Hooper Eblen Center | |
Nickname: | The Hoop |
Address: | 1100 McGee Boulevard |
Location: | Cookeville, Tennessee |
Owner: | Tennessee Tech |
Capacity: | 9,282 |
Website: | https://www.ttusports.com/inside_athletics/Tech_facilities |
Operator: | Tennessee Tech |
Opened: | October 2, 1977 |
Tenants: | Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles (NCAA) (1977–present) |
Hooper Eblen Center, often called The Hoop by students, is a 9,282-seat multi-purpose arena located on the campus of Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tennessee. Named for former TTU coach and professor Hooper Eblen,[1] the arena is home to the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles men's basketball and Golden Eagles women's basketball teams.[2] Before the construction of the arena, the on-campus home to the Tennessee Tech men's and women's basketball teams was the Memorial Gym, a post-War gymnasium located on the quadrangle.
The Hooper Eblen Center opened on October 2, 1977, with a Phoebe Snow concert as its inaugural event.[3] Elvis Presley had originally been scheduled to give the arena's first performance on September 27. However, these plans were canceled after the late singer's death on August 16.[4] Alabama performed the first sell-out concert at the Hooper Eblen Center on August 1, 1982, with 11,210 people in attendance.[5]