Pauley Pavilion
From Hoopedia
Edwin W. Pauley Pavilion, informally and commonly known as Pauley Pavilion, is an indoor arena located on the campus of UCLA in Los Angeles, California. It is home to the UCLA Bruins men's and women's basketball teams. The men's and women's volleyball and women's gymnastics teams also play here. The building was dedicated in June, 1965, named for University of California Regent Edwin W. Pauley, who had matched the alumni contributions. Pauley donated almost one fifth of the more than $5,000,000 spent in building the arena.
Pauley Pavilion contains 10,337 permanent theater-style upholstered seats, plus retractable bleachers for 2,482 spectators, making a total basketball capacity of 12,829. This capacity has been exceeded several times for several men's basketball games by adding portable bleacher seating alongside the retractable bleachers. The single-game attendance record of 13,478 was set on February 23, 1997 (UCLA vs. Duke).
When the bleachers are retracted, there is space for three full-sized basketball courts. These courts are used for team practice, intramural games, and pickup basketball games. It can also serve as a convention hall or large dining area when in this configuration.
When used for men's volleyball, the basketball court is striped with colored tape. The volleyball net is erected at the half court line. The women's team uses blue and yellow Sport Court lined up perpendicularly to the basketball court tucked up to the east end of the court.
There is a tunnel on the south side through which trucks and service vehicles may enter. This is also the "backstage" entrance for players, performers, and broadcast personnel.
The floor is called "Nell and John Wooden Court." Former UCLA Men's Basketball Coach John Wooden attends every basketball game and sits at the far southeast side of the court behind the UCLA team bench. Before a game and during halftime a big line backs up to get John Wooden's autograph.
UCLA Men's Basketball Seating
From the opening of the building until 1987, the extra press not involved in the radio or television broadcasts sat behind the south side (team bench side) press table. The working press then moved to sit courtside at "press row" on the northern side of the court, as the south courtside seats were opened up to influential and affluent boosters. In 2003, the UCLA Athletic Department made available north side courtside seats to affluent donors. The media now sit higher up in permanent seating dead-center in the north side of the bleachers. The press move to the north side in 1987 was as controversial as the 2003 move, in that the student section was now behind the press table and big donors had taken the south side courtside seats.
The student section has moved several times as well. Since 2003, the student section of 1,750 seats occupies the north side bleachers.
The UCLA Varsity Band has also moved to accommodate seating changes. Originally, they were located on the north courtside directly across from the UCLA bench. In 1984, they moved to the northeast corner courtside. In 1996 they moved to the north side above the student section. In 2003, they moved to the west side of the arena to be courtside.
UCLA Championship Banners
The only championship banners that are displayed within the building are for national or NCAA Championships. One banner each for men's and women's volleyball, as well as men's and women's gymnastics, lists all the years in which they were NCAA or National champions. There is one banner for the women's basketball AIAW championship in 1978. There are 11 individual banners for the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship teams. Unlike most schools, there are neither conference championship banners nor other tournament championship banners displayed in the building, despite the fact UCLA teams have won many tournaments and basketball championships in the Pacific Ten Conference and its predecessor conferences. Former Bruin point guard Jordan Farmar described the rationale for this during the Bruins' 2005 Final Four run, by stating, "[a]t UCLA, only national championship banners go up," reflecting an attitude on the campus of extremely high athletic expectation. The men's banners are navy blue with gold lettering, while the women's banners are gold with navy blue lettering.
