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Pauley pavilion

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Pauley Pavilion was introduced to the University at the June 1965 commencement, at which time it was dedicated and named for Regent Edwin W. Pauley, the principal donor to the building fund. The arena underwent a $136-million renovation from 2010-2012. The new Pauley Pavilion contains seating for approximately 13,800 spectators. 

History​

1960s
  • Bruin teams coached by John Wooden won the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1964 and 1965. Fans and Coach Wooden felt that a suitable arena needed to be constructed. Pauley Pavilion was constructed so that there would be some space between the crowds and the action on the court. Coach Wooden cited the example of the close quarters of Harmon Gym (now Haas Pavilion) where fans would pull leg hairs from his players' legs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, was recruited to UCLA partly on the promise of playing in the new arena.

1970s
  • John Wooden coached what would be his final game as varsity head coach in Pauley Pavilion March 1, 1975 in a 93-59 victory over Stanford. Four weeks later he would surprisingly announce his retirement following the NCAA semi-final victory against Louisville and before his 10th National championship victory against Kentucky. The Bruins won 149 games to 2 losses at home between 1965 and 1975. Bruin men's basketball teams won 8 more NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championships from 1967 through 1975 under Coach Wooden.
  • The 1978 AIAW Women's Basketball Championship Final Four was hosted at Pauley Pavilion. UCLA defeated the University of Maryland, College Park 90-74 to win their first Women's basketball championship in front of a crowd of 9,531.

1980s
  • The first NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship was held at Pauley Pavilion in 1981, with UCLA falling to USC in the title match.
  • The building was host to the 1984 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament. It was the third championship since the NCAA championship took precedence over the AIAW championship. The USC Trojan women's basketball team defeated the University of Tennessee Lady Vols 72-61.
  • The building was venue for gymnastics for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.
  • The 1987 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship was held in Pauley Pavilion. UCLA defeated USC 3 - 0 to win the title.


1990s
  • The venue played host to the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.
  • UCLA's 75th anniversary convocation on May 20, 1994: "I'm proud to be here to honor the university's 75th anniversary, and to honor your chancellor on his 25th anniversary of service," President Bill Clinton told the crowd of more than 9,000. "It is the sort of commitment our country could do with more of, and I honor it."
  • In 1995 the Bruins won their eleventh NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, this time under coach Jim Harrick.

2000s
  • Former UCLA coach John Wooden and his late wife were honored on December 20, 2003 when the basketball floor at Pauley Pavilion was named "Nell & John Wooden Court." After his retirement, Coach Wooden was a fixture at UCLA Men's Basketball games until the year he died.
  • The pavilion has played host to the numerous annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, including the 21st show on Saturday, March 29, 2008, with UCLA alum Jack Black as host.
  • The 2001 Jeopardy! College Championship was taped at Pauley Pavilion (November 7–20, 2001). Vinita Kailasanath (Stanford University) was the winner. Jayce Newton represented UCLA.
  • The Who were honored at the 2008 VH1 Rock Honors ceremony at the Pauley Pavilion instead of the usual Las Vegas. The concert consisted of an hour-long performance by the band as well as tributes by Incubus, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Flaming Lips, Adam Sandler and Tenacious D.
  • Barack Obama's presidential campaign held a rally at Pauley Pavilion on February 3, 2008, the Sunday before California's presidential primary election. The event featured speeches by Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Caroline Kennedy, Stevie Wonder, and California First Lady Maria Shriver.
  • Game one of the WNBA Conference Finals between Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks was played in the arena September 23, 2009.
  • Jay-Z concert with Rihanna was held at Pauley Pavillian on November 8, 2009. Enjoying their performances were Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, Nicole Richie and Samantha Ronson, James Blunt, and Jamie Foxx.

The New Pauley Pavilion

A bright and spacious concourse now winds around the building and features graphic touches such as the Championship Wall, showcasing all 108 of UCLA's NCAA titles. "Wooden Way," in the east concourse, is devoted to Coach John Wooden memorabilia. A bit of cool trivia: The wood paneling on the wall in this area was taken from the old basketball court floor.
 
The glass front entrance of the building is now on the north side, facing Bruin Walk and the Intramural Field. New concessions include California Pizza Kitchen, Subway, Jamba Juice, a panini bar, a "grab-and-go" mart and a Joe Brewin coffeehouse. On the south side, an outdoor marketplace will continue to sell popcorn and peanuts and will also feature food trucks. On the north mezzanine, the members-only Pavilion Club will be the only place that sells alcohol in the building.

Another improvement for fans: New Pauley has four times as many women's restrooms as before, while the number of men's restrooms has more than doubled. The Americans With Disabilities Act–compliant building has increased the number of elevators from one to three, and there are now many more spaces for patrons with wheelchairs. 

When fans leave the concourse and enter the arena bowl, they will be struck by how the architects managed to retain the old Pauley aura while modernizing everything from seating to lighting. The familiar blue-and-gold colors are there, only brighter; the stairways are in the same place, but they have sleek new handrails and the step-tread patterns are consistent; the new video scoreboard is huge and state-of-the-art; and a brand-new LED ribbon circles the arena seats.

Retractable seats extend down to the court, eliminating the expanse of space that used to separate fans from the baskets.

Sports fans will also notice an exciting improvement with the lighting: Workers have installed an "all-off, all-on" system that will allow UCLA technicians to use special production effects, such as spotlighting players during introductions.

The total renovation cost was approximately $136 million and was funded through a variety of sources: private gifts, long-term debt backed by ticket sales and sponsorships, other UCLA Athletics revenues and $15 million from an existing fee paid by UCLA students to help fund earthquake and life-safety upgrades. Pauley Pavilion is operated by the UCLA Department of Cultural and Recreational Affairs for the benefit of the entire campus and is used for student welcoming ceremonies, commencement ceremonies, intramural sports and a wide variety of other events.

While emphasizing that the fan experience is very important, UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero also stressed that providing student–athletes with the proper amenities was another top priority.
 
"We wanted to make certain that they had state-of-the-art facilities," he said. "It's important, as you know, from a recruiting standpoint. We also wanted to preserve the legacy of Pauley and all the great things that have happened with UCLA's great student–athletes in basketball, volleyball and gymnastics." 

The amenities for the student–athletes won't be visible to most fans. These include new locker rooms for men's and women's basketball, a weight room, and a student lounge. Of the new film room, women's basketball head coach Cori Close said, "This is going to be such a huge teaching tool for us. It's typical of what Coach Wooden always taught us — to be efficient with our time, so our players have the best chance to be quality student–athletes."

Renovations include:

  • New locker rooms
  • Player Lounges with TVs and computers
  • Improved entry points
  • Increased patron circulation space to all seating sections
  • All new retractable seating system on the lower level with individual padded seats and brings fans closer to the action
  • New 24-seat amphitheater available for film study; any video shot on the court can be accessed immediately in the film room 
  • Brand new weight room, equipment room, and sports medicine room
  • Seating capacity has increased from 12,800 to 13,800 for basketball

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