Daskalakis Athletic Center (DAC) is a 300,000 square feet (28,000 m2) athletic and recreational facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2]
The DAC | |
 The interior of the DAC | |
 | |
| Former names | Physical Education and Athletic Center (PEAC) |
|---|---|
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Coordinates | 39°57′23″N 75°11′27″W / 39.956389°N 75.190833°W |
| Public transit | |
| Owner | Drexel University |
| Type | Arena |
| Genre(s) |
|
| Seating type |
|
| Capacity | 2,509 (Basketball) |
| Record attendance | 2,532 (Basketball) 4,000 (Concert) |
| Scoreboard | Yes |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1974 |
| Built | 1974-1975 |
| Opened | February 1975 |
| Renovated | 2012-2016 |
| Expanded | 2008-2010 |
| Construction cost | $8.642 million (estimated)[1] |
| Architect | Thalheimer and Weitz |
| Tenants | |
| |
| Website | |
| drexeldragons.com | |
The facility is best known for its 2,509-seat multi-purpose arena that is home to multiple Drexel University Dragons sports teams including basketball and wrestling. While the entire recreation center, including the multi-purpose arena, gym, natatorium, rock climbling wall, and squash canter are located in the athletic center, the "DAC" generally refers solely to the multi-purpose arena.
In January 2005, the basketball court was named Cozen Court after being dedicated to former Drexel men's basketball head coach Sam Cozen.[3]
At the 2006 convocation Drexel University president Constantine Papadakis announced a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2), three-story addition to the existing Daskalakis Athletic Center. The project, which expanded to an 84,000-square-foot (7,800 m2) addition, broke ground in June 2008.[4] Construction finished in December 2009 and parts of the building opened to students in January 2010. The Drexel Recreational Center officially opened in February 2010.[5][6]
Notable events
Basketball
The DAC hosted games in all or part of the 1993-1996 America East Conference men's basketball tournaments, the 2005 NIT Season Tip-Off, and the 2007 and 2012 National Invitation Tournament. In 2013, the DAC hosted four games of the 2013 Women's NIT, with the Dragons defeating Utah 46-43 in the final to win the tournament.
The DAC was built in 1974 as the Physical Education and Athletic Center (PEAC)[7] and was renamed in 2001 after a gift from former Drexel Lacrosse player John A. Daskalakis ('63).[8]
The Daskalakis Athletic Center hosted the 2018 CAA Women's Basketball Tournament, and will again host the tournament in 2023.
Concerts
Midnight Madness
The annual Midnight Madness event was held in the arena before the basketball season begins. The event was similar to those at other universities, as it serves as a pep rally for the entire men's and women's basketball seasons. During the event, the lineups for the teams are announced, and the annual DAC Pack T-shirt design was also released. Since 2011, a concert was also held as a closing to the event. The 2013 event which featured Childish Gambino held an attendance of over 2,200. In 2014 the event was replaced with the Drexel Fall Fest.
- 2013: Childish Gambino
- 2012: Dev and Chiddy Bang
- 2011: Chiddy Bang
Spring Jam
The annual Spring Jam concert, which is organized by the Drexel CAB, is generally held during the spring semester. The Spring Jam was performed at the DAC in 2006 before it was relocated to the Drexel Armory in 2007. Previously, the annual event was held in other areas including the Drexel Academic Quad, and Buckley Green. In 2011, it was relocated again to Lot F, an open parking area on Drexel's campus between Main Building and 31st Street. The headlining acts of the Spring Jam concerts performed at the Daskalakis Athletic Center have included:
- 2006: New Found Glory, My American Heart, Ernest Goodlife Band
Homecoming Concert
- January 23, 1997: Rusted Root, Geggy Tah[9]
Fall Concert
Previous to the Drexel Campus Activities Board hosting the Spring Jam, their annual concert was in the Fall
- November 19, 1997: The Wallflowers[10]
- 1996: No concert[11]
- November 18, 1995: The Smithereens, Ocean Blue[12]
Other Concerts
- May 3, 1993: 10,000 Maniacs, Zap Mama[13]
- February 27, 1993: Velocity Girl, Low Road, Nasty Nas
- March 4, 1978: The J. Geils Band, Ken Kweder and the Secret Kidds[14]
Squash
Since 2011, the annual US Open of Squash has been held in the arena.
Table Tennis
In 2008, the DAC hosted the 2008 U.S. Olympic & National Table Tennis Team Trials. The event reached a capacity crowd of 2,000.[15]
Tennis
The DAC hosted the World Team Tennis Championship match between the Philadelphia Freedoms and Springfield Lasers on August, 5th 2018.
Arena Renovations
Over the span of multiple years, a staggered renovation has taken place in the main gym of the recreation center. The renovations took place during the basketball offseason each year (during Spring and Summer months) as to not interfere with the men's or women's basketball seasons.
2012
After a $3 million gift in support of Drexel athletics from John A. Daskalakis, renovations began in 2012 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center among other athletic facilities. The renovations completed in the first year of the upgrade were:
- Major renovation to the home locker room
- A Drexel athletics hall of fame display
2013
In the Summer of 2013, more renovations continued in the main gym including:
- A large portion of the bleachers located on the West side of the gym were replaced with cushioned chair-back seating. This included VIP chair-back seating in the first row.
- A small number of additional bleacher seats was added in the Southwest corner
2014
In March 2014, more renovations totaling $7.7M were approved[16] and include:
- Chair-back and VIP seating to replace the East bleachers, similar to the West bleacher renovation that occurred the previous offseason
- New South bleacher, 28 rows in height and approximately 1,000 seats, to hold the DAC Pack and pep band. (Previously, the DAC Pack was primarily located at the East bleachers)
- Several additional bathrooms, meeting space, a conference/reception area, and basket storage located in the Southwest corner behind the seating
- New visitor locker room, located in the Northwest corner
The addition of floor 'pro-style' baskets was also investigated by the design team. Following their investigation, a decision was made to not implement the floor baskets because they found that the South bleachers would have to be moved back nine feet further from the basketball court, and also that floor baskets generally cause an obstructed view for any fans seated behind the basket. Because of this, the DAC will continue to use its swing-down style baskets.
2015
Phase 4 of the Daskalakis Athletic Center renovation, completed in October 2015 included:
- New north-end seating, reducing the capacity to 2,509 from 2,532.
- Improved concessions
2016
Phases 5 and 6 of the renovation began in May 2016 and were completed in September 2016. Phase 5 of the renovation involved additions to the basketball court level and includes the addition of bathrooms, offices, ticket booth, conference room, storage rooms, and an audio/visual room for television broadcasts. Phase 6 included installing an air conditioning system in the arena.
Future
Other renovations and additions are expected to continue as the budget for them becomes available. Some of the additions that have been proposed include a new scoreboard, a second-story terrace level, mezzanine expansion, upgrades to the lobby, sports lighting, main entrance renovations, a media room, and other amenities.
See also
References
- ^ "Contracts Awarded For New Phys-Ed Center" (PDF). The Triangle. 2 July 1971. p. 1. Retrieved 14 August 2018.
- ^ "Drexel Alumnus John A. Daskalakis Pledges $3 Million to the University in Support of Athletics". Drexel University. Retrieved 19 May 2014.
- ^ "Sam Cozen Court to Be Dedicated Prior to Drexel-VCU Men's Game on Wednesday". drexeldragons.com. Drexel Athletics. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ Tatum, Kevin (April 16, 2008). "Drexel clears way for new arena". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 2008-05-26. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
- ^ Stephenson, David (January 18, 2010). "Northside Dining Terrace now open to students". The Triangle. Archived from the original on 2010-08-06. Retrieved 2010-01-26.
- ^ Stephenson, David (February 19, 2010). "Recreation Center opens doors". The Triangle. Archived from the original on 2010-02-22. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ^ "Drexel University Buildings". Archived from the original on 2006-09-07. Retrieved 2006-11-14.
- ^ "Dr. Zillmer bio for web" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-01-06. Retrieved 2006-11-14.
- ^ "The Triangle January 1997" (PDF). The Triangle. January 10, 1997. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "The Triangle September 1997" (PDF). The Triangle. Sep 26, 1997. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ Dang, Anh. "C.A.B. will skip fall concert" (PDF). Drexel Triangle. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ Dang, Anh. "CAB Fall concert date set" (PDF). Drexel Triangle. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ "The Triangle May 1993" (PDF). The Triangle. May 7, 1993. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ Lalli, Russ (10 March 1978). "Geils rock up a storm in Drexel gym" (PDF). Philadelphia, PA: The Triangle. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ "Capacity Crowd Fills Daskalakis Athletic Center for Olympic Trials". Drexel Athletics. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
- ^ "FY2014 SLAS Goals Report". Drexel University. Archived from the original on 17 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.