| UNI-Dome | |
|---|---|
| Location | 2401 Hudson Road Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614 |
| Broke ground | July 26, 1974[1] |
| Opened | February 7, 1976 |
| Owner | University of Northern Iowa |
| Operator | University of Northern Iowa |
| Surface | Mondoturf |
| Construction cost | $7.5 million USD |
| Architect | Thorson-Brom-Broshar-Snyder Architects |
| Capacity | 16,324 (Football) |
| Tenants | |
| UNI Panthers football (1976–present) UNI Panthers wrestling (1976–2006) UNI Panthers men's basketball (1976–2006) UNI Panthers women's basketball (1978–2006) UNI Panthers volleyball (19??–2006) |
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UNI-Dome (pronounced "YOU-nih-dome") is a multi-purpose stadium, on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. It opened in 1976, as the home of the UNI Panthers basketball and football teams. The facility's capacity, for football, is 16,324. For basketball, its official capacity is 10,000; however, it has seated as many as 22,000, for events, such as, the 1990 Mid-Continent Conference men’s basketball tournament and the 1997 NCAA Division I National Wrestling Championships. It has been the home of the Iowa State High School football championships, since 1976 and has hosted junior college football bowl games, wrestling, track and field, softball, concerts and conventions. In 1994, the air-supported roof collapsed in a snowstorm. Since this had occurred on numerous occasions before, it was replaced by a more permanent metal roof. On November 18, 2006, the McLeod Center opened for basketball, volleyball, and wrestling. The McLeod Center is directly south of the UNIDome and connected by a covered walkway. The UNI-Dome attendance record, for football, is 17,190, which was set on October 17, 2009, during a Panthers homecoming game, against the Southern Illinois Salukis.
The UNI-Dome's roof has been most recently renovated late summer 2010 due to damages during a high wind storm that damaged the roof. The cost of the renovation was close to $4 million. The storm knocked down trees, power lines and roofs all over Cedar Falls. The University of Northern Iowa campus lost 20% of its 100+-year-old trees that cover the campus.
The UNI-Dome received a new HD video board for the start of the 2008 football season. The board replaced an aging, and many times malfunctioning video board. Much of the cost of the new video board was donated by the Iowa State High School Athletic Association, which hosts their high school football quarterfinals and finals in the UNI-Dome each year for all classes. Northern Iowan article
The Dome has also hosted professional wrestling events, as well as concerts by bands such as 3 Doors Down, Fuel, Oleander, and Nelly.
During the academic year, during hours when the athletic teams are not using the Dome, it is open to the public. Many students and others with UNI connections will come to the Dome to run or walk the stairs and the concourse. The UNIDome hosts Winter and Spring graduation ceremonies as well.
At football games, where cold temperatures are frequently an issue for fans, the UNIDome announcers have a tradition during pre-game rituals. The announcers will announce the weather in the town where the visiting team is from, and then will say "The temperature in Cedar Falls, no wind, 72 degrees, Welcome to the UNI-DOME!" to emphasize the fact that a domed stadium is not affected as much by the weather. As of September 29, 2010, the Panthers have a home record of 174-44-1.
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