"The Keg" | |
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| Former names | USF Sun Dome(1980–2018) |
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| Address | 12499 USF Bull Run Drive |
| Location | Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 28°03′33.25″N82°24′23.30″W / 28.0592361°N 82.4064722°W /28.0592361; -82.4064722 |
| Owner | University of South Florida |
| Operator | Tampa Bay Entertainment Properties, LLC, a division ofVinik Sports Group, LLC |
| Capacity | Basketball: 10,500 |
| Record attendance | Men's basketball: 10,659[2] Women's basketball: 9,821[3] |
| Surface | QuickLock Portable Floor(northern hard maple) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1977 |
| Opened | November 29, 1980 |
| Renovated |
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| Construction cost | $12 million ($62.3 million in 2024 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Barger + Dean Architects, Inc. |
| Tenants | |
| South Florida Bulls men's basketball (1980–present) South Florida Bulls women's basketball (1980–present) South Florida Bulls volleyball (1995–present) WWE ThunderDome (pro-wrestling) (2021) Tampa Bay Strikers (NISL) (2022–2024) | |
| Website | |
| yuenglingcenter | |
Yuengling Center (formerly theUSF Sun Dome) is an indoor arena on the main campus of theUniversity of South Florida (USF) inTampa, Florida. Construction began in November 1977, and it opened in November 1980. It is located inUSF's Athletics District on the southeast side of campus, and is home to the South Florida Bullsmen's andwomen's basketball andvolleyball teams, as well as USF's commencement ceremonies and other school and local events. With 10,500 seats (including over 3,500 in thestudent section), it is the third-largest basketball arena by capacity in theAmerican Conference.
Before the Yuengling Center, USF's basketball teams played at various locations on and off campus. The basketball teams first played atCurtis Hixon Hall in downtown Tampa, and later split their home schedule between Curtis Hixon Hall, theBayfront Center inSt. Petersburg,Expo Hall at theFlorida State Fairgrounds, and theUSF Gymnasium on campus, among others.[4]
By 1975, both the University of South Florida and theUniversity of Florida in Gainesville had decided to build new on-campus indoor sports facilities. The two schools pooled their resources and shared the cost of a basic arena design to stretch limited state funding. The "core unit" of the Sun Dome and UF'sO'Connell Center were nearly identical, and they each featured a flexible, inflatable roof made ofTeflon and supported by a system of blowers. However, the O'Connell Center included facilities for other sports (namely gymnastics, volleyball, swimming and diving) around the main arena, while the Sun Dome as originally built did not, though it later added The Corral for the women's volleyball team after a renovation in 1995.[5]
The $12 million Sun Dome broke ground in November 1977 on formerly open land on the southeast side of campus near Fowler Avenue. Construction was slowed on both the Sun Dome and the O'Connell Center when cracks appeared inprecast concrete support beams.[6] The problems were eventually fixed, and the sister facilities were completed within a few weeks of each other in late 1980 – the Sun Dome in November and the O'Connell Center in December.[5]
The first two events at the new arena were a USF men's basketball game againstFlorida A&M and a concert byAlice Cooper.[7]
In 2000, the original inflatable roof was replaced with a more conventional hard dome and additional facilities for USF indoor sports programs were added around the main arena at a cost of about $8 million (about $14.6 million in 2024 dollars).[1]
In 2011, USF began a major renovation of the Yuengling Center at a cost of $35.6 million (about $49.8 million in 2024 dollars). Among other interior improvements, this renovation reconfigured the seating area to make the facilityADA compliant andLEED Silver certified.[8] It also added a larger center hung scoreboard, a larger team store, a new concourse level with concessions and restrooms, and a new, athletes-only dining hall. On the outside, original exterior concrete was repaired, bricks were added to some portions of the façade, and the entrance gates were improved. This project was completed in April 2012.[9][10]
In 2017, USF announced that the Sun Dome's management would be taken over byJeff Vinik, owner of theTampa Bay Lightning, via Tampa Bay Entertainment Properties, LLC.[11][12] On June 12, 2018, USF announced a 10-year naming rights deal with brewerYuengling, effective July 1, 2018.[13][14]
In April 2021,WWE began a long-term residency at Yuengling Center, broadcasting its shows from abehind closed doors set called theWWE ThunderDome, which lasted until July 2021.
The student section was renamed in honor of former USF men's basketball coachAmir Abdur-Rahim following his death in 2024.[15]
The Corral opened in 1995 as the home to theBulls volleyball team at a cost of $5 million (about $10.3 million in 2024 dollars). The Corral spans 11,500 square feet on the west side of the arena with a capacity of up to 1,000 fans.[16] Prior to the opening of The Corral, the volleyball team played in theUSF Gymnasium, now called the Campus Recreation Center.
In addition to USF sporting events, the Yuengling Center hosts USF'scommencement ceremonies along with many concerts, shows, and special events.
Between the arena's opening in 1981 until the opening of what is now known asBenchmark International Arena in 1996, the Yuengling Center was the premier indoor concert venue in theTampa Bay area and hosted many big-name artists.
The first concert held at the Yuengling Center (then the USF Sun Dome) wasAlice Cooper, on November 25, 1980.[7] Other notable acts hosted at the Yuengling Center prior to the renovations completed in 2012 includeJimmy Buffett (1982, 1985, 1986, and 1988),The Beach Boys (1984, 1985, and 1989),Ozzy Osbourne (1984, 1988, and 1991),Grateful Dead (1985),U2 (1985),Madonna (1985),Tom Petty (1985, 1990, and 1995),Billy Joel (1987),Frank Sinatra (1987 and 1988),Fleetwood Mac (1987 and 1990),AC/DC (1988),Bob Dylan (1988, 1993, 2006, and 2010),Bon Jovi (1995),Steely Dan (1996),Backstreet Boys (1998),Britney Spears (1998 and 1999),System of a Down (1999 and 2002),Green Day (2005),My Chemical Romance (2005),Kanye West (2005),Tool (2007),Lil Wayne (2007),Daddy Yankee (2009), andDrake (2011).[17][18][19] On September 14, 2012,Elton John performed the first concert held in the renovated building, his third concert at the arena in total.[17][20][21][22][23]
Since the 2012 renovation, notable concerts includeImagine Dragons (2013),Fall Out Boy (2013),Panic! at the Disco (2013 and 2014),Alan Jackson (2015),Zedd (2015),2 Chainz (2016 and 2022),Arcade Fire (2017),Tyler, the Creator (2019 and 2022),Young Thug (2019),Illenium (2019),AJR (2019),Portugal. The Man (2022), andGhost (2022).[22][24]
WWE has hosted severalprofessional wrestling events at the Sun Dome; it hostedSaturday Night's Main Event for the first time in 1985, and hosted thepay-per-viewRoyal Rumble in 1995 (which notably sawShawn Michaels become the first person entering at number 1 to win the titularRoyal Rumble match by outlasting all 29 of the other participants).[25] On March 24, 2021, WWE announced that it would move itsThunderDome residency—abio-secure bubble used to film the company's weekly programsRaw,SmackDown, andMain Event, as well as those shows' associated pay-per-views, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic—to Yuengling Center beginning with the April 12 episode ofRaw, followingWrestleMania 37 (which was held at Tampa'sRaymond James Stadium). The ThunderDome was relocated fromTropicana Field due to the start of theTampa Bay Rays'2021 season; as before, programs produced at the arena were heldbehind closed doors with no in-person audience.[26] During their residency at the Yuengling Center, WWE held two pay-per-view events,WrestleMania Backlash andHell in a Cell. WWE resumed live touring on July 16, thus ending the ThunderDome productions. The company finished tapings at the Yuengling Center on July 9; the final show to air featuring the ThunderDome at the Yuengling Center was the July 15 episode ofMain Event.[27][28][29][30] On March 7, 2025,WWE announced that it would host four events at the Yuengling Center from May 24 - May 27, 2025. The four events will beSaturday Night's Main Event XXXIX on May 24,Battleground on May 25,Monday Night Raw on May 26, andNXT on May 27.[31]
Creator Clash was hosted at the Yuengling Center in 2022.[32]
UFC hostedUFC Fight Night: Lauzon vs Stephens at the Sun Dome on February 7, 2009.[33] The Sun Dome also hostedBellator 72 and94 in 2012 and 2013 respectively.[34][35]
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