The CFSB Center is an 8,600-seat arena located in Murray, Kentucky , near the intersection of Ky. 121 and U.S. 641. The arena is the home of the Murray State Racers Basketball teams. It was previously known as the Regional Special Events Center, or "RSEC", until the name was changed on September 17, 2010, following a $ 3.3 million donation from Community Financial Services Bank to Murray State Athletics. While the CFSB Center is commonly used for basketball, it was designed as a multi-purpose facility that also frequently hosts concerts, trade shows, and conventions.
19-409: The Regional Special Events Center (RSEC) was built as a replacement for Racer Arena , the school's former basketball arena. While Racer Arena was structurally sound (it still stands and is now used for volleyball), it was growing increasingly obsolete, and its capacity of 5,500 proved too small for the men's basketball program. Talk of a new basketball arena began around 1978, when the basketball program
38-401: A doctor's office, as well as a whirlpool room. This room is utilized by the men's and women's basketball teams for strength training. All athletes who utilize the weight room are in direct supervision of their trainer. These rooms not only serve as the place where officials will come to prepare for games, but also as production offices for concerts and other special events. Road managers and
57-556: A new practice facility attached to the CFSB Center that will give both men's and women's basketball teams unlimited access to courts. In addition to new practice space, the expansion will include new office space for basketball coaches. The university also has plans to construct luxury boxes for the CFSB Center and relocate the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame to the CFSB Center. Relocation of the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame to
76-436: A safe and comfortable indoor walking experience. The track is available to Murray State students, faculty and staff, as well as the local community. Just seven laps around the track is equal to one mile (1.6 km). The CFSB Center is a Ticketmaster facility. All tickets can be bought at the facility, or online. This large area is dedicated solely to the care and health of MSU athletes. It includes two general offices and
95-504: Is on this level where the main ticket box offices are located. The lower level also features VIP concessions, locker rooms, the Murray Room (a banquet-style or meeting space for up to 200 people), and the administrative offices. The Upper level accesses sections 201 through 222, as well as standing room and four concessions areas. Surrounding the upper level is a four lane rubberized track. The state-of-the-art rubberized floor provides
114-658: The 2011–12 college basketball season. This was head coach Randy Bennett 's eleventh season at Saint Mary's. The Gaels compete in the West Coast Conference and played their home games at the McKeon Pavilion . They finished the season 27–6, 14–2 in WCC play to be crowned West Coast Conference regular season champions. They were also champions of the West Coast Basketball tournament to earn
133-563: The 188,800-square-foot (17,540 m) facility. RSEC officially opened on September 12, 1998, but the first event was actually the Kentucky Baptist Youth Conference in June 1998, which took place before construction was completed. Tim McGraw played the first concert at the facility on September 26, 1998, to a crowd of about 8,000 people. In 2004, new basketball locker rooms and a weight room were constructed in
152-472: The CFSB Center expansion finally began in late February 2012. Construction of the practice facility and office space will add more than 18,000 square feet (1,700 m) of additional space to the CFSB Center. The construction contract was awarded to Pinnacle, Inc. of Benton, Kentucky. The addition to the CFSB Center is scheduled to open in January 2013. The CFSB Center uses a split-level concourse system, with
171-519: The CFSB Center was completed in Summer 2011, and Hastings & Chivetta was selected as the architect for construction of the new practice facility and coaching office space. Construction work on the facility expansion was originally expected to begin by November 2011; however, it was delayed until after the nationally televised final home game of the 2011-12 men's basketball season against the nationally ranked Saint Mary's Gaels . Preliminary ground work on
190-719: The CFSB Center. This is the highest documented noise level ever recorded at an indoor basketball arena. Racer Arena Racer Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Murray, Kentucky . It is the current home of the Murray State University women's volleyball team. Racer Arena became the largest capacity volleyball-only facility among NCAA Division I schools after the University of Arkansas added gymnastics to its previously volleyball-only Barnhill Arena in 2003. The 5,550-seat Racer Arena, originally known as
209-707: The Fieldhouse, opened on December 11, 1954. The original construction cost of the area was $ 372,571.80. Prior to the construction of Racer Arena, intercollegiate basketball games had been played in the Carr Health Building since 1937. Racer Arena hosted the Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament in 1983, 1988, 1990, and 1991. In 1993, the building housing Racer Arena was named Cutchin Fieldhouse, in honor of former Murray State coach and administrator Carlisle Cutchin . Racer Arena
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#1732790087941228-573: The Regional Special Events Center. Additional enhancements were implemented between August and September 2009, including a new playing floor and two wide screen video boards measuring 10 feet (3.0 m) tall and 18 feet (5.5 m) wide. Community Financial Services Bank made a $ 3.3 million donation to Murray State athletics in September 2010 in exchange for naming rights to the Regional Special Events Center. The name of
247-485: The facility officially changed to the CFSB Center on September 17, 2010. Following the donation, Murray State also unveiled plans in January 2011 for facility expansion and upgrades to the CFSB Center. Since the building was constructed as a multi-purpose facility, the other events held at the CFSB Center often restrict the amount of court time available to the Murray State basketball teams. The expansion plan calls for
266-446: The lower level section accessed through a lower level entrance (Quad A, Northeast Entrance just off Highway 121) and the upper level accessed through any entrance, primarily at the main entrance (Quad B, Southeast Entrance just off Gilbert Graves Drive). The lower level is the main concourse and features street level access from two of the four gates located on Gilbert Graves and US Highway 121. This level accesses sections 101 to 121. It
285-679: The need to construct a modern area began in 1978 when Ron Greene took over the basketball program, but plans for a new arena wouldn't actually start to become a reality until the early 1990s when funding was finally approved. Racer Arena remained home to the Murray State men's and women's basketball teams until they moved to the venue now known as CFSB Center in 1998. 36°36′52″N 88°19′14″W / 36.61444°N 88.32056°W / 36.61444; -88.32056 2011%E2%80%9312 Saint Mary%27s Gaels men%27s basketball team The 2011–12 Saint Mary's Gaels men's basketball team represented Saint Mary's College of California in
304-464: The playing court, the press area was located at the top of the seating area instead of courtside. While Racer Arena's official capacity was 5,550, sellouts were common with the area and more than 6,000 fans packed the stands on numerous occasions. By the early 1970s, records indicate that the capacity was already seen as insufficient to meet the needs of demand from the campus and community for attendance at varsity basketball games. Serious discussions of
323-628: The production staff have online access in these rooms. Built for convenience and easy access, the loading dock area includes three bays that are large enough to drive three 18-wheelers through. It also offers show power and enough shore power for four buses. The CFSB Center is one of the loudest arenas in college basketball. During the February 18, 2012 game between the Racers and the Saint Mary's Gaels , peak noise levels of 138 dBA were measured in
342-508: Was beginning to make big strides toward success. The project became reality in the early 1990s when the Kentucky General Assembly appropriated $ 18 million for construction of the project on the condition that the school would raise at least $ 2 million locally. Ground was broken in 1995; however, construction problems and cost overruns delayed completion of the facility until 1998 and pushed the total cost to $ 23 million for
361-426: Was known for the home-court advantage it provided to the Murray State basketball program. The density of the traditional bowl style seating area, close exterior walls, and low ceiling in relation to the seats led to very intense crowd noise. In addition, the seating area extended very close to the playing surface and team benches, which added to the hostile environment for visiting teams. With the seating area so close to
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