Broke ground 1958 Capacity 2,479 | Opened 5 December 1959 | |
Location Fairfield UniversityFairfield, Connecticut Similar Rafferty Stadium, Lessing Field, Alumni Baseball Diamond, Barone Campus Center, Webster Bank Arena |
Alumni Hall is a 2,479 seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of Fairfield University located in Fairfield, Connecticut. The facility opened on December 5, 1959 and is one of the earliest prestressed concrete structures of its kind ever attempted. Engineering magazines from the time noted that the eleven 160-foot pre-cast arches used in the building’s construction were a record-breaking span for pre-cast arch ribs used in the United States.
Contents
Sports arena
Alumni Hall was home to the Fairfield Stags men's and women's basketball teams until 2002, when the teams began playing home games at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Alumni Hall is now home to the Fairfield Stags women's volleyball team and the Fairfield Prep Jesuits basketball teams.
Well known for its raucous atmosphere created by "The Red Sea" of red-clad students sitting in bleachers rising to the rafters, Sports Illustrated once reported that it hosted the most vocal and loyal basketball fans in the Northeast. With Stags fans nostalgic for the on-campus experience and the glory days of The Red Sea, Alumni Hall hosted two men's and women's basketball games during the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons.
On November 6, 2015, Fairfield dedicated the George R. Bisacca Court in honor of the Stags' legendary head men's basketball coach and the University's former director of athletics.
Memorable moments
Event center
Alumni Hall has been host to many special political and musical events and annually hosts the Fairfield University Baccalaureate Mass and the Fairfield Prep Commencement Ceremony.