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Regarded as one of the top college arenas in the nation since opening its doors in 1969, the Jon M. Huntsman Center has provided an imposing home venue advantage for Utah's basketball and gymnastics teams. For a structure that in its 40th year of existence, a feeling of newness still pervades underneath the silver dome. But don't let the pristine picture fool you. As serene as the Huntsman Center may look empty, when the Utes are on the floor and fans are in the stands, the place transforms into a madhouse. A landmark on the U. campus, the Jon M. Huntsman Center is the perfect place to watch a basketball game or a gymnastics meet. A great view is assured from each of the 15,000 chair seats. Inside Sports recognized the building's superiority by naming it one of the top five collegiate arenas in the nation. From its perch at the southeast end of campus, the Huntsman Center stands sentinel over the University of Utah. Inside the facility are athletic coaches' and administrative offices, locker rooms and concession stands. The enormous reflective silver dome-the largest of its kind in the world-envelopes more than the arena itself. Underground tunnels stretching 2,220 feet connect the arena with the four-building physical education complex. In the center of the arrangement is the beautiful glass-enclosed natatorium; home of the Utah men's and women's swimming teams and site of the 1970 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. The famous "steel cloud," a huge mass of steel and concrete, hangs from the dome's interior and holds the scoreboard, and the public address and lighting systems. Just prior to the 2007-08 season, a new, $1.3 million scoreboard was installed. The new scoreboard features an LED ring around the bottom and four LED screens for video, which will provide brighter, clearer pictures than ever before seen in the Huntsman Center. The scoreboard also features a player stat board and is 1.5 times bigger than its predecessor. Before the 2002-03 season, the original playing floor was replaced. It was repainted and resealed in the summer of 2007. The building was engineered in such a way that the cloud actually holds the dome in place. Bill Cosby was the first performer in the Huntsman Center (formerly the Special Events Center). A couple of nights later, college basketball made its Huntsman Center debut. Basketball greats like Chris Mullin, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Darrell Griffith, Danny Ainge, Tom Chambers and Gary Payton, and women's NCAA Championship teams such as USC, Stanford and Texas Tech have played here. Long recognized as a site of championships, the Huntsman Center played host to the 1979 NCAA Basketball Championship "Dream Match-Up" featuring Indiana State's Larry Bird and Michigan State's Magic Johnson-deemed one of the most successful Final Fours ever held. The men's NCAA regional tournament received a Huntsman Center booking in 1984, '85, and '87, and the NCAA first and second rounds took place in the arena in 1988, '89, '90, '91, '93, '95, '97, 2000, '03 and '06. The JMHC ranks third among the nation's arenas for most NCAA Tournament basketball games hosted, with 84 games having been played in the facility, most recently in 2006. The 2001 women's NCAA first and second rounds were played in the Huntsman Center, marking a first for Utah. The Huntsman Center has also played host to nine national gymnastics championships and the 1993 World University Games Trials. The NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regionals will return in 2010. Utah hosted NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament first and second round games in 2001. In mint condition, the Huntsman Center has kept pace as one of the finest athletic facilities in the nation. MEN'S BASKETBALL For more than a decade, an average of well over 10,000 rabid fans have packed the Huntsman Center for every game to watch their Runnin' Utes, a team that has won at least 20 games 10 times in the last 14 years. Utah ranked 55th (out of more than 300 teams in NCAA Division I) in attendance in 2006-07. Ute fans also helped the Mountain West Conference rank seventh among all NCAA Division I conferences. WOMEN'S BASKETBALL The Utes have one of the best home court advantages in the country in the Huntsman Center. Utah has posted an imposing 360-48 mark in the facility (an .882 winning percentage). The Utes have also had 10 seasons without a loss at the Huntsman Center. The Utes posted an amazing 28-game home winning streak that lasted from Jan. 12, 1995 to Feb. 8, 1997. When the string of victories ended, it was the third-best home court winning streak in the nation. GYMNASTICS The Utes did not lose a regular season home meet for 23 years, spanning from Feb. 20, 1979 through Jan. 10, 2003. It is the longest home win streak for any NCAA sport. The 170-meet streak ended against eventual NCAA champion UCLA. Every national gymnastics power has lost to Utah in the JHC - among them Georgia, Alabama, UCLA, Michigan, Florida, Nebraska, LSU, Arizona State, Arizona, Oregon State, Stanford and BYU. Including postseason competition, Utah's all-time home record is an amazing 378-20. Every NCAA gymnastics attendance record has been set in the John M Hunstman Center, including the two largest crowds ever to watch a collegiate gymnastics meet (15,477 and 15,238). Utah has won 24 of the last 27 gymnastics attendance championships and has averaged 10,840 spectators a meet in the Huntsman Center since 1992.
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