (aka Jerry World - perhaps the nicest stadium in the NFL) where the groundbreaking was on September 20, 2005 and the first game was played on September 20, 2009.
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It took so long because there were site problems with a sinkhole, design problems (they were worried that the roof wasn't sound... the center scoreboard was too heavy and I don't think it was added until years later (you can see the circular steel pieces that were added later so that it could be supported)), and the general contractor failed. It wasn't years of construction due to careful, exemplary work. It was a mess. Way, way over budget as well.

I think that Mears might have even been the HC when the concepts were being considered. One proposal was to put a movable section in the north end zone of Neyland Stadium and it would slide to the south end for a converted facility during basketball season. That idea probably didn't get too far as the roof and systems would have made it ridiculously expensive.
 
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#21
#21
Johnnyreb#VFL said:
The house that Pat built.
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Not exactly. The original plan was for the Lady Vols to stay in Stokely, but Pat objected. The TBA was built because Ray Mears established the program. The 12,700 seats at SAC were being sold out every year. The plan moved forward while Devoe was the coach. I remember seeing a model of a TBA seating plan around 1981.
 
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#24
#24
Thunder Good-Oil said:
Not exactly. The original plan was for the Lady Vols to stay in Stokely, but Pat objected. The TBA was built because Ray Mears established the program. The 12,700 seats at SAC were being sold out every year. The plan moved forward while Devoe was the coach. I remember seeing a model of a TBA seating plan around 1981.
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The house that she sustained/made relevant then? She won 7 ncaa championships (1 prior) and 15 sec (1 prior) while playing in that building
 
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