First National Bank Arena Explained

Stadium Name:First National Bank Arena
Location:217 Olympic Drive
Jonesboro, Arkansas 72401
Broke Ground:1984
Opened:July 11, 1987
Owner:Arkansas State University
Operator:Arkansas State University
Surface:Multi-surface
Architect:Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson
Structural Engineer:Geiger Engineers[1]
Construction Cost:$19 million
($ in dollars)
Tenants:Arkansas State University Red Wolves (NCAA) (1987–present)
Seating Capacity:10,038 basketball
10,252-11,209 concerts and events[2]

First National Bank Arena (originally called the Convocation Center until 2017) is a 10,038-seat multi-purpose arena located on the campus of Arkansas State University, and is home to their college basketball team, the Red Wolves.[3]

First National Bank Arena has three separate public venues including a 217-seat Auditorium, a banquet/meeting room that can be divided into 3 smaller meeting rooms, and the main arena, which has permanent seating for 10,475. First National Bank Arena hosts hundreds of events each year in these three venues, and well over 100,000 people walk through its doors each year.

History

The first event was the Class of 1987 commencement.[4] Throughout the years, First National Bank Arena has been host to many superstars including George Strait, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Alabama, Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean and Eric Church in the last five years.

WWE held a live Raw event at First National Bank Arena on February 11, 2002. The Sun Belt Conference uses the versatile building to host the Indoor Track & Field Championships every other year. The building is home to Arkansas State University Men's & Women's Basketball as well as Women's Volleyball.

In 2009, the weight room was upgraded. The same thing happened the following year to the locker and media rooms. There are four visitor locker rooms, as well as smaller, official locker rooms throughout the building.

In 2012, the original scoreboard and sound system (from 1987) were replaced with four 25' × 12' HD video boards and a 28-speaker sound system. Also in 2012, an entirely new roof was installed, as well as upgrades to the Administrative Offices and Box Office.

See also

External links

35.8454°N -90.6703°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: David M. Campbell. Geiger Engineers. May 6, 2018.
  2. Web site: About Us | First National Bank Arena .
  3. http://www2.astate.edu/a/convo/buildinginfo.dot Building Info
  4. Web site: Historic Timeline .