Mohegan Sun Arena
 Mohegan Sun Arena after the CT class LL state championship basketball game | |
| Address | 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd |
|---|---|
| Location | Uncasville, Connecticut |
| Coordinates | 41°29′28″N 72°5′23″W / 41.49111°N 72.08972°W / 41.49111; -72.08972Coordinates: 41°29′28″N 72°5′23″W / 41.49111°N 72.08972°W / 41.49111; -72.08972 |
| Owner | Mohegan Sun |
| Operator | Mohegan Sun |
| Capacity | Basketball: 9,323 Concerts: 10,000 Lacrosse: 7,074[1] |
| Opened | October 2001 |
| Tenants | |
Mohegan Wolves (AF2) (2002–2003) Connecticut Sun (WNBA) (2003–present) New England Black Wolves (NLL) (2015–present) | |
| Website | |
| http://mohegansun.com | |
The Mohegan Sun Arena is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Uncasville, Connecticut located inside Mohegan Sun. The arena facility features 30,000 square feet (2,800 m2) of configurable exhibition space and a 400-foot (120 m) clear span. It was built by the Perini Building Company, and opened in October 2001.[2]
Contents
1 History
1.1 Arena Football
1.2 Basketball
1.3 Lacrosse
2 Seating
3 Notable events
3.1 NBA Games
3.2 Strength Athletics Grand Prix
4 References
5 External links
History
The multi-purpose facility has hosted a wide variety of events; including the American Kennel Club, WWE,[3] concerts from major classical, country, jazz, metal, rap, rock, and pop acts, as well as sporting events such as PBR events, Bellator, NCAA games, PBA tournaments, early UFC bouts, and the World's Strongest Man Super Series Competition. The largest event on record to have been held at the arena was the inaugural Barrett-Jackson collector car auction in the Northeast in 2016, for which 90,000 tickets were sold to the multi-day event.[4]
Major network and cable television broadcasting companies, including CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, ESPN and CNN have all produced events through this arena.
Arena Football
The arena originally served as home of the Mohegan Wolves arena football team until it was sold and moved to Manchester, New Hampshire in 2004.
On July 19, 2001, Uncasville was awarded an AF2 expansion team.[5] On December 12, 2001, Mohegan Sun and Dr. Eric Margenau, President/Chief Executive Officer of United Sports Ventures, announced that the new expansion AF2 franchise would be named the Mohegan Wolves. Margenau introduced Gary Porter, as the head coach for the team that would first take the field April 5, 2002 at the Mohegan Sun Arena against the Albany Conquest. Gary Porter, previously led the expansion Peoria Pirates to a 7-9 record in 2001.
The team name was selected through a "Name the Team" contest sponsored by WCTY, Mohegan Sun and X-Tra Mart. A Jewett City resident, came up with the winning name. The winner won four season tickets for the 2002 Mohegan Wolves season, dinner for four on the night of the team's first home game, and a team merchandise package.
Basketball
On January 28, 2003 the arena was announced as the official home court for the Connecticut Sun. Prior to the fall of 2002, the NBA operating model precluded any WNBA team without an NBA "brother" counterpart. By the time the Connecticut Sun moved in, Val Ackerman was the WNBA president and Mark L. Brown was the chairman of the Mohegan Tribe. While the arena is attached to the Mohegan Sun casino, the facility does not accept any form of sports wagering or sports booking because sports betting is illegal in Connecticut.
On September 8, 2005, as a companion to the arena, the Mohegan Sun casino opened a Connecticut Sun merchandise store called "Winter Essentials." It was the first store in the United States that sold professional basketball goods on casino ground. However, the store was closed when the casino underwent renovations in 2008. Connecticut Sun merchandise can now be purchased in the Arena during games.
Lacrosse
On April 21, 2002, the Mohegan Sun Arena hosted the 2002 National Lacrosse League All-Star Game. The North Division (Calgary Roughnecks, Montreal Express, Ottawa Rebel, Rochester Knighthawks, Toronto Rock, Vancouver Ravens) defeated the South (Albany Attack, Buffalo Bandits, Columbus Landsharks, New Jersey Storm, New York Saints, Philadelphia Wings, Washington Power) by a score of 14-10. Steve Toll, of the Toronto Rock, was named the MVP of the event.
On August 5, 2014, the National Lacrosse League announced that the Philadelphia Wings would move to the Mohegan Sun Arena and be re-branded as the New England Black Wolves for the 2015 season.[6] In their home opener, the Black Wolves defeated the Buffalo Bandits 12-8 in front of 5,768.
| Season | Attendance |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 5,768 |
| 2016 | 5,589 |
| 2017 | 7,074 |
| 2018 | 6,158 |
Seating
As of 2006, the seating can be configured into 5 common sports configurations. Basketball, boxing, bowling, rodeo, table tennis, lacrosse. It also can be reconfigured to fit many types of concerts: regular, fullhouse, centerstage, and halfhouse. The arena has won awards for being one of America's most modern concert venues. The arena was awarded the 2008 and 2010 Country Music Award for "Casino of the Year". It was also ranked the 4th best venue by Billboard Magazine.
Notable events
Mohegan Sun Arena
WNBA All-Star Game – 2005,[7]2009, 2010,[8]2013, 2015
Bellator MMA has consistently put on events at Mohegan Sun Arena.
- 2009: Bellator 2, Bellator 11
- 2010: Bellator 15,
- 2011: Bellator 39, Bellator 48
- 2012: Bellator 63
- 2013: Bellator 98
- 2014: Bellator 110, Bellator 123
- 2015: Bellator 134, Bellator 140, Bellator 144
- 2016: Bellator 153, Bellator 163
- 2017: Bellator 178, Bellator 185
- 2018: Bellator 194, Bellator 207
- 2019: Bellator 215, Bellator 216
National Lacrosse League 2002 All-Star Game.
American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament (2014–present)
NBA Games
| Date | Home | Score | Away | Game Type | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 11, 2014 | Boston Celtics | 80-92 | New York Knicks | Preseason | 9,252 |
| October 8, 2016 | Boston Celtics | 104-86 | Charlotte Hornets | Preseason | 8,052 |
Strength Athletics Grand Prix
Since 2005, the arena has hosted one of the premier international strongman Grand Prix events.
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | 3rd Place | Event Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 |  Mariusz Pudzianowski |  Jessen Paulin |  Don Pope | Mohegan Sun Grand Prix Final of WSM Super Series 2005[9] |
| 2006 | Mariusz Pudzianowski | Jesse Marunde | Josh Thigpen | Mohegan Sun Grand Prix Final of WSM Super Series 2006[10] |
| 2007 | Mariusz Pudzianowski | Kevin Nee |  Mark Felix | Mohegan Sun Grand Prix Start of WSM Super Series 2007[11] |
| 2008 | Derek Poundstone | Mariusz Pudzianowski | Terry Hollands | Mohegan Sun Grand Prix Start of WSM Super Series 2008[12] |
| 2009 | Derek Poundstone | Travis Ortmayer | Brian Shaw | Mohegan Sun Grand Prix 2009[13] May 17, 2009 Start of Giants Live 2009 |
| 2010 | Derek Poundstone | Brian Shaw |  Stojan Todorchev | Mohegan Sun Grand Prix 2010[14] April 25, 2010 Start of WSM Super Series 2010 |
References
^ "2018-19 NLL Media Guide, page 52, New England Black Wolves Team Information" (PDF). National Lacrosse League. Retrieved March 13, 2019..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Perini Building Company". Archived from the original on 2 February 2005. Retrieved 20 January 2005.
^ "WWE". Retrieved 9 September 2006.
^ Kristafer, Ryan (21 June 2017). "Cruisin' Connecticut – Barrett-Jackson Auction at Mohegan Sun". wtnh.com. wtnh.com. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
^ "af2 enters SE Connecticut". www.oursportscentral.com. OurSports Central. July 19, 2001. Retrieved July 19, 2017.
^ https://www.nll.com/about/history/
^ Evans, Jayda (January 26, 2010). "Mohegan Sun Arena to host another WNBA All-Star game". The Seattle Times.
^ http://articles.courant.com/2010-01-27/sports/hc-usabasketball0127.artjan27_1_wnba-all-star-usa-basketball-chris-sienko
^ Wednesday, August 10, 2005, Mariusz Wins Mohegan Sun Grand Prix . . . Paulen, Pope and Thigpen Qualify for WSM, by Randall J. Strossen of IronMind
^ Thursday, June 1, 2006, Mariusz Pudzianowski: Big Win at the Mohegan Sun, by Randall J. Strossen of IronMind
^ Tuesday, April 24, 2007, From the Mohegan Sun to WSM '07, by Randall J. Strossen of IronMind
^ Friday, February 29, 2008, Eleiko WSM Super Series Mohegan Sun Grand Prix by Randall J. Strossen of IronMind
^ Official Results Archived 2009-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
^ Official Results Archived 2009-07-24 at the Wayback Machine
External links
- http://www.mohegansun.com/entertainment/arena-360view-popup.html
http://www.wnba.com/sun/news/winteressentials.html Mohegan Sun Winter Essentials Store
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by first arena | Home of the Mohegan Wolves 2002–2003 | Succeeded by Verizon Wireless Arena |
| Preceded by TD Waterhouse Centre | Home of the Connecticut Sun 2003 – present | Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by Radio City Music Hall | Host of the WNBA All-Star Game 2005 | Succeeded by Madison Square Garden |
| Preceded by Verizon Center | Host of the WNBA All-Star Game 2009 | Succeeded by unknown |
| Preceded by MGM Grand Garden Arena | Ultimate Fighting Championship venue UFC 35 | Succeeded by MGM Grand Garden Arena |
