Rose Arena, photo by CMU Sports Information
I noticed that March has 5 Saturdays this year and that Michigan has 5 NCAA Division I schools. Seemed like a plan to feature the basketball arenas of all five schools in honor of March Madness. I decided to feature them in alphabetical order, so we begin with Central Michigan University’s Rose Arena, home of the CMU Chippewas men’s basketball, women’s basketball, volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics programs.
The Daniel P. Rose Center (commonly called Rose Arena) is a 5,200-seat arena that opened in 1975. The Chippewas play on a wooden court was used only once prior to CMU’s purchase — for the 1986 NBA All-Star Game. CMU’s media kit says:
Since its opening in 1973, Rose Arena has been the site of two women’s championships and four men’s championships. In 1980, Rose was the site of the national AIAW Division I National Championships (at the time, the equivalent of the men’s NCAA Tournament). And, in 1984, Rose hosted the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament. Rose has also been the site of the Michigan High School Athletic Association’s girls basketball finals since 1997.
The Rose Rowdies are right on top of the action in the east end zone. A true “sixth man,” this group is an intimidating force for opposing teams. Their chants and cheers create an intense, enthusiastic atmosphere.
Wikipedia’s entry for the Daniel P. Rose Center has a few photos and you might be interested in NBA players who played at CMU and the CMU Sports Hall of Fame. NCAA Men’s Division I Tournament bids by school on Wikipedia says Central has 4 NCAA Tourney appearances with the last being 2003 when Chris Kaman led the Chips to an upset over Creighton before being dispatched by Duke.
The other Division I schools are EMU, MSU, UM & WSU and if you have a cool photo of one of them, post a link below or send an email. Likewise, any links to related Rose Arena / Central Michigan University stuff would be welcome!
Michigan in Pictures 