- Mohegan Sun Arena
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This article is about the arena inside Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. For the arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, see Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza.
Mohegan Sun Arena
Location 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd Uncasville, Connecticut 06382-1355 Coordinates 41°29′28″N 72°5′23″W / 41.49111°N 72.08972°WCoordinates: 41°29′28″N 72°5′23″W / 41.49111°N 72.08972°W Opened 2001 Owner Mohegan Sun Operator Mohegan Sun Capacity Basketball: 9,518
Concerts: 12,000Tenants Connecticut Sun (WNBA) (2003–present)
Mohegan Wolves (AF2) (2002–2003)The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Uncasville, Connecticut located inside Mohegan Sun. The arena facility features 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) of configurable exhibition space and a 400-foot (120 m) clear span. It was built by the Perini Building company, and opened in 2001.
Contents
History
The arena originally served as home of the Mohegan Wolves arena football team until it was sold and moved to Manchester, New Hampshire in 2004.
On January 28, 2003 the arena was announced publicly to be the official home court for the Connecticut Sun. Prior to the fall of 2002, the NBA operating model prevented any WNBA team to exist without an NBA "brother" counterpart. By the time the Connecticut Sun moved in, Val Ackerman was the WNBA president, M. Jodi Rell was the state's Lieutenant Governor and Mark L. Brown was the chairman of the Mohegan Tribe. While the arena is attached to the Mohegan Sun casino, the facility does not accept any form of sports wagering or sports booking; in fact, sports betting is illegal in Connecticut.
The multi-purpose facility has hosted a wide variety of events; including the American Kennel Club, concerts from major Classical, Country, Jazz, Metal, Rap, Rock, and Pop acts, as well as sporting events such as WWE shows, PBR events, NCAA games, PBA tournaments, UFC bouts, World's Strongest Man Super Series Competition.
Major network and cable television broadcasting companies, including CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, ESPN and CNN have all produced events through this arena.
On September 8, 2005, as a companion to the arena, the Mohegan Sun casino opened its first Connecticut Sun merchandise store called "Winter Essentials". It mainly sold Connecticut Sun WNBA team goods. It was the first store in the United States that sold professional basketball goods on casino ground. However, the store was closed when the casino underwent renovations in 2008. Connecticut Sun merchandise can now be purchased at the Clay Pipe store in the mall area.
Seating
As of 2006, the seatings can be configured into 5 common sports configurations. Basketball, boxing, bowling, rodeo, ping pong. It also can be reconfigured to fit many types of concerts: regular, fullhouse, centerstage, and halfhouse. The arena has won awards for being one of America's most modern concert venues. The arena was awarded the 2008 and 2010 Country Music Award for "Casino of the Year". It was also ranked the 4th best venue by Billboard Magazine.
Notable events
Strength Athletics Grand Prix
Since 2005, the arena has hosted one of the premier international strongman Grand Prix events.
Year Champion Runner-Up 3rd Place Event Name 2005 Mariusz Pudzianowski Jessen Paulin Don Pope Mohegan Sun Grand Prix
Final of WSM Super Series 2005[3]2006 Mariusz Pudzianowski Jesse Marunde Josh Thigpen Mohegan Sun Grand Prix
Final of WSM Super Series 2006[4]2007 Mariusz Pudzianowski Kevin Nee Mark Felix Mohegan Sun Grand Prix
Start of WSM Super Series 2007[5]2008 Derek Poundstone Mariusz Pudzianowski Terry Hollands Mohegan Sun Grand Prix
Start of WSM Super Series 2008[6]2009 Derek Poundstone Travis Ortmayer Brian Shaw Mohegan Sun Grand Prix 2009[7]
17 May 2009
Start of Giants Live 20092010 Derek Poundstone Brian Shaw Stojan Todorchev Mohegan Sun Grand Prix 2010[8]
25 April 2010
Start of WSM Super Series 2010References
- ^ Evans, Jayda (January 26, 2010). "Mohegan Sun Arena to host another WNBA All-Star game". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/womenshoopsblog/2010896854_mohegan_sun_arena_to_host_anot.html.
- ^ http://articles.courant.com/2010-01-27/sports/hc-usabasketball0127.artjan27_1_wnba-all-star-usa-basketball-chris-sienko
- ^ Wednesday, August 10, 2005, Mariusz Wins Mohegan Sun Grand Prix . . . Paulen, Pope and Thigpen Qualify for WSM, by Randall J. Strossen of IronMind
- ^ Thursday, June 1, 2006, Mariusz Pudzianowski: Big Win at the Mohegan Sun, by Randall J. Strossen of IronMind
- ^ Tuesday, April 24, 2007, From the Mohegan Sun to WSM '07, by Randall J. Strossen of IronMind
- ^ Friday, February 29, 2008, Eleiko WSM Super Series Mohegan Sun Grand Prix by Randall J. Strossen of IronMind
- ^ Official Results
- ^ Official Results
- "Perini Building Company". http://www.perini.org. Retrieved January 20, 2005.
- "WWE". http://www.wwe.com. Retrieved September 9, 2006.
External links
- http://www.mohegansun.com/entertainment/arena-360view-popup.html
- http://www.wnba.com/sun/news/winteressentials.html Mohegan Sun Winter Essentials Store
Events and tenants Preceded by
first arenaHome of the
Mohegan Wolves
2002–2003Succeeded by
Verizon Wireless ArenaPreceded by
TD Waterhouse CentreHome of the
Connecticut Sun
2003 – presentSucceeded by
currentPreceded by
Radio City Music HallHost of the
WNBA All-Star Game
2005Succeeded by
Madison Square GardenPreceded by
Verizon CenterHost of the
WNBA All-Star Game
2009Succeeded by
unknownArenas TD Waterhouse Centre • Mohegan Sun ArenaHead coaches Administration All-Stars Tina Charles • Katie Douglas • Margo Dydek • Shannon Johnson • Asjha Jones • Taj McWilliams • Renee Montgomery • Nykesha Sales • Lindsay WhalenSeasons Playoff appearances Conference titles WNBA titles NoneRivals Media TV: CSN New England (CSN-NE) • Announcers: Mike Gorman, Meghan Culmo, Brian Scalabrine, Rebecca LoboCurrent arenas in the Women's National Basketball Association Eastern Conference Allstate Arena · Conseco Fieldhouse · Mohegan Sun Arena · Philips Arena · Prudential Center · Verizon CenterWestern Conference Categories:- Basketball venues in Connecticut
- Connecticut Sun
- Event venues established in 2001
- Montville, Connecticut
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