Calihan Hall

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Calihan Hall
The Big House[1]


Location 4001 W. McNichols Rd.
Detroit, Michigan
Opened May 25, 1952
Owner University of Detroit Mercy
Tenants
UDM Titans
Capacity
8,295

Calihan Hall is an 8,295-seat multi-purpose arena in Detroit, Michigan. It is home to the University of Detroit Mercy Titans basketball team. The arena opened in 1952. The building was dedicated on May 25, 1952 as the Memorial Building. The first basketball game was played on December 2nd of that year when the Titans defeated Kalamazoo College, 75-61. In 1977, the name was changed to Calihan Hall in honor of the Titans' first basketball All-American Bob Calihan.

After a five-year stretch of playing in downtown Detroit's Cobo Arena, the Titans returned to campus in 1993-1994, a move which coincided with major exterior renovations and a rededication of Calihan Hall in September of 1993. A newly-painted playing floor greeted the Titans for the 1996 season, and almost all of the building's locker rooms were remodeled in 1998. A major interior renovation project began one year later and has continued since. New retractable bleachers were installed in the arena's lower bowl in 2002, and further renovations including the new Willie Green men's basketball locker room took place during the 2006 off-season.

Calihan Hall houses the Titan Athletic offices, varsity and intramural locker rooms, sports medicine facilities, the Thelma Fox Murray running track and the Larry Bleach Fitness Center. It also serves as the basketball practice facility for the Titans throughout the year.

During the 2001-02 season, Detroit extended the nations's longest homecourt winning streak to a remarkable school record of 39 games before falling to UW-Green Bay, 65-61, on Feb. 11, 2002.

During the 52 years since the opening of Calihan Hall, the Titans have enjoyed a 512-186 (.734) homecourt record.

[edit] Calihan Hall Record Book

Points: 63 - Hersey Hawkins, Bradley University (vs. Detroit, Feb. 22, 1988)
Points(Titan): 49 - Archie Tullos (vs. Bradley, Feb. 22, 1988)
Points(Team): 135 - Detroit (vs. CCNY, Feb.10, 1979)
Rebounds: 39 - Dave DeBusschere (vs. Central Michigan, Jan 30, 1960)
Victory Margin: 72 (Detroit 114, Western Ontario 43, Jan. 11, 1964)
Attendance: 11,065 (Detroit vs. Marquette, Mar. 4, 1978)

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Foster, Terry. "Titan Club". The Sports Inferno, WXYT radio show. Available online at: http://www.sportsinferno.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=128&Itemid=1