Dean Smith Center

Dean Smith Center
The Dean Dome
Full name Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center
Address 300 Skipper Bowles Drive
Location Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Coordinates 35°53′59″N 79°2′38″W / 35.89972°N 79.04389°W / 35.89972; -79.04389Coordinates: 35°53′59″N 79°2′38″W / 35.89972°N 79.04389°W / 35.89972; -79.04389
Owner University of North Carolina
Operator University of North Carolina
Capacity 21,750
Surface Hardwood
Construction
Broke ground April 17, 1982[1]
Opened January 18, 1986
Renovated 2005, 2018
Expanded 1992, 2000
Construction cost $33.8 million
($75.5 million in 2017 dollars[2] )
Architect Rosser International[3]
Corley Redfoot Architects, Inc.
Structural engineer Geiger Engineers[4]
Services engineer Henderson Engineers, Inc.[5]
General contractor Paul Howard Construction[6]
Tenants
North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball (NCAA) (1986–present)

The Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center (commonly known as the Dean Smith Center or the Dean Dome) is a multi-purpose arena in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The arena is home to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Tar Heels men's basketball team, and temporary home to the women's team during renovations to Carmichael Auditorium. Opened in 1986, it is the fourth-largest college basketball arena in the United States and the third-largest specifically built for basketball.

The arena is named after former North Carolina men's basketball coach Dean Smith, who coached the team from 1961 to 1997. Smith coached the last 11.5 years of his career in the arena, making him one of the few college coaches in any sport to coach in an arena or stadium that is named for him.

The hardwood floor was dedicated and renamed Roy Williams Court on August 24, 2018.[7]

Background and early history

The Smith Center in 2014 prior to the first-ever "Stripe-Out" game held in the arena

Since 1965, the Tar Heels had played their home games in Carmichael Auditorium (now Carmichael Arena). Although it was eventually expanded to 10,180 seats, the facility was still overwhelmed, and "you had to know somebody who knew somebody" to get into a game.[8] As early as 1979, talks began for a new arena. With the hope of accommodating more fans who wanted to attend a game, the plans became very ambitious.[8]

Money was raised entirely from private donations, using neither university funding nor taxes. According to David Halberstam's biography of Michael Jordan, Smith did not want the arena named after him, but was persuaded by the UNC administration and the arena's backers that fundraising efforts for the facility could fail if they did not use his name.[9] The site chosen for the arena was a wooded ravine south of the main campus, and construction began in 1982. On the first day of construction, contractors were banned from wearing Duke or N.C. State apparel on the job site.[10]

The first game at the new arena featured the #1 Tar Heels against the #3 Duke Blue Devils on January 18, 1986. Mark Alarie of Duke scored the first basket, but Warren Martin soon followed with the first Tar Heel basket in the new arena, Kenny Smith was credited with the assist. North Carolina ended up defeating Duke 95–92.

Architecture and renovations

The structure is notable for being a hybrid dome. A braced fabric dome forms the central area of the roof, while the surrounding area is a standard metal deck roof. The 13,000-sq-ft dome acts as a skylight during the day, and at night, it stands out with the glow of interior lighting. Structural engineering was performed by Geiger Berger Associates.[11][12]

Summer 2006

The seating bowl has a basic 2-level structure, with a "club ring" formed from the front rows of the upper deck. Like most arenas of its era, the Smith Center does not have luxury boxes or separate club areas. Unlike multipurpose arenas where the seats must be arranged to accommodate an ice hockey rink (e.g. Greensboro Coliseum, PNC Arena), the seat layout at the Smith Center is designed specifically for basketball. Seating rows begin right at the sides of the basketball court, and the building's octagonal shape is an extension of the court's dimensions (the rectangle's corners are truncated to form the octagon). According to architect Glenn Corley of Corley Redfoot Zack, it was a challenge to both have fans feel "close to the court" and ensure unobstructed views from all angles.[8]

The arena originally seated 21,444. Seating adjustments brought capacity to 21,572 in 1992. Capacity rose again to 21,750 when a standing-room-only courtside area was installed for students.[13] The largest crowd to see a game in the Dean Dome was on March 6, 2005, when 22,125 fans saw the Tar Heels win 75–73 against Duke.[14]

Major renovations have been discussed for the arena, which is now over three decades old, but reconstruction would be complex both financially and structurally.[15] The university announced in February 2018 the arena would receive new video boards, replacing ones that were in place since 2005.[16]

Basketball atmosphere

The Smith Center has an excellent basketball atmosphere thanks to the very high seating capacity, strong demand for tickets, and UNC's basketball tradition. Although the seats seem far from the floor, few seats are obstructed. The only exceptions are seats in the top rows of the lower level; the view is partially obstructed by the upper level's overhang. However, there have been occasional controversies over distribution of seats to various groups and the perception that the large space lacks energy and noise.

Fans walking to a game at the Smith Center

For much of its early history, the Smith Center's atmosphere was compared unfavorably to that of Carmichael and other college arenas. Florida State player Sam Cassell was famously quoted as saying that the Dean Dome “is not a Duke kind of crowd. It’s more like a cheese-and-wine crowd, kind of laid back."[17] In contrast, Carmichael Auditorium was known for its noise level; before one game, the Virginia Cavaliers couldn't hear their names announced during player introductions because of the din.[18]

Past criticism often directed blame at the Smith Center's season ticket arrangements. Because the Smith Center was privately funded, a large proportion of premium lower-level seats were reserved for members of UNC's athletic booster foundation, the Educational Foundation (better known as the Rams Club), leaving an inadequate number of student tickets close to the court. In 2000, a heavy snowstorm made it difficult for many season ticket holders to attend a regular-season game against Maryland, so a large number of students were allowed to sit in the lower level. Many media outlets noted the more energetic atmosphere. Citing this experience, the Rams Club funded the installation of a standing-room-only courtside section for students.

The expanded student seating, combined with a younger alumni base, has helped the Smith Center develop its own tradition as a basketball mecca. After the Tar Heels defeated then top-ranked Ohio State in 2006, Buckeyes coach Thad Matta stated, "I think I’ve never been in a building that was as loud as that building was at times."[19] In 2004, after the then top-ranked Connecticut Huskies were defeated by Carolina at the Dean Dome, Huskies coach Jim Calhoun said, "I don't know what they are talking about because there was no 'wine and cheese' crowd here today."

In the past, almost all tickets were allocated to students and season ticket sales, with virtually no tickets for conference games available for public sale. Today, there are more ways to get tickets than there were in the past. At 5 p.m. Eastern time on the afternoon before a home game, the UNC ticket office will put returned tickets on sale. For popular opponents (especially Duke or N. C. State), this is virtually the only way to get a seat for anywhere near face value. UNC also has a partnership with StubHub, expanding the available market for ticket resales.

Home court advantage


The Tar Heels have one of the most formidable home-court advantages in the country, rarely losing more than three home games in a season. One of the few times they have lost more than that was the 2009–2010 season, when they finished with a disappointing 5 home losses (16–16 overall). As of the end of the 2009–2010 season, North Carolina had a record of 282–56 (.834) at the Smith Center,[20] an average of 11.5 wins and just 2.1 losses per year. They have gone undefeated at home five times since the arena opened (1986–1987, 1992–1993, 2004–2005, 2010–2011 and 2016–2017).

The first loss to occur at the Dean Dome happened on February 20, 1986 to a University of Maryland team led by Len Bias. Maryland won a thrilling 77-72 overtime game against the top-ranked Tar Heels.[21]

Non-basketball uses

The arena has also held many concerts and is used by many of the graduate and professional schools, such as the UNC School of Law, for commencement ceremonies each year, as well as the same for all undergraduates receiving degrees in December of each year. It is also the graduation site for the local high schools each June.

Advertising arrangements, such as a signage deal with Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo) fund the arena.[22]

The arena has also hosted concerts from Janet Jackson, Bon Jovi, R.E.M., Bruce Springsteen, Sting (musician), Phil Collins, Genesis, Grateful Dead, INXS, Guns N' Roses, and many others. On April 28, 2008, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama held a rally in the arena in anticipation of the North Carolina primary. President Obama (a Senator at the time) spoke in front of 18,000 while showing support of his surroundings in a Carolina-blue tie.[23][24]

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Fletcher, Stephen (January 17, 2013). "A Commitment to Excellence". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  2. ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Sports Projects List". Rosser International. Archived from the original on June 22, 2002. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Paul A. Gossen, P.E." Geiger Engineers. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Sports/Recreation". Henderson Engineers, Inc. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Project Listing for Paul Howard Construction Company". Paul Howard Construction. Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  7. ↑ "UNC To Name Smith Center Floor For Roy Williams". Go Heels. August 2, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 http://www.espn.com/travel/news/story?id=3881951
  9. ↑ Halberstam, David (1999). Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World He Made. New York: Random House. p. 77. ISBN 0-679-41562-9.
  10. ↑ http://chapelboro.com/town-square/columns/good-business/great-expectations-at-the-dean-dome
  11. ↑ http://cedb.asce.org/CEDBsearch/record.jsp?dockey=0044356
  12. ↑ http://cra-ae.com/projects/dean-e-smith-center-office-addition/
  13. ↑ http://www.goheels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205720085
  14. ↑ "NCAA Basketball - Duke Blue Devils/North Carolina Tar Heels Recap". Yahoo! Sports. March 6, 2005. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved March 6, 2005.
  15. ↑ http://www.tarheelblog.com/2013/11/19/5123830/dean-dome-renovation-in-the-future
  16. ↑ https://scout.com/college/north-carolina/Article/New-Video-Boards-Slated-for-UNC-Basketballs-Smith-Center-115303562
  17. ↑ North Carolina Collection-Carolina Quotables - Sam Cassell
  18. ↑ Powell, Adam; Ford, Phil (November 30, 2005). University of North Carolina Basketball. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  19. ↑ "UNC-OSU: Thad Matta Press Conference". Scout. November 29, 2006. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Tar Heels 2008-09 Men's Basketball Facts". North Carolina Athletics. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
  21. ↑ "Maryland's most memorable ACC moments". Star News Online. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
  22. ↑ "Wachovia to Advertise in Dean Dome". The Dispatch (Lexington). November 22, 2005. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
  23. ↑ "Obama to Speak at Smith Center Monday". The Daily Tar Heel. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. April 24, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
  24. ↑ Nichols, Allison (April 25, 2008). "Obama and Team Draw a Crowd to the Smith Center". The Daily Tar Heel. University North Carolina Chapel Hill. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
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