The History of UD Arena

This website contains the story of the events surrounding the building of UD’s famed basketball arena. The UD Arena is the home of the First Four, the games that annually begin the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. More NCAA tournament games have been played at the UD Arena than in any other venue in the United States. The Arena’s construction was interconnected to the wider history of events taking place on campus at the UD, in the city of Dayton, and the nation as a whole, between roughly 1967-1970. Visitors can read additional essays that examine key people and events connected to the history of the Arena’s construction. The website also contains a large collection of primary documents from this period. The documents were culled from local archives and were among the many used to write the history of these events. In addition, there are oral history interviews and period film footage. This site was constructed by history majors and faculty at the University of Dayton. We hope you enjoy our efforts to uncover the past and use it to better understand the world we see about us today.