| Holt Arena | |
|---|---|
| Former names | ASISU MiniDome (1970–88) |
| Location | 550 Memorial Drive Pocatello, Idaho 83209 United States |
| Broke ground | October 1968 |
| Opened | September 26, 1970 |
| Owner | Idaho State University |
| Operator | Idaho State University |
| Surface | SoftTop Matrix (2011-) AstroTurf (1970–2010) |
| Construction cost | $2,800,000 |
| Capacity | 12,000 - football 8,000 - basketball |
| Tenants | |
| Idaho State Bengals (Big Sky Conference, NCAA) |
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Holt Arena is an indoor multi-purpose athletic stadium, located on the campus of Idaho State University, in Pocatello, Idaho. It is the home field of the Idaho State Bengals of the Big Sky Conference. Holt Arena sits at an elevation of 4,560 feet (1,390 m) above sea level.[1]
Completed in September 1970 at the north end of the ISU campus, Holt Arena is the oldest enclosed stadium on a college campus in the United States and the second-oldest overall.[2] Only the Houston Astrodome, completed in 1965, predates it.
The indoor arena was conceived by ISU athletic director Milton W. "Dubby" Holt in 1966. ISU students voted to appropriate not more than $2.8 million to the project two years later. Originally named the ASISU MiniDome, it replaced the outdoor "Spud Bowl" (now Davis Field) as the Bengals' home football stadium. The MiniDome was renamed in 1988 to honor Holt.
Holt Arena also serves as home for the ISU indoor track and field team and men's basketball team. It also hosts high school football games and other sporting events, rodeos, concerts, and other activities. In 1977 it was the site of the NCAA basketball tournament (sub-regionals) [3] and the Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament.
After the long anticipated opening of the MiniDome in 1970, Idaho State true freshman Mike Barnes scored the first regulation points in a basketball game.
Following the success of the MiniDome, several other colleges built enclosed stadiums, including the Kibbie Dome at the University of Idaho in Moscow, which was enclosed in 1975 after four years as an outdoor stadium.
Holt Arena is one of two enclosed stadiums currently in use in the Big Sky Conference; the Walkup Skydome at Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, opened in 1977, is the other.
After 41 football seasons on AstroTurf, infilled synthetic turf was installed in Holt Arena in July 2011. Similar to FieldTurf, the SoftTop Removable Matrix System [4] is also installed in Cowboys Stadium in the NFL.
| Preceded by Tacoma Dome |
Host of the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship Game 1987–1988 |
Succeeded by Paulson Stadium |
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