TheWilliam D. Mullins Memorial Center, also known as theMullins Center, is a 9,493-seat multi-purpose arena (10,500 for 360 concerts), located on the campus of theUniversity of Massachusetts, inAmherst, Massachusetts. The Mullins Center is the home ofUMass Minutemenmen's basketball, women's basketball, andmen's ice hockey. In addition, the venue hosts numerous concerts, family shows, theater shows, and commencements annually. Located adjacent to the Mullins Center is the Mullins Community Ice Rink, which is open for public skating and racquetball, while also serving as the home rink for theUMass women's ice hockey team.
In 1985,William D. Mullins, a state representative fromLudlow, suggested that the university needed a multipurpose arena and convocation center to help expand the athletic program and assist in the university's growth. He died in 1986, but the state went ahead with the building of the complex, naming it for him. It replaced theCurry Hicks Cage, the 1930s-era basketball gymnasium, as home of the Minutemen basketball teams. In addition, it allowed the hockey team, which had been downgraded to club status since the late 1970s, to be elevated to Division I status.
Mullins Center Interior
The Mullins Center is managed by Spectra, which manages over 70 different event arenas throughout the United States.
