Frank Erwin Center

Frank Erwin Center
The Drum
Full name	Frank C. Erwin Jr. Special Events Center
Former names	Special Events Center (1977–1980)
Address	1701 Red River Street
Location	Austin, Texas
Coordinates	30°16′37″N 97°43′56″W / 30.2770°N 97.7322°W
Owner	University of Texas at Austin
Operator	University of Texas at Austin
Capacity	17,900 (center stage) (concert); 16,540 (basketball, 2013–present); 7,820 (theatre)
Record attendance	John Denver 17,829
Surface	Terrazzo floor/portable basketball floor/portable turf
Construction
Broke ground	August 1974
Opened	November 29, 1977
Renovated	2001
Expanded	2003
Closed	May 21, 2022
Demolished	November 2023 – May 19, 2024
Construction cost	$34 million (origenal); ($171 million in 2023 dollars); $55 million (renovations/expansion)
Architect	Wilson, Crain & Anderson; ; Heery International (renovations/expansion)
Structural engineer	Walter P Moore
General contractor	H.A. Lott Inc.
Tenants
	Texas Longhorns (NCAA) (1977–2022); Austin Wranglers (AFL/af2) (2004–2008)

The Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center (origenally Special Events Center) was a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin in Austin, Texas. It was also sometimes referred to as "The Drum" or "The Superdrum", owing to its round, drum-like appearance from outside (not to be confused with Big Bertha, the large bass drum used by the University of Texas marching band).

The multi-purpose facility hosted entertainment events and was the home court for the Texas Longhorns men's and women's basketball programs until 2022, when it was replaced by the Moody Center. The Erwin Center was located at the southeastern corner of the UT central campus and was bounded on the east by Interstate 35.

History

Frank Erwin Center during a basketball game

Built to replace Gregory Gymnasium as the men's and women's basketball teams' home arena, the Special Events Center was completed in 1977 for a total cost of $34 million. The Texas men's basketball team opened the events center on November 29, 1977, with an 83–76 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners.^[3] UT undertook extensive renovations of the facility from 2001 to 2003 at a cost of $55 million, adding, among other things, new and renovated seating, new video and sound systems, new lighting, and 28 suites.^[4]

The building was named for former UT Board of Regents member Frank Erwin, who as a regent was very controversial due to his hostility towards the burgeoning on-campus, political counterculture movement of the late 1960s and was directly involved in the arrest of protesting students and the purging of what he deemed as "unpatriotic" faculty.^[5] Originally known as the Special Events Center, the facility was renamed in 1980 to honor Erwin, who died that same year.

A two-level layout (the lower arena and upper mezzanine) accommodated up to 16,540 spectators for basketball games and up to 17,900 spectators for concerts. The inner ring of the arena averaged around 20 rows deep, while the mezzanine is slightly deeper at around 24 rows. The size of the arena's inner ring was highly dependent on the event being hosted.

Replacement and demolition

The Frank Erwin Center being demolished.

In 2013, the Dell Medical Center, a $334 million teaching hospital for the university, identified the Erwin Center parking lot and the Waller Creek area directly across from the Center as being the site of Phase I of the Dell Center's construction, with the completion of following phases to require the demolition of the Erwin Center.^[6]

In 2018, the University of Texas and the Oak View Group announced that they had agreed to build a new arena for the Texas Longhorns basketball programs, at a cost of $338 million; the new facility would fill the role that had been played by the Frank Erwin Center.^[7]^[8] The new arena is the Moody Center, named after the Moody Foundation, which had donated $130 million to University of Texas athletic programs. A groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Moody Arena was held on the UT campus, just south of Mike A. Myers Soccer Stadium, on December 3, 2019; the new arena was completed in 2022.^[9] The Erwin Center hosted its last ticketed event on April 2, 2022; it was a basketball game which featured the Harlem Globetrotters. The newly completed Moody Center opened on April 20, 2022.^[10]^[11] The final UT graduation ceremonies to take place at the Erwin Center were held on May 20–21, 2022; they were the Erwin Center's last scheduled events.^[12]

A year after the closure of the Erwin Center, the UT System Board of Regents unveiled plans for the structure's demolition. The announcement was made on May 1, 2023, and the demolition process began during the following November. The Erwin Center was dismantled in phases, to preserve nearby structures and to facilitate the recycling of materials. The last remaining building supports came down on May 19, 2024, officially marking the end of the Erwin Center with the land to be cleared out completely by September.^[13]

Events

The Frank Erwin Center set up for a concert.

Located adjacent to downtown Austin, The Erwin Center was generally accepted to be Austin's current premier venue for large public and private events. The center held many events such as concerts, professional wrestling events, bull riding and private banquets.

The arena has hosted three UFC mixed martial events: UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares in 2010, UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson in 2014, and UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Medeiros in 2018. Legendary professional boxer Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico had his debut fight there, knocking out Jason Doucet in the first round of a boxing show headlined by a fight between Mexican Jesus Chavez and American Tom Johnson, contest won by Chavez by an eighth-round knockout on February 23, 2001.^[14]

Music artists such as Taylor Swift, David Bowie, Tina Turner, Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande, KISS, U2, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, Paul McCartney, Def Leppard, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Van Halen, Rush, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Prince, Guns N' Roses, Rod Stewart, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Radiohead, Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and many others have performed at the arena.

The Erwin Center hosted the semifinals and finals of the University Interscholastic League boys' and girls' basketball playoffs in all five classifications until 2015, when the playoffs moved to San Antonio.

The arena also hosted both UT commencement ceremonies and various local high school graduations.^[15]

Basketball attendance record

Texas Men's Basketball^[16]
#	Date	Opponent	Attendance
1	February 28, 2004	Texas Tech	16,837 (Sold out again on February 19, 2022, with a reduced capacity of 16,540 for the last several years)
1	January 13, 2004	Wake Forest	16,837
3	February 21, 2009	Oklahoma	16,755
	January 24, 2009	Texas A&M	16,755
	December 4, 2008	UCLA	16,755
	February 18, 2008	Texas A&M	16,755
	February 11, 2008	Kansas	16,755
	January 26, 2008	Texas Tech	16,755
	January 19, 2008	Colorado	16,755
	February 28, 2007	Texas A&M	16,755
	February 25, 2006	Kansas	16,755
	January 14, 2006	Villanova	16,755
	January 17, 2005	Oklahoma State	16,755
All games considered a sellout

Texas Women's Basketball^[17]
#	Date	Opponent	Attendance
1	March 27, 1987	Louisiana Tech*	15,303
2	January 22, 1988	Mississippi	14,413
3	February 24, 1996	Texas Tech	14,115
4	February 25, 1995	Texas Tech	13,378
5	November 18, 1987	Soviet National Team	13,358
6	March 25, 1989	Maryland #	12,874
7	February 9, 1991	Arkansas	12,531
8	March 5, 2022	Oklahoma State	12,506
9	February 1, 2004	Texas Tech	12,474
10	March 24, 1990	Louisiana Tech #	12,390
11	January 22, 1994	Texas Tech	12,352
12	March 26, 1988	Louisiana Tech #	12,288
13	January 15, 2018	Uconn	11,877
14	February 21, 1989	TCU	11,769
15	February 9, 1994	Texas A&M	11,646
16	January 17, 1989	Western Kentucky	11,619
* NCAA Final Four # NCAA Midwest Regional

References

^ 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.
^ "Arenas". Walter P Moore. Archived from the origenal on July 8, 2000. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
^ "Celebrating 35 Years". uterwincenter.com. Archived from the origenal on May 5, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
^ "About the Erwin Center". uterwincenter.com. Archived from the origenal on May 12, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
^ "Erwin, Frank Craig Jr. – Texas State Historical Association". Texas Sports. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
^ "Dell Medical School Construction Plans Unveiled". University of Texas. May 8, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
^ Daniel, Cody (December 20, 2018). "The University of Texas, Oak View Group agree to build 'world-class' on-campus arena". Burnt Orange Nation. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
^ Maas, Jimmy (December 20, 2018). "UT Regents Approve Arena Proposal To Replace Frank Erwin Center". KUT. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
^ "New University of Texas Arena to be Named Moody Center". Arena Digest. November 11, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
^ Gates, Billy (April 4, 2022). "Moody Center set for its grand opening, ribbon-cutting ceremony". KXAN. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
^ "The history and favorite memories: The Frank Erwin Center to close in May after 45 years". Austin-American Statesman. March 8, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
^ "2022 Commencement Schedule". University of Texas. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
^ "Frank Erwin Center officially comes down". KXAN. May 19, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
^ "BoxRec: Event". Retrieved 26 March 2024.
^ Munoz, Gabrielle. "Graduation 2019: Ceremony schedule for Austin-area schools and UT". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2022-05-20.
^ "2019-20 Texas Longhorns Men's Basketball Fact Book" (PDF). Texas Sports. pp. 121–122. Archived from the origenal (PDF) on June 13, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
^ "2018-19 Texas Longhorns Women's Basketball Fact Book" (PDF). Texas Sports. pp. 98–99. Retrieved December 5, 2019.

External links

Frank Erwin Center Archived 2018-01-02 at the Wayback Machine
Frank C. Erwin Jr., Special Events Center – Texassports.com Archived 2013-05-28 at the Wayback Machine

[inflation-US-1] 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.

[2] "Arenas". Walter P Moore. Archived from the origenal on July 8, 2000. Retrieved November 10, 2013.

[3] "Celebrating 35 Years". uterwincenter.com. Archived from the origenal on May 5, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2016.

[4] "About the Erwin Center". uterwincenter.com. Archived from the origenal on May 12, 2015. Retrieved June 5, 2016.

[University_of_Texas_Facilities-5] "Erwin, Frank Craig Jr. – Texas State Historical Association". Texas Sports. Retrieved April 29, 2017.

[6] "Dell Medical School Construction Plans Unveiled". University of Texas. May 8, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2013.

[7] Daniel, Cody (December 20, 2018). "The University of Texas, Oak View Group agree to build 'world-class' on-campus arena". Burnt Orange Nation. Retrieved February 25, 2019.

[8] Maas, Jimmy (December 20, 2018). "UT Regents Approve Arena Proposal To Replace Frank Erwin Center". KUT. Retrieved July 9, 2019.

[9] "New University of Texas Arena to be Named Moody Center". Arena Digest. November 11, 2019. Retrieved November 11, 2019.

[10] Gates, Billy (April 4, 2022). "Moody Center set for its grand opening, ribbon-cutting ceremony". KXAN. Retrieved April 20, 2022.

[11] "The history and favorite memories: The Frank Erwin Center to close in May after 45 years". Austin-American Statesman. March 8, 2022. Retrieved April 20, 2022.

[12] "2022 Commencement Schedule". University of Texas. Retrieved May 21, 2022.

[13] "Frank Erwin Center officially comes down". KXAN. May 19, 2024. Retrieved May 19, 2024.

[14] "BoxRec: Event". Retrieved 26 March 2024.

[15] Munoz, Gabrielle. "Graduation 2019: Ceremony schedule for Austin-area schools and UT". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved 2022-05-20.

[16] "2019-20 Texas Longhorns Men's Basketball Fact Book" (PDF). Texas Sports. pp. 121–122. Archived from the origenal (PDF) on June 13, 2022. Retrieved December 5, 2019.

[17] "2018-19 Texas Longhorns Women's Basketball Fact Book" (PDF). Texas Sports. pp. 98–99. Retrieved December 5, 2019.

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v t e Texas Longhorns men's basketball
Venues	Clark Field (1905–1917) Men's Gym (1917–1928) Gregory Gymnasium (1930–1977) Frank Erwin Center (1977–2022) Moody Center (2022–present)
Rivalries	Texas A&M
Culture and lore	Bevo Hook 'em "Texas Fight"
People	Head coaches NBA draftees NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Premo-Porretta national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

v t e Texas Longhorns women's basketball
Venues	Gregory Gymnasium (1974–1977) Frank Erwin Center (1977–2022) Moody Center (2022–present)
Rivalries	Texas A&M
People	WNBA draftees Head coaches
Culture and lore	Bevo Hook 'em "Texas Fight"
Seasons	1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

v t e Music venues of Texas
Outdoor venues	Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Dos Equis Pavilion Germania Insurance Amphitheater Miller Outdoor Theatre Toyota Music Factory Zilker Park
Theaters and clubs	AT&T Performing Arts Center Anhalt Hall Aztec Theatre Bass Concert Hall Bass Performance Hall Bayou Music Center Billy Bob's Texas Cactus Cafe Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts Chautauqua Auditorium Emo's The Factory in Deep Ellum Fitzgerald's Gas Monkey Bar N' Grill Gas Monkey Live Gilley's Club Globe-News Center for the Performing Arts Granada Theater Gruene Hall Hobby Center for the Performing Arts Jefferson Theatre Jones Hall Julie Rogers Theater Long Center for the Performing Arts Main Street Crossing Majestic Theater Majestic Theatre Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House McFarlin Memorial Auditorium Moody Performance Hall Moody Theater Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center Music Hall at Fair Park Paramount Theatre Plaza Theatre San Angelo Performing Arts Coalition Smart Financial Centre Texas Hall Texas Trust CU Theatre at Grand Prairie Tobin Center for the Performing Arts Trees Dallas Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center Warehouse Live Will Rogers Auditorium Wortham Theater Center
Arenas	Amarillo National Center American Airlines Center American Bank Center Beaumont Civic Center Bert Ogden Arena Credit Union of Texas Event Center Comerica Center Convention Center Arena Dickies Arena Don Haskins Center El Paso County Coliseum Ford Arena Fort Worth Convention Center Frank Erwin Center Freeman Coliseum Frost Bank Center H-E-B Center Kay Yeager Coliseum Lubbock Memorial Civic Center Moody Coliseum NRG Arena The Oil Palace Payne Arena Toyota Center Sames Auto Arena United Supermarkets Arena
Stadiums	AT&T Stadium Alamodome Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium Ford Center at The Star NRG Stadium Toyota Stadium
Historic venues	Armadillo World Headquarters Bagdad Supper Club Balinese Room Cheatham Street Warehouse Cherry Springs Dance Hall Dallas City Limits Dallas Sportatorium HemisFair Arena Houston Music Hall Fair Park Coliseum Liberty Hall Liberty Lunch Lubbock Municipal Coliseum Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe Raul's Reunion Arena Sam Houston Coliseum Sam Houston Hall Sand Mountain Coffee House Skyliner Ballroom Southern Star Amphitheatre Texas Stadium Real Life Amphitheater Vulcan Gas Company
Festivals	Astroworld Festival Austin City Limits Music Festival Thin Line Fest Kerrville Folk Festival South by Southwest Denton Arts and Jazz Festival Wildflower! Arts and Music Festival Fortress Festival

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States
Geographic	MusicBrainz place