Ford Center (Evansville)

Indoor arena in Evansville, Indiana, US

This article is about the building in Evansville, Indiana. For the former Ford Center in Oklahoma City, see Paycom Center.

Ford Center

Ford Center

Location within Indiana

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Ford Center

Location within the United States

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Location| 1 Southeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Evansville, Indiana 47708
Coordinates| 37°58′19.88″N 087°34′4.24″W﻿ / ﻿37.9721889°N 87.5678444°W﻿ / 37.9721889; -87.5678444
Public transit|  METS
Owner| City of Evansville
Operator| Venuworks
Capacity| Concert: 11,000
Basketball: 10,000
Hockey: 9,000
Surface| Multi-surface
Construction
Broke ground| October 20, 2009[1]
Opened| November 5, 2011
Construction cost| $127.5 million[2]
Architect| Populous[3]
Hafer Associates
Structural engineer| Thornton Tomasetti
Services engineer| M-E Engineers, Inc.
General contractor| Hunt/Harmon JV
Tenants
Evansville Purple Aces (NCAA) (2011–present)
Evansville IceMen (ECHL) (2011–2016)
Evansville Thunderbolts (SPHL) (2016–present)

The Ford Center is a multi-use indoor arena in downtown Evansville, Indiana, with a maximum seating capacity of 11,000.[4] It officially opened in November 2011 and is mainly used for basketball, ice hockey, and music concerts. It is home to the Evansville Thunderbolts minor league hockey team in the SPHL and the Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball team, representing the University of Evansville. The UE women's basketball team also played at Ford Center from the venue's opening, but moved its home games back to its campus starting with the 2017–18 season.

## Events[edit]

The first public event held at the Ford Center was an Evansville IceMen hockey game on November 5, 2011, when the IceMen defeated the Fort Wayne Komets 3–1. The first concert was held four days later on November 9, 2011, by Bob Seger and his Silver Bullet Band. The Evansville Purple Aces played their first basketball game on November 12, 2011, beating the Butler Bulldogs 80–77 in overtime.

In its first year, the new arena also hosted concerts for Elton John, Lady Antebellum, Reba, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Steel Panther with Judas Priest, and Cirque du Soleil's performance of Quidam.

The Ford Center played host to a game in the 2012 College Basketball Invitational, in which the Aces lost to the Princeton Tigers 95–86. The Ford Center also played host to the 2013 GLVC basketball championships and the 2014 and 2015 NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship. In September 2014, the Ford Center hosted Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA) Division 1 International playoffs,[5] hosted by local roller derby league, Demolition City Roller Derby, featuring teams from America, England and Canada.[6] In honor of the event, Evansville mayor Lloyd Winnecke declared the week of the event to be "Roller Derby Week" in the city.[7]

## History and construction[edit]

The Ford Center was designed by Populous (formerly HOK Sport) as a replacement for Roberts Municipal Stadium. The $127.5 million arena was approved by the Evansville City Council on December 22, 2008.[2] Demolition work on the site began on December 5, 2009.

The Ford Center is bounded by Main Street, Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, 6th Street, and Walnut Street. As planned, it will eventually connect to a new convention hotel and the existing convention center.

On August 17, 2011, the facility's name, Ford Center, was announced. The naming rights were the result of a 10-year, $4.2 million agreement with the Tri-State Ford Dealers.[8][9][10]

On January 18, 2012, Aces junior Colt Ryan set an arena record with 39 points in a win against the Bradley Braves.[11]

In 2016, the ECHL's Evansville IceMen and the City of Evansville failed to come to an agreement on a new lease and the IceMen's owner, Ron Geary, announced his intentions to relocate the team to Owensboro, Kentucky. In response, the City of Evansville brought in a new minor league hockey team called the Evansville Thunderbolts as part of the Southern Professional Hockey League for the 2016–17 season.[12]

## Gallery[edit]

* The Ford Center set up for an Evansville IceMen hockey game

## See also[edit]

* Indiana portal

* List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Evansville Arena Project - Timeline". Archived from the original on 2011-11-20. Retrieved 2011-11-17.
2. ^ a b "City Council OKs Arena Plans". Evansville Courier & Press. December 22, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2008.
3. ^ New Evansville Arena Archived 2011-10-08 at the Wayback Machine architect: Populous
4. ^ "Evansville Arena Facts" (PDF). City of Evansville. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 23, 2011. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
5. ^ Morris, Mitzi (September 19, 2014). "Women's Roller Derby Playoffs in Evansville This Weekend". WFIE. Evansville. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
6. ^ "2014 WFTDA Roller Derby International Playoffs". The Ford Center. Archived from the original on September 22, 2014. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
7. ^ "Derby Girls Roll In to Evansville". WEHT. Evansville. September 15, 2014. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2014.
8. ^ "Ford Motor Co. Pays $4.2 Million to Name Downtown Arena Ford Center". Evansville Courier & Press. August 17, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
9. ^ "New Evansville Arena To Be Named Ford Center". Ford Center. Retrieved August 17, 2011.[permanent dead link]
10. ^ "Evansville Unveils Arena Name". Inside Indiana Business. August 17, 2011. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2011.
11. ^ "UE, Colt Ryan trample Bradley". Retrieved 2018-02-11.
12. ^ "Evansville will be home to Southern Professional Hockey League franchise". Evansville Courier & Press. February 8, 2016.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ford Center (Evansville).

* Ford Center official website
* Evansville Athletics - Ford Center
* Interior/exterior of new Downtown arena official site Evansville Courier & Press

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University of Evansville

Located in: Evansville, Indiana

Athletics|

* Evansville Purple Aces
* Baseball
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Men's soccer
* Charles H. Braun Stadium
* Ford Center

Awards|

* Richard Wilbur Award

Related|

* Men's basketball team plane crash
* Harlaxton Manor

* Founded: 1854

* v
* t
* e

Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball

Venues|

* Roberts Municipal Stadium (1956–2011)
* Ford Center (2011–present)

Culture & lore|

* 1977 team plane crash

People|

* Head coaches
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

* List of seasons
* 1919–20
* 1920–21
* 1921–22
* 1922–23
* 1923–24
* 1924–25
* 1925–26
* 1926–27
* 1927–28
* 1928–29
* 1929–30
* 1930–31
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* 2007–08
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* 2009–10
* 2010–11
* 2011–12
* 2012–13
* 2013–14
* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2019–20
* 2020–21
* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023–24
* 2024–25

NCAA national championships in bold

* v
* t
* e

Evansville Purple Aces women's basketball

Venues|

* Roberts Municipal Stadium (1969–2011)
* Ford Center (2011–2017)
* Meeks Family Fieldhouse (2017–present)

Culture & lore|

* History

People|

* Head coaches

Seasons|

* 1969–70
* 1970–71
* 1971–72
* 1972–73
* 1973–74
* 1974–75
* 1975–76
* 1976–77
* 1977–78
* 1978–79
* 1979–80
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* 1981–82
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* 2004–05
* 2005–06
* 2006–07
* 2007–08
* 2008–09
* 2009–10
* 2010–11
* 2011–12
* 2012–13
* 2013–14
* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2019–20
* 2020–21
* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023–24

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Basketball arenas in the Missouri Valley Conference

* Curb Event Center (Belmont)
* Carver Arena (Bradley, men's)
* Renaissance Coliseum (Bradley, women's)
* Knapp Center (Drake)
* Ford Center (Evansville, men's)
* Meeks Family Fieldhouse (Evansville, women's)
* CEFCU Arena (Illinois State)
* Hulman Center (Indiana State)
* Great Southern Bank Arena (Missouri State)
* CFSB Center (Murray State)
* McLeod Center (Northern Iowa)
* Banterra Center (Southern Illinois)
* Credit Union 1 Arena (UIC)
* Athletics–Recreation Center (Valparaiso)

* v
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* e

NCAA Division I college basketball venues in Indiana

ACC|

* Joyce Center (Notre Dame)

Big East|

* Hinkle Fieldhouse (Butler)

Big Ten|

* Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (Indiana)
* Mackey Arena (Purdue)

Horizon|

* Indiana Farmers Coliseum (IUPUI men)
* The Jungle (IUPUI women)
* Hilliard Gates Sports Center (Purdue Fort Wayne)
* Allen County War Memorial Coliseum (Purdue Fort Wayne men, alternate)

MAC|

* Worthen Arena (Ball State)

MVC|

* Ford Center (Evansville men)
* Meeks Family Fieldhouse (Evansville women)
* Hulman Center (Indiana State)
* Athletics–Recreation Center (Valparaiso)

OVC|

* Screaming Eagles Arena (Southern Indiana)

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SPHL

Teams|

* Birmingham Bulls
* Evansville Thunderbolts
* Fayetteville Marksmen
* Huntsville Havoc
* Knoxville Ice Bears
* Macon Mayhem
* Pensacola Ice Flyers
* Peoria Rivermen
* Quad City Storm
* Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs

Arenas|

* Berglund Center (Rail Yard Dawgs)
* Carver Arena (Rivermen)
* Crown Coliseum (Marksmen)
* Ford Center (Thunderbolts)
* Macon Coliseum (Mayhem)
* James White Civic Coliseum (Ice Bears)
* Pelham Civic Center (Bulls)
* Pensacola Bay Center (Ice Flyers)
* Vibrant Arena at The MARK (Storm)
* Von Braun Center (Havoc)

Seasons|

* 2004–05
* 2005–06
* 2006–07
* 2007–08
* 2008–09
* 2009–10
* 2010–11
* 2011–12
* 2012–13
* 2013–14
* 2014–15
* 2015–16
* 2016–17
* 2017–18
* 2018–19
* 2019–20
* 2020–21
* 2021–22
* 2022–23
* 2023–24

* President's Cup
* William B. Coffey Trophy
* Other professional hockey leagues

* v
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Music venues of Indiana

Outdoor|

* Ruoff Music Center
* Mesker Amphitheatre
* Slayter Center of Performing Arts

Theaters and clubs|

* The Emerson Theater
* Melody Inn
* Morris Performing Arts Center
* Old National Centre
* Victory Theatre

Arenas|

* Ford Center
* Gainbridge Fieldhouse
* Lucas Oil Stadium
* Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall

Festivals|

* Abbey Road on the River

* v
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City of Evansville

Annual festivals

* Evansville Freedom Festival
* Frog Follies
* Germania Männerchor Volksfest
* Jazz & Wine Festival
* ShrinersFest
* West Side Nut Club Fall Festival
* Vanderburgh County 4H Fair

Arenas and venues

* Alhambra Theatorium
* Bosse Field
* EVSC Fields
* Ford Center
* Goebel Soccer Complex
* Mesker Amphitheatre
* Metro Sports Center
* Old National Events Plaza
* Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Coliseum
* Swonder Ice Arena
* Victory Theatre

Corporate headquarters and major employers

* Accuride
* Atlas Van Lines
* Berry Global
* CenterPoint Energy
* Cleveland-Cliffs
* Mead Johnson
* Old National Bank
* OneMain Financial
* Shoe Carnival
* TJ Maxx
* Toyota

Education

* Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation
* Roman Catholic Diocese of Evansville
* Evansville Vanderburgh Public Library
* Indiana University School of Medicine
* Ivy Tech Community College
* University of Evansville
* University of Southern Indiana
* ITT Technical Institute
* Harrison College
* Oakland City University
* Willard Library

Neighborhoods / districts

* Bayard Park
* Culver
* Downtown
* Haynies Corner
* Jacobsville
* Lamasco
* Lincolnshire Historic District
* Riverside Historic District
* Washington Avenue Historic District

Attractions

* Angel Mounds
* Bally's Casino
* Burdette Park
* Children's Museum of Evansville
* Evansville Museum
* Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra
* Ford Center
* LST 325 Museum
* Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden
* Reitz Home Museum
* Old National Events Plaza
* Old Vanderburgh County Courthouse
* Wesselman Woods

Malls & other commerce

* Downtown
* Eastland Mall
* Washington Square Mall

Sports

* Evansville Purple Aces
* USI Screaming Eagles
* Evansville Otters
* Evansville Thunderbolts
* Evansville Legends FC
* Demolition City Roller Derby
* Southern Indiana Athletic Conference
* Refrigerator Bowl
* Hoosier Nationals
* Thunder on the Ohio

Transportation

* CSX Transportation
* Evansville Regional Airport
* Metropolitan Evansville Transit System
* I-64
* I-69
* US 41
* Lloyd Expressway
* SR 57
* SR 62
* SR 65
* SR 66
* SR 662

Healthcare & emergency

* Ascension St. Vincent Evansville
* Deaconess Midtown Hospital
* Deaconess Gateway and Women's Hospital
* Southwestern Indiana Mental Health System
* IU Evansville Medical Center

Regional

* Center Township
* German Township
* Knight Township
* Perry Township
* Pigeon Township
* Vanderburgh County
* Evansville Metropolitan Area
* Southwestern Indiana
* Illinois-Indiana-Kentucky tri-state area
* Area codes 812 and 930

Authority control databases: Geographic |

* MusicBrainz place

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