- Tudor Fieldhouse
Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Tudor Fieldhouse
nickname = previously known as Autry Court|
caption = Autry Court prior to a men's basketball game.
location = Houston,Texas
broke_ground =
opened = 1950
closed = Open
demolished = N/A
architect = N/A
owner =Rice University
operator =Rice University
tenants =Rice University Athletics
seating_capacity = 5,680— [http://riceowls.cstv.com/facilities/autry-court.html 1992 record crowd]Tudor Fieldhouse is multi-purpose
arena inHouston, Texas . In 2008, the arena was renamed "Tudor Fieldhouse" in honor of Rice alum, Bobby Tudor, who spearheaded the renovation of the facility with a multi-million dollar donation. The court is designated "Autry Court" in memory of Mrs. James L. Autry. Her husband James Lockhart Autry was a descendant ofMicajah Autry , who was a hero of theBattle of the Alamo . Her daughter, Mrs. Edward W. Kelley, made a generous donation to the gymnasium building fund in honor of her late mother, an ardent supporter of Rice.The arena opened in1950 . It is home to theRice University Owls men's and women'sbasketball ,volleyball , andswimming team s.History
The facility was constructed in
1950 . An air conditioning system was added in1991 . Other renovations include a new ceiling, new lighting, and a new scoreboard. The facility currently seats 5,000 people.Autry Court is also home of the notorious Autry Army, a group of students who attend every basketball game and heckle opponents. They have recently been referred to as the "Blue Army of Death" by
University of Memphis men's head basketball coachJohn Calipari . Fact|date=February 2007The blue curtain on one side of the court is called a "distraction" by many colleges. At the end of the game, young fans are invited onto the court to shoot a free-throw. If they make it, they win a basketball.On
February 7 ,2007 , a $23 million renovation of Autry court was announced byRice University . The renovations are to be completed in time for the 2008-09 basketball season. In the interim, Rice played its home games atMerrell Center inKaty, TX (5 games),Reliant Arena (8 games) and Toyota Center (1 game) in Houston.On
July 29 ,2008 , Rice unveiled the new name of the arena, Tudor Fieldhouse, within a press release outlining non-conference opponents for the upcoming basketball season. [http://riceowls.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/072908aaa.html] [http://riceowls.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/rice-m-baskbl-sched.html]External links
* [http://riceowls.cstv.com/facilities/autry-court.html Facility details]
* [http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4532457.html Renovation details]
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