May 6, 2004
Spectacular sights and sounds will welcome fans into Purdue University's Mackey Arena in 2004-05. The venerable basketball facility is undergoing yet another round of improvements that will make attendance at Boilermaker men's and women's games well worth the price of admission.
New for the 2004-05 season will be a center-hung video board and a fully updated sound system. The four-sided Daktronics video board will replace the old center-hung scoreboard that was installed for the 1990-91 season at a cost of $700,000. In addition to the video board, three smaller boards for statistics display will be hung from the ceiling between the championship banners. The updated board, advertising boards, statistics boards and sound system are valued at $1.8 million.
Fans can monitor the installation of the new systems by viewing the brand new Mack to the Future page at purduesports.com. The site will contain photo galleries monitoring the progress of the project throughout the summer.
Work on the project already is under way. The removal of the outdated scoreboard began May 3, and was completed May 5. A crew methodically disassembled the massive piece of equipment in order to make way for the new video board and speaker cluster that will be mounted above it. Although a few electronic components will be salvaged from the scoreboard, most of the parts are outdated and unusable.
Work on the project will be suspended during basketball camps, which will go on as scheduled.
After the first round of camps concludes July 2, work will recommence. The removal of the old speaker system will begin July 3. After the second and final round of camps conclude Aug. 1, the new video board and statistics boards will be installed. The project is scheduled to be completed in late August.
Athletics Director Morgan Burke says the latest round of updates will make the fan experience more valuable.
"Fans who come to Mackey Arena always have seen a great product, and that's a credit to our outstanding coaches and players throughout the years. Now that great product will be tremendously enhanced," Burke says. "The video board and sound system we are installing are second to none, and I am very much looking forward to seeing and hearing the drastic improvements."
Assistant Athletics Director Jay Cooperider, who oversees all communications efforts for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, believes the new equipment will bring Mackey Arena up-to-date from a technological standpoint.
"Mackey Arena arguably is the best pure basketball facility in the country, and it's our job to make sure it remains competitive with the newer arenas," Cooperider says. "The improvements we are making guarantee that Mackey is keeping pace or even out-distancing its competitors."
Mackey Arena is approaching its 37th season as the home of Purdue basketball. Originally named Purdue Arena, the facility was dedicated Dec. 2, 1967, prior to a game between the Boilermakers and No. 1-ranked UCLA. The Bruins won 73-71, despite 28 points from freshman Rick Mount in his collegiate debut.
Renamed to honor the late Athletics Director Guy "Red" Mackey in 1972, the arena has undergone numerous improvements in the recent past. A year-by-year look at the most recent updates follows:
* 1997 - New playing surface and basketball goals installed * 1998 - Roof repainted * 2000 - New bleachers installed * 2002 - Women's basketball locker room renovated * 2002 - Men's basketball locker room renovated * 2003 - Video and meeting room for women's basketball constructed * 2003 - Team championship and retired jersey banners hung * 2003 - Men's basketball player lounge renovated * 2003 - Lower press row reconstructed * 2003 - Press conference and media work room renovated * 2004 - Video board installed * 2004 - Sound system installed