When visiting teams come to Alumni Arena to take on the Bulls this year, they will no longer enter some anonymous-looking indoor stadium. Alumni's generic center-court design, wooden bleachers and yellowish seats are all things of the past after a $1.6 million renovation this summer that has transformed Alumni into an arena that is decidedly the home of UB sports.
The most noticeable changes to Bulls fans are new royal blue seats and railings, a new center court design featuring a Bull logo, and the word "BULLS" emblazoned in white across the bleachers on both ends of the court.
UB was also able to revamp its sports offices on the second floor of the arena, thanks to a $500,000 donation from UB alumnus Stephen Walsh, co-owner of the New York Islanders. UB Athletics covered the remaining $250,000 for the modernized offices, which means the university itself paid $850,000 of the total $1.6 million.
"Our building now ranks among the top in the (Mid-American) Conference," said Paul Vecchio, assistant athletic director for communications.
According University Facilities Director Kevin Thompson, the arena renovations were necessary for both safety and keeping pace with MAC schools.
"The old seats were just old and the drive mechanisms were worn and in need of repair," Thompson said.
Vecchio agreed on the subject of safety. "The bleachers were just becoming unsafe. The hydraulics had reached the end of their life," he said. "At one time, the bleachers were moving on their own, fortunately when people were not on them."
Vecchio said he believes the new seat backs in both the gold section seats and the old student section bleachers will do more than keep Bulls fans comfortable.
"More chair-backs will help sell season tickets, creating more revenue," he said.
Since the seat backs installed in the student section bleachers make for less seating than the old wooden style, Alumni's capacity has been reduced from 8,500 to approximately 6,300. Vecchio said that even with the reduced capacity, Alumni Arena is still comparable to any stadium in the MAC, but it allows for amenities not possible before the renovations.
"Chair-back seating is more comfortable and the reduced capacity makes the seats more valuable. That is why people go to games," Vecchio said. "It is just a better looking building. Before we had impressive size, but a really drab building."
Vecchio added the displaced student section is a point of consideration for the upcoming basketball season.
"There will be some seating for students in the same section as last year, though obviously not as much," he said. "Most of the student section will be in the north and south bleachers, with the other seats distributed in a first come, first serve basis."
The renovations closed the main gym to the public since the conclusion of UB's basketball seasons, rendering the elevated jogging track unusable during renovations. According to signs still posted in the arena, the gym and track were slated to reopen on Sept. 1. But bleacher construction and painting in the arena have pushed the reopening to Sept. 20, Vecchio said.
Caitlin Mahon, a senior environmental engineering student, said she thought the renovations are worth the inconvenience. "I hope the track opens soon," she said. "But the gym really needed work. Last year when the bleachers were full they felt like they could go at any time."
Aiko Iizuka, a junior pre-med major, also said he thought the renovations were money well spent, but was annoyed with the delays. "I want the gym open, because on the days it was raining, you couldn't run outside. I kept seeing signs saying it would be open on Sept. 1. Everyone was asking when it would open," he said.
Iizuka added, however, he thought the wait would be worth it. "I think it will make a difference in school spirit, with the gym blue and everyone dressed in blue. The atmosphere will be amazing," he said.
The new offices on the second floor now include women's basketball, softball and volleyball and men's basketball along with UB Athletics' business office. Dedicated on Sept. 9 in a ceremony, the Stephen Walsh Office Complex offers modern equipment and resources in a glass-enclosed suite.
"We relocated three of our most important women's sports and our men's basketball team to give them resources comparable to or better than any other programs in the MAC," Vecchio said.
Players and coaches were also excited for the arena renovations.
"The gym has character now, not like a high school gym," said Stephanie Schueler, assistant women's basketball coach. "That is what really captures recruits and fans -- when you come into the gym and really get a sense of the atmosphere."
Parnell Smith, a sophomore forward on the men's basketball team, thinks fans are going to love the new look.
"The gym gives a good look for us and it will get people to come to more games," Smith said. "Even short on seats there will be more people, more often. It gets more of a loud sound, a good sound."
The first team to compete in the renovated arena was the women's volleyball team, which defeated Canisius on Sept. 8 by a score of 3-0.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
