 The Jack Breslin Student Events Center | |
 | |
| Location | 534 Birch Road East Lansing, MI 48824 |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 42°43′42″N 84°29′33″W / 42.728227°N 84.492396°W |
| Capacity | 14,759 (1989-2010) 14,797 (2010-present)[1] |
| Surface | Hardwood |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | July 24, 1986[2] |
| Opened | November 9, 1989 |
| Construction cost | $45 million ($111 million in 2023 dollars[3]) |
| Architect | HNTB Giffels, Hoyem, Basso, Inc. |
| General contractor | Gilbane/Christman |
| Tenants | |
| Michigan State Spartans (men's & women's basketball, volleyball) MHSAA Basketball Finals | |
The Jack Breslin Student Events Center is a multi-purpose arena at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. The arena opened in 1989, and is named for Jack Breslin, MSU alumnus, former athlete and administrator, who first began pushing for the arena in 1969. It is home to the Michigan State Spartans men's and women's basketball teams. Although it nominally contains 16,280 seats, the arena typically holds around 10,000 for most events depending on the floor or stage setup. The Breslin Center superseded Jenison Fieldhouse, which stands approximately 400 feet (120 m) to the northeast, which had served since 1939. In 2022 the women's volleyball team moved its home games from Jenison to the Breslin Center.
The arena's previous basketball court was the same floor where the Spartans won the 2000 NCAA Men's Tournament, which was at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. The school purchased the floor from the NCAA and Final Four floor installer Horner Flooring (based in Dollar Bay) after the title game, and had a plaque installed on the baseline near the Michigan State tunnel to commemorate the floor's purpose in the school's history.[4] They updated their court before the 2016–2017 season that has a two-toned finish inside the arcs and a large Spartan Head in the middle.
The building not only serves as the home to MSU sports teams, but as the main large performance arena for the Lansing area. The Michigan State Bar Examination, large concerts, commencements, monster truck rallies, and circuses that travel to Mid Michigan are often held at the Breslin Center. With a large arena, it is Lansing's WWE venue. Many events for Michigan State are held here, including a plethora of career fairs and many Greek Life events.
The arena underwent a $50 million renovation starting in January 2016 that went until October 2017. This renovation changed many things about the Breslin, but the most notable was the addition of the Tom Izzo Basketball Hall of History. This addition includes both men's and women's basketball trophies throughout the years, along with tributes to notable former players, previous jerseys, and even a wax figure of Tom Izzo. Another notable addition, donated by Draymond Green, was a new weight room for the players. Other things included in the renovation were a locker room for former players, a players' lounge, and a recruiting room. The concourse was also widened, and improvements were made to the restrooms and concession stands for the benefit of the fans. Quicken Loans founder, Dan Gilbert, donated $15 million to both the addition and a scholarship fund. They named the outside of the Hall of History the Gilbert Pavilion in his honor.[5][6][7]
- ^ "Michigan State Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2017-03-28.
- ^ Seibold, Jack (2003). The Spartan Sports Encyclopedia. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC. p. 871. ISBN 1-58261-219-6. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Ramsey, Ethan (March 29, 2005). "Champs Given Shot to Purchase Final Four Court". The Daily Orange. Syracuse University. Retrieved January 28, 2008. [dead link]
- ^ "Gilbert Pavilion and Izzo Hall of History Dedicated". Michigan State University Athletics. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
- ^ "Michigan State unveils new $50 million addition and upgrade to Breslin Center". MLive.com. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
- ^ "Breslin Student Events Center – Facility Upgrades – Infrastructure Planning and Facilities". ipf.msu.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-02-16. Retrieved 2019-01-31.