Xfinity Center (College Park, Maryland)

For the venue in New England, see Xfinity Center (Mansfield, Massachusetts).
Xfinity Center
XfinityCenter logo
Xfinity Center exterior
Xfinity Center exterior
Map
Former namesComcast Center (2002–2014)
LocationPaint Branch & Regents Dr
College Park, Maryland U.S.
Coordinates38°59′43″N 76°56′29″W / 38.99528°N 76.94139°W / 38.99528; -76.94139
OwnerMaryland Stadium Authority
OperatorMaryland Stadium Authority
Capacity17,950
SurfaceHardwood
Construction
Broke groundJuly 1, 2000[1]
OpenedOctober 11, 2002
Construction costUS$125 million
($212 million in 2023 dollars[2])
ArchitectEllerbe Becket[3]
Design Collective, Inc.[4]
Structural engineerDelon Hampton & Associates[5]
General contractorGilbane[6]/Smoot
Tenants
Maryland Terrapins men's basketball
Maryland Terrapins women's basketball
Maryland Terrapins volleyball
Maryland Terrapins wrestling (2002–present)
University of Maryland, College Park campus

Xfinity Center is the indoor arena and student activities center that serves as the home of the University of Maryland Terrapins men's and women's basketball teams. Ground was broken in May 2000 and construction was completed in October 2002 at a cost of $125 million.[7] It replaced Cole Field House as the Terrapins' home court, which had served as the home of Maryland basketball since 1955.

The on-campus facility was originally named the Comcast Center after Comcast Corporation purchased a 20-year, $25 million corporate naming agreement when the arena opened in 2002. In July 2014, it was renamed Xfinity Center after Comcast's cable brand, Xfinity.

Xfinity Center, which has a capacity of 17,950,[8] opened for Midnight Madness on October 11, 2002, and the first official men's game was a 64–49 victory over Miami University (Ohio) on November 24, 2002. In its first season, 281,057 fans visited to watch Terrapin basketball games for a per-game average of 17,566 as Maryland finished fifth in the nation in attendance.[9] On January 25, 2012, the court was renamed in honor of Gary Williams, the men's basketball coach who retired the previous year.

Though Xfinity Center is the largest arena in the state of Maryland, it is the second-largest arena in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area by seating capacity, just behind Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., which has an official seating capacity of roughly 500 more than Xfinity Center. The facility is also used for concerts, graduation ceremonies including those for the University of Maryland, state high school basketball tournaments, and other special events. Concert seating capacity is nearly 19,000.

New videoboard installed prior to the 2014–2015 season
The Xfinity Center before a 2019 men's basketball game between Maryland and the University of Illinois.
  1. ^ "Comcast Center". University of Maryland Facilities Management. Archived from the original on November 22, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  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. ^ "Maryland Stadium Authority - University of Maryland Comcast Center". Ellerbe Becket. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  4. ^ "Architects Chosen for University of Maryland Arena" (Press release). Ellerbe Becket. August 24, 1999. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  5. ^ "Comcast Center". Delon Hampton & Associates. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  6. ^ "What's On Deck?". SportsBusiness Journal. July 30, 2001. Retrieved October 22, 2011.
  7. ^ "University of Maryland Comcast Center". Maryland Stadium Authority. Archived from the original on October 11, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2007.
  8. ^ "Comcast Center". Maryland Athletics. Retrieved December 31, 2007.
  9. ^ "XFINITY Center - Maryland Terrapins Athletics - University of Maryland Terps Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.