Sun Dome is More Than a Stadium

A few weeks ago, USF brought the media into the Sun Dome to show to the Tampa community the massive renovations that are taking place inside the 30-year old stadium. 

For those who got to sit inside the old Sun Dome, these renovations mean more than just changing the paint on the outside.  It is bringing in a new era for athletics and putting the university and the programs on the map, a far cry from where they use to be.

The outside of the Sun Dome will be greatly changed.  From the images USF provided, the entrances will have a new design, there will be banners placed on the outside walls, new landscapes will be added, making the outside look just as incredible as the inside of the Sun Dome.

The inside of the Sun Dome is going to be breath taking when complete.  From the image above (from USF Athletics) the Dome has new everything.  From new concessions, to the seats, the hang down video board, it will put USF athletics at another level.

Seeing all these renovations makes me happy and proud for this university for many reasons.  For one, it gives the basketball programs and volleyball a new place to call home and upgrades their facilities to compete with the elite programs in the nation.   They will help the student athletes perfect their craft and will sway new recruits to come to USF.

As an alum and a fan though, it gives me chills to see the new features and everything USF is getting for athletics.  It is a stark difference to the facilities I had when I came to USF.

I came to USF in 2005 (I'm sure some of the older alumni have even more tales than me, but we all know the old Sun Dome).  I attended my first basketball on November 18th, 2005, as USF beat Alcorn State. My first reaction to the Sun Dome was thinking it needed a good cleaning on the outside due to the mildew stained roof.  However, walking inside the Dome, I would soon realize the Dome needed a lot more than a coat of paint. The student section was a rickety set of bleachers that had peeling paint and the few fans that showed up to the games were not more occupied with the each other than the game.  It wasn't a real college basketball atmosphere.  While the team on the court didn't help the matter, the venue in which we were sitting didn't help either.  Those were dark days for USF.  The basketball teams became an afterthought for the students, just something to occupy the nights or a chance to see elite teams like UCONN and Syracuse and the future NBA stars on their rosters.  I remember in my sophomore season, during Round Up, comedian Monique came to town.  She was hilarious, but when she noticed the basketball team sitting in front of her, she couldn't resist, asking the team why they couldn't win games.  All of the fans laughed and the show continued, she was right though, the team couldn't win anything and sitting in the dank Sun Dome was a constant reminder of that.

During my time, I watched names like Melvin Buckley, Chris Capko (for those who remember him, you know the pain), Solomon Jones and James Holmes (how many remember that name) run up and down the court.  I watched Coach Robert McCullum try to figure out how to stay competitive for an entire game and trust me, it wasn't pretty. 

But now, the times have changed.  Both basketball programs are winning (volleyball isn't bad either).  The fans are energized.  Radio and people on the street are talking about the teams and wanting to see what they will do next year.  The Bulls now have a real practice facility in the Muma Center (before they walked over to the Rec Center to use the gym) and now they will have a new home to play in.

As a fan, this is a great time for USF.  We will have a new venue that will raise the level of the program and status of the university.  As a student, they should be even more energized and excited.  They just watched history being made and the future is only brighter.  They won't have the memories of the old Sun Dome like the alum do, but for us, it gives us more perspective of how great things are becoming.