USF Sun Dome

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USF Sun Dome
Location	Elm Drive Tampa, FL 33620
Broke ground	1977
Opened	November 29, 1980
Owner	University of South Florida
Operator	Sun Dome Inc.
Surface	QuickLock Portable Floor (northern hard maple)
Construction cost	$12 million
Tenants	South Florida Bulls (Basketball & volleyball)
Capacity	10,411

The USF Sun Dome is a 55,000 square-foot multi-purpose entertainment/sports facility on the campus of the University of South Florida, which is located in Tampa, Florida. It is located on the southeastern side of campus, and is home to the men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams. It was built starting in 1977, and was completed on November 29, 1980.

The Sun Dome is a multi-purpose facility, hosting approximately 300 different events each year, including sporting events, concerts, home and garden shows, trade shows, religious services and conventions, ethnic festivals, rodeos, bull riding competitions, youth sports camps, wrestling, boxing, Taekwondo tournaments, gymnastics and cheerleading competitions, commencement ceremonies, lectures and political rallies among other corporate, community and university events. Performers such as Tool, Frank Sinatra, DMX, and Elton John have all held concerts from their respective tours in the Sun Dome, as well as live events by WWE, such as the 1995 Royal Rumble.

The Sun Dome was one of the few arenas in the United States to be created with an inflated roof. Airlocks kept the interior pressurized and the roof up. This system was replaced in 2000 with a 90,000 square foot Teflon coated roof supported by a futuristic steel space frame that peaks 115 feet above the arena floor. State of the art video screens were added in time for the USF Men's Basketball Team's 2005-2006 season.

[edit] Trivia

• With a capacity of 10,411, the Sun Dome was Tampa's largest arena until the completion of the Ice Palace (now the St. Pete Times Forum) in 1996.
• Original cost: $12 million
• Renovated in 93-94 for $5 million
• New roof installed in 2000 at a cost of $8 million
• First events: USF vs Florida A&M men’s basketball; Alice Cooper in concert

[edit] External links

• The Sun Dome

University of South Florida  v • d • e
Campus Locations	University of South Florida • University of South Florida Lakeland • University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee • University of South Florida St. Petersburg
History	USF History • USFL History • USFSM History • USFSP History
People	List of University of South Florida alumni • John S. Allen • Betty Castor • Judy Genshaft • W. Reece Smith Jr. • Karen A. White
Athletics	Herd of Thunder • Rocky the Bull • South Florida Bulls • The War on I-4 • USF Sailing Team
Media	The Crow’s Nest • The Oracle • WBUL • WUSF (FM) • WUSF-TV
Facilities	USF Athletic Facility • University of South Florida Botanical Gardens • USF Soccer Stadium • USF Sun Dome
Related	New College of Florida • Phi Alpha Theta • The Historian

v • d • e Current Basketball Arenas in the Big East Alumni Hall (Providence women) • Allstate Arena (DePaul men) • Bradley Center (Marquette men) • Carnesecca Arena (St. John's) • Carrier Dome (Syracuse) • Dunkin' Donuts Center (Providence men) • Fifth Third Arena (Cincinnati) • Freedom Hall (Louisville) • Gampel Pavilion (Connecticut) • Joyce Center (Notre Dame) • Louis Brown Athletic Center (Rutgers) • Madison Square Garden (St. John's men) • McDonough Gymnasium (Georgetown women) • McGuire Center (Marquette women) • The Pavilion (Villanova) • Petersen Events Center (Pittsburgh) • Prudential Center (Seton Hall men) • Sullivan Athletic Center (DePaul women) • USF Sun Dome (South Florida) • Verizon Center (Georgetown men) • Wachovia Center (Villanova) • Walsh Gymnasium (Seton Hall women) • WVU Coliseum (West Virginia) • XL Center (Connecticut)