The arena opened on November 30, 1977, with a win against rival Seton Hall.
The arena was known as the Rutgers Athletic Center until 1986, when it was renamed for Louis Brown, a Rutgers graduate and former member of the varsity golf team, who made a large bequest to the university in his will. Despite the name change, the building was still largely referred to as "The RAC" (pronounced "rack") by students, alumni, fans, and players.
In 2019, all references to Louis Brown were removed from the arena and all university websites, which resumed using the arena's original name, "The Rutgers Athletic Center."[2] In 2021, the arena was renamed Jersey Mike's Arena, after selling its naming rights.[3]
Reputation
Inside Jersey Mike's Arena during a basketball game
Jersey Mike's Arena is renowned for being one of the loudest arenas in college basketball when at maximum capacity. The trapezoidal design of the building allows the crowd noise to resonate, creating a deafening environment. The RAC has even been described as being "louder than a 747 at Newark Airport."[4]
ESPN's Jay Bilas has lauded the Jersey Mike's Arena, saying, "The Scarlet Knights play great there, and the crowd is right on top of you and intimidating."[4]
Former opponents have also extolled the RAC's atmosphere. Former Connecticut Guard Ben Gordon said, "It is very difficult at the RAC. They have a great home crowd. The student body and everybody really comes out to support them. Just the way the gym is shaped, it seems like everybody is on top of you. At times, if you're not focused, you can get lost in the game just by how intense the crowd is."[4]
Former Syracuse forward Hakim Warrick notes that "they (the fans) are definitely some of the best fans on the road that I’ve played against. It's crazy how much they love their team. The way the gym is made, it's just made to keep the noise in. It's loud and crazy down there."[4]
Former opposing Student-Athletes have been overheard to say that Section 206 Row H is as loud as it gets in there and clearly effected their performance.
Non-Rutgers sporting events
The arena was the home of the NBA's New Jersey Nets from their second year in the NBA, 1977, when the team moved from the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, until 1981, when the Brendan Byrne Arena opened at the Meadowlands Sports Complex.[5] It also hosted the 1985 and 1989 Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball tournaments. The arena is also the site for the girls and boys Middlesex County high school basketball tournament finals, and various boys and girls New Jersey high school basketball state playoff games. On Saturday April 13, 1996, a Professional Bowler's Association tournament was broadcast live from the arena on ABC, the Johnny Petraglia Open.
Non-sporting events
Concerts
The Grateful Dead played at the Rutgers Athletic Center on May 15, 1981. Styx brought their Grand Illusion to the RAC on October 24, 1979. Linda Ronstadt also played here on her "Living in the USA" tour and sang with a terrible sore throat. Also, Linda Ronstadt played the RAC on April 11, 1980, for her "Mad Love" tour, and on October 22, 1987, R.E.M. played the RAC with 10,000 Maniacs opening. On April 25, 1980, Frank Zappa played a show at the RAC.
The arena was used on Friday, April 27, 2007, for Rutgersfest, an annual concert normally held outdoors, but held in the RAC that time due to rain. The performers were The Roots, Hawthorne Heights, and Everclear. Due to lack of seating, only 5,000 tickets were given out, angering the 15,000 or so (est.) other students who were then unable to attend.[6]
May 3, 2008, The RAC hosted SpringBlaze 2008, a concert featuring Christian rock bands with a special appearance by Rutgers Football Head Coach Greg Schiano.
Other events
On December 2, 1983, a local nonprofit, Visions-Innervisions Productions, hosted a fundraiser for Headstart and other community services at the RAC beginning with the annual university Step-Show, viewing the debut of Michael Jackson's Thriller on 20' screens, one above each hoop, followed by Motown's D-Train, live.
Starting in 2014, Rutgers University Dance Marathon is held at the RAC, having moved from the College Avenue Gym.[7]
Possible expansion
Rutgers hosts Northwestern in a Big Ten Men's Basketball conference game on February 9, 2020
In 2010, the Newark, New Jersey–based Star-Ledger and the Rutgers University newspaper, The Daily Targum have reported that former Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti planned to expand the Louis Brown Athletic Center to include more practice facilities, more concourse space, and a seating expansion to accommodate 12,500 fans, including club seating and premium restaurants. Pernetti also stated that he wanted to book more concerts at the arena and at nearby Rutgers Stadium.[8]
When the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten Conference in 2014, the RAC was the smallest arena in conference, with slightly fewer seats than the 8,117 that Northwestern's Welsh–Ryan Arena sat at the time. However, after the renovations of Welsh-Ryan during the 2017–18 season, in which the listed capacity was decreased, Welsh-Ryan Arena is now smaller, making the RAC the second-smallest arena in the conference.[9] The other 16 Big Ten schools' arenas all seat at least 10,000.
^ abcd"Louis Brown Athletic Center". The Official Site of Rutgers Athletics. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2009.
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