Pete Hanna Center

Pete Hanna Center
Map
LocationHomewood, AL
Coordinates33°27′50″N 86°47′50″W / 33.4638°N 86.7973°W / 33.4638; -86.7973
OwnerSamford University
OperatorSamford University
Capacity4,974
SurfaceHardwood
Construction
Broke groundJanuary 16, 2006[1]
OpenedOctober 18, 2007
Construction cost$28 million
($41.1 million in 2023 dollars[2])
ArchitectStanmar Inc.
Tenants
Samford Bulldogs

The Pete Hanna Center is the building housing the 4,974-seat Thomas E. and Marla H. Corts Arena on the campus of Samford University in Homewood (a suburb of Birmingham), in the U.S. state of Alabama.

It is home to the Samford Bulldogs basketball and volleyball teams, which previously played in Seibert Hall. The facility opened in October 2007 and is named for Pete Hanna, the owner, president and chief executive officer of Hanna Steel Corporation. The arena is named for Thomas and Marla Corts, former president and first lady of Samford University.[3]

The Pete Hanna Center opened on October 18, 2007, with a lecture by best-selling author Walter Isaacson. The 101,000-square-foot (9,400 m2) Hanna Center seats 5,000 in Corts Arena and is the home to many Samford University commencement ceremonies, as well as playing host to concerts, high school basketball, and conferences. It was for a time a yearly stop from the Harlem Globetrotters. A record crowd of 5,116 watched the Samford men's basketball team take on Davidson College on January 31, 2009. The Hanna Center also contains a workout facility for students, faculty and staff, athletics offices, locker rooms, athletic training and strength and conditioning facilities.

Most recently, the Pete Hanna Center was the host of the 2009 T-Mobile Invitational. The prestigious national high school basketball tournament was played December 29–30, 2009 at the Hanna Center. The Hanna Center is also the host of the yearly Birmingham stop of the World Famous Harlem Globetrotters.

  1. ^ "Samford University News Releases". Archived from the original on 2006-09-03. Retrieved 2011-09-12.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Trustees Finalize Names for New Facility, Samford University". Archived from the original on 2008-10-29. Retrieved 2009-02-04.