Breslin Student Events Center

The Jack Breslin Student Events Center is a multi-purpose arena at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. The arena opened in 1989, and is named for Jack Breslin, MSU alumnus, former athlete and administrator, who first began pushing for the arena in 1969. It is home to the Michigan State Spartans men's and women's basketball teams. Although it nominally contains 16,280 seats, the arena typically holds around 10,000 for most events depending on the floor or stage setup. The Breslin Center superseded Jenison Fieldhouse, which stands approximately 400 feet (120 m) to the northeast, which had served since 1939.

Jack Breslin Student Events Center
The Jack Breslin Student Events Center
Location534 Birch Road
East Lansing, MI 48824
Coordinates42.728227°N 84.492396°W / 42.728227; -84.492396
Capacity16,280 [1] (1989–present)
SurfaceHardwood
Construction
Broke groundJuly 24, 1986[2]
OpenedNovember 9, 1989
Construction cost$45 million
($92.8 million in 2019 dollars[3])
ArchitectHNTB
Giffels, Hoyem, Basso, Inc.
General contractorGilbane/Christman
Tenants
Michigan State Spartans
(men's & women's basketball)
MHSAA Basketball Finals
Magic Johnson statue, with the Gilbert Pavilion in the background
Breslin Center's new court as of 2016

The arena's previous basketball court was the same floor where the Spartans won the 2000 NCAA Men's Tournament, which was at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. The school purchased the floor from the NCAA and Final Four floor installer Horner Flooring (based in Dollar Bay) after the title game, and had a plaque installed on the baseline near the Michigan State tunnel to commemorate the floor's purpose in the school's history.[4] They updated their court before the 2016-2017 season that has a two-toned finish inside the arcs and a large Spartan Head in the middle.

The building not only serves as the home to MSU sports teams, but as the main large performance arena for the Lansing area. The Michigan State Bar Examination, large concerts, commencements, monster truck rallies, and circuses that travel to Mid Michigan are often held at the Breslin Center. With a large arena, it is Lansing's WWE venue. Many events for Michigan State are held here, including a plethora of career fairs and many Greek Life events.

The arena underwent a $50 million renovation starting in January 2016 that went until October 2017. This renovation changed many things about the Breslin, but the most notable was the addition of the Tom Izzo Basketball Hall of History. This addition includes both men's and women's basketball trophies throughout the years, along with tributes to notable former players, previous jerseys, and even a wax figure of Tom Izzo. Another notable addition, donated by Draymond Green, was a new weight room for the players. Other things included in the renovation were a locker room for former players, a players' lounge, and a recruiting room. The concourse was also widened, and improvements were made to the restrooms and concession stands for the benefit of the fans. Quicken Loans founder, Dan Gilbert, donated $15 million to both the addition and a scholarship fund. They named the outside of the Hall of History the Gilbert Pavilion in his honor.[5][6][7]

Upgrades
  • 1997 - A color replay board above center court was added, dubbed SpartanVision.
  • 2001 - An expansion added two, 8,000-square-foot (740 m2) auxiliary gyms and office space.
  • 2005 - A large black drop curtain to close off the upper deck in efforts to make smaller events "less empty" was added.
  • 2006 - The scrolling advertisements were replaced at the score's table with TV screens.
  • 2007 - The home team locker rooms were renovated and the ceilings raised, as players on both the men's and women's teams were approaching 7'.
  • 2010 - The basketball floor was repainted to adopt the new shade of green and the new appearance of MSU Athletics.
  • 2011 - A larger, HD overhead scoreboard and LED rings around the lower concourse were added.
  • 2012 - The basketball floor was repainted again with a larger logo at center court, replacement of MSU logos with a Big Ten logo at the free throw lines, and removal of brighter wood inside the three-point line.[8]
  • 2016 - The basketball floor was repainted again, keeping the large Spartan logo in the center of the court and adding a two-tone design with darker colored wood for the area inside the three-point line and a single random stripe outside the visitors' 3 point line on the right.[9]
  • 2017 - A $50 million renovation added the Tom Izzo Hall of History, a new weight room, a former players' locker room, a players' lounge, and a recruiting room; widened the concourse; and updated the restrooms and concession stands.

Notable entertainers who have performed at Breslin

Musical groups

Individual musical performers

Comedians

Other

Notable conferences

See also

References
  1. http://www.msuspartans.com/facilities/breslin-center.html
  2. Seibold, Jack (2003). The Spartan Sports Encyclopedia. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC. p. 871. ISBN 1-58261-219-6. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
  3. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  4. Ramsey, Ethan (March 29, 2005). "Champs Given Shot to Purchase Final Four Court". The Daily Orange. Syracuse University. Retrieved January 28, 2008.
  5. "Gilbert Pavilion and Izzo Hall of History Dedicated". Michigan State University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  6. "Michigan State unveils new $50 million addition and upgrade to Breslin Center". MLive.com. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  7. "Breslin Student Events Center – Facility Upgrades - Infrastructure Planning and Facilities". ipf.msu.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-02-16. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  8. "Here's a look at the new Breslin Center floor". Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  9. Hines, Travis (2016-10-13). "Michigan State unveils new court design". CollegeBasketballTalk. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
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