UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena


Click the image to learn more. The arena was renamed the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in 2014 and is now the home court of the UWM basketball team.

The Milwaukee Arena was the city’s major sports and entertainment facility when it opened in 1950. The Arena was home to Milwaukee’s first National Basketball Association team, the Hawks, and hosted events including the Tripoli Shrine Circus, Holiday on Ice, and orchestra concerts.[1] One of the nation’s first venues designed to accommodate television broadcasting, the Arena featured a boldly colored basketball court designed by Robert Indiana.[2] Over the decades, the Arena was home to the Milwaukee Bucks and Marquette University men’s basketball teams, and the Milwaukee Does women’s professional basketball team, and hosted major rock concerts.[3] Renamed the U.S. Cellular Arena in 2000, and then UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in 2014, it is the home court of the UW-Milwaukee basketball team and since 2004 of the Milwaukee Wave professional soccer team.[4]

Footnotes [+]

  1. ^ “Timeline of Historical Milestones.” Wisconsin Center District, About Us, History, http://wcd.org/media/mediafile_attachments/02/92-facilitiestimeline.pdf, last accessed November 11, 2012.
  2. ^ “People,” Time, October 17, 1977.
  3. ^ “WCD Facilities Have a 100-Year History of Events.” Wisconsin Center District, About Us, History, last accessed June 8, 2016.
  4. ^ “U.S. Cellular Arena.” Milwaukee Wave.com, About Us, U.S. Cellular Arena, http://www.milwaukeewave.com/aboutus/uscellular/, last accessed November 10, 2012.

For Further Reading

Kertscher, Tom. Cracked Sidewalks and French Pastry: The Wit and Wisdom of Al McGuire. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2002.

McCallum, Jack. “In Your Face, Comrades!” Sports Illustrated, November 2, 1987.

Porter, Karra. Mad Seasons: The Story of the First Women’s Professional Basketball League, 1978-1981. Lincoln, NE: Bison Books, 2006.

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Images

An elevated view of the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena sitting on a street corner. The image showcases the building's sizeable arched roof and red bricks exterior walls. The old name sign that reads "U.S. Cellular Arena" is still attached to the top front of the structure. An intersection is in the image's foreground. Other buildings in the vicinity are visible.
Elevated view of MECCA basketball court displaying a game between Marquette University and the UW Badgers. Spectators fill the seats around the court. The digital scoreboard with a Marlboro ad above the court shows the score. The court's iconic floor is showcased.