Petersen Events Center

About

The Petersen Events Center is a 12,508-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It hosts the men's and women's Pitt Panthers basketball teams. The arena is named for philanthropists John Petersen and his wife Gertrude, who donated $10 million for its construction. John Petersen, a Pitt alumnus, is a native of nearby Erie, Pennsylvania and is the retired President and CEO of Erie Insurance Group. The Petersen Events Center was winner of the 2003 Innovative Architecture & Design Honor Award from Recreation Management magazine.

History

The arena opened in 2002 on part of the former site of Pitt Stadium, which housed the university's football team from 1925–1999. The Pitt men's and women's basketball programs make their home here, previously residing in Fitzgerald Field House. The new building, due to its larger capacity, also meant that Pitt no longer had to play certain games or hold graduation ceremonies at the Civic Arena.

Its first event was a Counting Crows concert. For concerts the Center seats 9,000 for end-stage shows, 14,763 for center-stage shows. The first official women's basketball game at the Pete was 90-51 win over Robert Morris University on November 22, 2002. The first official men's basketball game at the Pete was an 82-67 win over Duquesne University on November 23, 2002. Since its creation through the end of the 2012-13 season, the Pitt men's basketball team has compiled a record of 180–22 (.891) at the Pete, including a 9-1 record against teams ranked in the top five. Pitt broke the 100 win mark on November 22, 2008 with an 86-60 win over Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and the 200 win mark on December 30, 2014 vs Florida Gulf Coast.