Kirby Sports Center

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kirby Sports Center is a 3,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Easton, Pennsylvania. It was built in 2000 and is home to the Lafayette College Leopards basketball team. It hosted the 2000 Patriot League men's basketball tournament.

Dedicated on June 2, 2000, the $35 million Allan P. Kirby Sports Center includes a new, 110,000-square-foot intramural and recreational sports facility attached to the previously existing Kirby Field House. The field house itself received a $2.5 million facelift and interior renovations.

The new portion of the center, featuring a distinctive atrium overlooking Fisher Field, includes the Kamine Gymnasium, which includes three 50-by-84-foot courts for basketball, floor hockey, and other sports and an elevated 1/10-mile jogging track. The Buck Courts include six courts for racquet sports, two for squash and four that can be configured for squash or racquetball. A 6,600-square-foot fitness center and weight room includes a full strength-training circuit, spacious free-weight area, and more than 30 cardiovascular machines. There is also a 35-foot climbing wall, an aerobics area, and several offices.

Built in 1973, the original field house, which contains Ruef Natatorium, is home to several varsity sports teams. It has been enhanced to include a new sports medicine area and a new equipment room and renovated locker rooms and administrative offices. The lobby and Athletic Hall of Fame exhibitry have been modernized.

Major support for the sports center was provided by the F.M. Kirby Foundation, which made a $32.5 million gift to Lafayette, the largest gift ever received by a college, university, or other non-profit organization in the Lehigh Valley.