Edmund P. Joyce Center

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The Joyce Center is an 9,800-seat multi-purpose arena in Notre Dame, Indiana just north of South Bend, Indiana. The arena opened in 1968. It is home to the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball and volleyball teams. The main arena is the southern part of the Joyce Center (known as Purcell Pavillion); it also houses the hockey rink in the northern half of the center and the Rolfs Aquatic Center (which was added on in 1985) in the rear of the building. It is located across a pedestrian arcade from Notre Dame Stadium, and the center's two domes could easily be seen rising above the stadium's east side prior to its expansion. The 10-acre (40,000 m²) building, designed by the renowned sports architects at Ellerbe Architects of Saint Paul, Minnesota, was built in twenty-nine months, and opened the first week of December, 1968 as the Athletic & Convocation Center. It was renamed in 1987 to honor the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Notre Dame's executive vice president from 1952 to 1987. Prior to the building of the Joyce Center, the basketball team played in the Notre Dame Fieldhouse, which opened in 1900.

In the fall of 2006, the University announced major renovation plans for the Joyce Center. The south dome, which houses the basketball arena, will undergo a $24.6 million renovation and will be renamed Purcell Pavilion, after Phillip J. Purcell, a Notre Dame alumnus and trustee. Architectural firm HNTB studied the center after the university began considering renovations in 2001 and will work on the project. Phase 1 of the project was completed in October 2009, with its first contest, a women's volleyball match between Notre Dame and Seton Hall taking place on Halloween. The first basketball game took place the following night as the Fighting Irish men's squad faced Lewis University in an exhibtion contest. Due to the renovation, the capacity of Purcell Pavillion at the Joyce Center dropped from 11,418 to 9,800. Future phases of the project include the installation of a new video scoreboard over center court.[1]

Major upsets

Notre Dame has a rich tradition of ending winning streaks at the Joyce Center and victories over eventual national champions, defending NCAA titlists, number-one-ranked teams. Some of the notable streaks the Irish have ended include:

• In 1971, the Irish gave UCLA its only loss of the season.
• 3 years later, the Irish ended UCLA's NCAA record 88 game winning streak.
• In 1977, the Irish upset number 1 ranked University of San Francisco.
• In 1987, the Irish upset number 1 ranked University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 60-58.
• In 1991, the Irish upset number 2 ranked UCLA.
• In 2005, the Irish ended Boston College's Big East record 20 game winning streak to start the season.

External links

• Joyce Center at UND.com

Coordinates: 41°41′54″N 86°13′53″W / 41.698443°N 86.231292°W / 41.698443; -86.231292

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