Louis Brown Athletic Center

Louis Brown Athletic Center

The RAC
Former names	Rutgers Athletic Center (1977-1986)
Location	Bartholomew Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854
Coordinates	40°31′31″N 74°26′28″W / 40.52528°N 74.44111°W / 40.52528; -74.44111Coordinates: 40°31′31″N 74°26′28″W / 40.52528°N 74.44111°W / 40.52528; -74.44111
Opened	November 30, 1977
Owner	Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Operator	Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Capacity	8,000
Tenants
Rutgers Scarlet Knights (NCAA) (basketball and volleyball) New Jersey Nets (NBA) (1977-1981)

The Louis Brown Athletic Center, more commonly known as the RAC (for its original name, the Rutgers Athletic Center), is an 8,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Piscataway, New Jersey on Rutgers University's Livingston Campus. The arena opened on November 30, 1977 with a win against rival Seton Hall. The building is shaped like a truncated tent with trapezoidal sides on the north and south ends. It is home to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights basketball teams, both men's and women's. Previously, the University used the 3,200-seat College Avenue Gym from 1931 to 1977.

The arena was known as the Rutgers Athletic Center until 1986, when it was renamed for Louis Brown, a Rutgers graduate and former member of the varsity golf team, who made a large bequest to the University in his will. The building is still largely referred to as "The RAC" (pronounced "rack"), however.

It is known as one of the loudest arenas in college basketball. During the 2002-2003 season, the Scarlet Knights team defeated Syracuse, the eventual National Champion, at the RAC. It has become a common occurrence during recent years for Rutgers to beat teams at the RAC after losing badly to them on the road. For example, in 2003, the Scarlet Knights lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish by 11 points at Notre Dame's Joyce Center, but beat the Fighting Irish by 13 points in their other meeting at the RAC.

Quotes about the RAC

Inside the RAC during a basketball game

ESPN's Jay Bilas once wrote, "The Scarlet Knights play great there, and the crowd is right on top of you and intimidating."

Former Connecticut Guard Ben Gordon: “It is very difficult at the RAC. They have a great home crowd. The student body and everybody really comes out to support them. Just the way the gym is shaped, it seems like everybody is on top of you. At times, if you're not focused, you can get lost in the game just by how intense the crowd is."

It has also been called "louder than a 747 at Newark Airport".^[1]

Non-Rutgers Sporting Events

The arena was the home of the NBA's New Jersey Nets from their second year in the NBA, 1977, when the team moved from The Nassau Coliseum, until 1981, when the Brendan Byrne Arena opened at the Meadowlands Sports Complex. It also hosted the 1985 and 1989 Atlantic Ten Conference men's basketball tournaments. The arena is also the site for the girls and boys Middlesex County high school baskeball tournament finals, and various boys and girls New Jersey high school basketball state playoff games.

Non-Sporting Events

The Grateful Dead played at the Rutgers Athletic Center on May 15, 1981.

The arena was used on Friday, April 27, 2007 for Rutgersfest, an annual concert normally held outdoors, but held in the RAC that time due to rain. The performers were The Roots, Hawthorne Heights, and Everclear. Due to lack of seating, only 5,000 tickets were given out, angering the 15,000 or so (est.) other students who were then unable to attend.

The arena is used every June as a graduation hall for Piscataway Township High School, as well as for high schools in surrounding cities. The graduations are free to attend and anyone may attend.

May 3, 2008 The RAC hosted SpringBlaze 2008, a concert featuring Christian rock bands with a special appearance by Rutgers Football Head Coach Greg Schiano.

References

• [2]
• http://media.www.dailytargum.com/media/storage/paper168/news/2007/04/27/PageOne/Rutgersfest.Held.Indoors.Due.To.Rain-2884456.shtml

v • d • e Sports venues in the New York metropolitan area Active The Bronx Draddy Gymnasium • Gaelic Park • Rose Hill Gymnasium • Yankee Stadium Brooklyn Athletic, Recreation & Wellness Center • Aviator Sports and Recreation • KeySpan Park • Pope Physical Education Center • Schwartz Athletic Center Manhattan Icahn Stadium • Madison Square Garden Queens Aqueduct Racetrack • Arthur Ashe Stadium • Belson Stadium • Carnesecca Arena • Citi Field • Louis Armstrong Stadium • Metropolitan Oval • USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center • West Side Tennis Club Staten Island Richmond County Bank Ballpark • Spiro Sports Center Long Island Belmont Park • Citibank Park • Island Garden • Mitchel Athletic Complex • Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum New Jersey Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium • Giants Stadium • Izod Center • Louis Brown Athletic Center • Mennen Arena • Prudential Center • Rutgers Stadium • TD Bank Ballpark • Yanitelli Center • Yogi Berra Stadium • Yurcak Field Defunct Bronx Coliseum • Capitoline Grounds • Coney Island Velodrome • Eastern Park • Ebbets Field • Dexter Park • Downing Stadium • Hilltop Park • Island Garden (Original) • Long Island Arena • Madison Square Garden (1879) • Madison Square Garden (1890) • Madison Square Garden (1925) • Madison Square Garden Bowl • Polo Grounds • Roosevelt Stadium • Rutgers Stadium (1938) • St. George Cricket Grounds • Shea Stadium • Singer Bowl • Union Grounds • Washington Park • Yankee Stadium (1923) In progress Meadowlands Stadium • Red Bull Arena Proposed Barclays Center • Bergen Ballpark Never built Brooklyn Dodgers proposed domed stadium • West Side Stadium