Viejas Arena
Steve Fisher Court
Viejas Arena is located in San Diego
Viejas Arena
Viejas Arena
Location in San Diego
Viejas Arena is located in California
Viejas Arena
Viejas Arena
Location in California
Former namesCox Arena at Aztec Bowl (1997–2009)
Location5500 Canyon Crest Drive
San Diego, CA 92115
Coordinates32°46′25.5″N 117°4′28.5″W / 32.773750°N 117.074583°W / 32.773750; -117.074583
Public transitSDSU Transit Center
OwnerSan Diego State University
OperatorSan Diego State University
Associated Students of SDSU
Capacity12,414 (basketball)
12,845 (center stage concerts)
12,200 (end stage concerts)
Construction
Broke groundMarch 27, 1995
OpenedJuly 24, 1997 (1997-07-24)[1]
Construction cost$29 million
($52.9 million in 2022 dollars[2])
ArchitectSink Combs Dethlefs
Carrier Johnson[3]
Structural engineerMartin/Martin[3]
Services engineerM-E Engineers, Inc.[4]
General contractorBlake Construction Co., Inc[3]
Tenants
San Diego State Aztecs (NCAA) (1997–present)
San Diego Shockwave (NIFL) (2007)
Website
https://as.sdsu.edu/viejas_arena/

Viejas Arena (formerly Cox Arena) is the home arena of the San Diego State Aztecs men's and women's basketball teams. It is located on the San Diego State University (SDSU) campus in San Diego, California. Viejas Arena opened in July 1997 and seats 12,414 for basketball and up to 12,845 for concerts.[5][6] The facility also hosts SDSU's commencement ceremonies.[5]

History

Viejas Arena was built on the site of the old Aztec Bowl football stadium (a Works Progress Administration project) on the SDSU campus, and the university (or its affiliated corporation) still owns the arena.[5] It was originally named Cox Arena after Cox Communications, which owns one of the local cable television systems in the greater San Diego regional area, and which paid fees to become the arena's corporate sponsor.[5] The arena was renamed to Viejas Arena under a 10-year naming rights agreement announced March 17, 2009. On October 29, 2015, the basketball court was named Steve Fisher Court after men's basketball head coach Steve Fisher.[7]

Events

The stadium has hosted numerous sporting events such as the men's NCAA basketball tournament first and second rounds in 2001, 2006, 2014, 2018, and 2022.[5] In the 2006 tournament, the first-round games were delayed and the building evacuated due to a bomb-sniffing dog picking up scents of a potentially dangerous substance. These fears were unfounded, however, and play went on as scheduled.[8] Because of its status as SDSU's home court, the Aztecs were not allowed to open the tournament at home (under "pod system" rules).[9] In 2007, the arena was the home of the San Diego Shockwave indoor football team for one season.[10]

In addition to sports, Viejas Arena has also hosted television events such as WCW's Bash at the Beach in 1998 and some episodes of WCW Monday Nitro.[11][12] The arena hosted TNA Wrestling's Bound For Glory pay-per-view event on October 20, 2013. They were also the host of filming Megadeth's live DVD Blood in the Water: Live in San Diego. The arena hosted an episode of All Elite Wrestling's Dynamite on May 31, 2023.

Viejas Arena is also used as a large concert venue where major musical acts perform.[5] The arena is often used as an alternative to the much larger Pechanga Arena across town. Lady Gaga performed at the stadium on her ArtRave: The Artpop Ball tour on June 2, 2014.[13] On June 11, 2019, it became the first arena to host Dude Perfect's live show, "Pound It, Noggin Tour".[14] Veijas was also the arena where Dude Perfect filmed the footage used for their documentary, Dude Perfect Backstage Pass.


See also

References

  1. ↑ Wesch, Hank (July 25, 1997). "It's an Arena. SDSU Shows Off New Baby". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  2. ↑ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Raker-Beam Construction Requires Rugged Steel Forms
  4. ↑ M-E Engineers Projects - Sports (archived)
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Viejas Arena at goaztecs.cstv.com, URL accessed November 24, 2009. Archived 11/24/09
  6. ↑ SDSU and Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians Agree on Arena Naming Rights at sdsuniverse.info, URL accessed November 24, 2009. Archived 11/24/09
  7. ↑ Union-Tribune, San Diego. "Viejas floor named Steve Fisher Court". sandiegouniontribune.com. Retrieved 2016-11-08.
  8. ↑ Springer, Steve (2006-03-17). "Bomb Scare Holds Up Games". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  9. ↑ It's simple: The pod system is a failure at nbcsports.msnbc.com, URL accessed November 24, 2009. Archived 11/24/09
  10. ↑ Stadiums in the United States at worldstadiums.com, URL accessed November 24, 2009. Archived 11/24/09
  11. ↑ "Bash at the Beach 1998". Pro Wrestling History. July 12, 1998. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  12. ↑ Wong, Alex. "Remembering When the Rodman-Malone NBA Finals Feud in 1998 Led to a WCW Match". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  13. ↑ Varga, George (2014-05-25). "Lady Gaga: Art? Pop? Or flop?". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  14. ↑ "San Diego: This Weekend (July 11-14)". Pacific San Diego. 2019-07-11. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
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