I was looking at the Trib’s website today and saw that it had an article on what’s next for the Huntsman Center. When we moved, I cancelled my subscription to the Trib. Anyone that has access through their paywall that would be willing to give a Readers’ Digest version of the article?
What’s next for the University of Utah’s Jon M. Huntsman Center?
The Runnin’ Utes 55-year-old arena needs some upgrades. Will the U. renovate or rebuild?
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Utah Red Rocks’ gymnastics team delivers a win against Arizona as fans exit the Jon M. Huntsman Center following the meet on Friday, February. 7, 2025.
| March 10, 2025, 6:00 a.m.
| Updated: 10:46 a.m.
It took Greg Kelser 37 years to return to the Jon M. Huntsman Center, so he took his time absorbing the nostalgia on a day in 2016.
He looked down at the shiny maple hardwood and surveyed the 15,000 signature Utah-red seats. He then gazed up at the dome that towers over the steep concourse.
This was where Kelser hoisted the 1979 national championship trophy as a forward for Michigan State. It’s where Hall of Fame dynamos Larry Bird and Magic Johnson etched the first chapter of what would become a legendary rivalry in the most-watched college basketball game of all time.
Memories surely flooded Kelser’s mind until a voice interrupted the daydream.
“Are you back here to go down memory lane?” Utah facility manager Steve Pyne asked.
He walked with Kelser down to the floor where he recreated plays from his glory days. Then Pyne presented Kelser with a piece of the old 1979 hardwood that had been stowed away in a storage closet for over 35 years.
“It was a highlight, reflecting back on the 35-40 years of the arena’s history,” Pyne, now retired from the job he held for years, said recently as he recalled the interaction.
The Huntsman Center still serves as a cathedral for some of the University of Utah’s most memorable moments. From hosting 81 NCAA Tournament games to Rick Majerus’ legendary Runnin’ Utes run to the Red Rocks’ run to 10 national championships, the 55-year-old arena has seen it all.
But — now standing at over a half-century old — the arena has fallen behind the standards of time. The once jam-packed seats are often left empty by Utah fans. It lacks suites, loge boxes and modern concessions.
Its pregame atmosphere consists of a crew of four arena employees manually flashing spotlights around the arena, while a hype video plays on the video board. During halftime, the Utah’s PA announcer begs fans to pack the lower concourse of the arena.
The Huntsman Center’s last renovation was $6 million in 2014, when the university added a new super-grid ceiling structure, LED lighting, a new sound system, and a maple wood floor, and another in 2017-18, when it added a $4.1 million, new video display system.
More changes are needed, however.
“Our focus continues to be centered on exploring everything we can do to make our games in the Huntsman Center the most attractive experience they can be for our programs and our fans,” Utah athletic director Mark Harlan said in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune.
“It is also a building that was constructed before certain standards that are expected now, and it’s challenging with regard to elevators and some amenities. So it’s also our responsibility to continue to look at what the future possibilities might be, within the context of the overall campus planning for facilities and growth.”
Could a long-term renovation project be on the way?
Will the U. look toward building a new arena?
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Utes celebrate their overtime win over BYU, in Big 12 basketball action between the Utah Utes and the Brigham Young Cougars, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Saturday, Jan 18, 2025.
Remodeling or rebuilding?
In 2024, Baylor opened the doors to the new $213 million Foster Pavilion.
After years of playing in the 10,437-seat Ferrell Center, a bowl-shaped complex with plenty of similarities to the Huntsman Center, the Bears decided they were ready for an upgrade.
What was the reasoning?
“We just couldn’t offer different experiences for different guests,” Henry Howard, Baylor’s associate athletic director, told The Tribune. “Obviously, you’re hosting students. They want a different experience than your high-end donor. And then you’ve also got your general fans.”
Spectators take their seats prior to the first event at Foster Pavilion, an NCAA college basketball game between Baylor and Cornell, Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
In its old building, fans had trouble walking around the tight concourse. Its dome leaked following rainstorms in Waco. There were also no premium seating options, and even if there had been, people were not interested in filling the open spots anyway. Hosting late-night games on a weekday, when the casual fan had work the next day, meant the building often had too many open seats.
Baylor now has a steeper arena with 3,000 fewer seats. Instead, it has a 24-seat suite, 70 loge box seats. As part of an improved fan experience, the remodel upgraded the Bears from 70 courtside seats to 160.
The last row of seating in the Foster Pavilion is also 54-feet closer to the court in comparison to Baylor’s old venue.
“You may have less people, but they’re closer to the court,” Howard said.
The U. doesn’t have to follow Baylor’s lead whenever it decides the future of the Huntsman Center. A new building comes with a hefty price tag: The University of Texas’ new Moody Center cost a reported $338 million, and the University of Oklahoma’s proposal for a new arena has clocked in at $330 million.
In 2014, the Utah Board of Higher Education conducted a study about potential improvements to the Huntsman Center, which was expected to be constructed in three phases. Phases two and three would potentially blow out the walls of the arena’s concourse, add different seating options, and downsize the capacity to 12,500-11,500 seats, according to Pyne.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Muss reacts as Utah takes the lead in the final minutes of the game , in Big 12 basketball action between the Utah Utes and the Brigham Young Cougars, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, on Saturday, Jan 18, 2025.
According to the 2014 study, a new arena was considered but “was deemed not feasible [due to] a cost and schedule standpoint.”
Other schools have had success with remodeling their existing arenas.
Sara Boyer, an architect at Moody Nolan — the largest African-American-owned and operated architecture firm in the United States—helped lead the 2018 renovations of Cincinnati’s Fifth Third Arena. The university’s privately-funded venture cost $87 million.
“There are probably three big reasons why they didn’t build a new arena,” Boyer said. “One of them was cost. It’s a lot more. You have to pay for the cost of the demolition and then the whole cost for an entirely new arena. The other one was because of where this building was, there was a lot of utility.
“The last thing was the building wasn’t that old. It was built in 1985, so it just didn’t seem to make a lot of sense.”
Craig Hardee, the senior project manager for the restoration project of Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse, shared a similar sentiment. Building new always costs more, he said. But, when there’s history involved, there have to be extra considerations made before moving onto a new arena.
“We’re dealing with a National Historic Landmark,” Hardee said of his work on Hinkle. “It’s not only a figure on our campus, but in the city of Indianapolis and in the state of Indiana. Building a new arena wasn’t even a consideration.
“The main cost for us [and goal] was just providing the other amenities that the fans are expecting in an arena.”
Gary Sparks, the lead architect for Oklahoma State’s Gallagher-Iba Arena, led a similar venture in the late 1990s. He stripped out and replaced old electrical wiring, plumbing and HVAC of OSU’s original arena.
He then built a shell on top of the arena, which increased the capacity. He says he’d do the opposite to the Huntsman Center if he were consulting on the project.
“I’d probably start at the concourse level and renovate everything above it,” Sparks said of renovating the Huntsman Center. “Then you’d have to demolish those seats. Then I’d turn all that into really luxurious suites. I think that’s what you would have to do.”
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Fans cheer on the Utah men’s basketball team as they take on Kansas at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, in Salt Lake City.
Sizing up or sizing down?
In 2015, when now-Oklahoma State athletic director Chad Weiberg joined Texas Tech, he toured the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas.
The Red Raiders had only made March Madness one time since 2007. They were struggling to fill their venue’s 15,098 seats and talks of downsizing the arena were already in motion.
“One of the things that they were saying was, ‘Well, I think we built this thing too big, and we probably need to look at how we can reduce the capacity,’” Weiberg told The Tribune.
Then the Red Raiders hired Chris Beard.
The wins started piling on. Texas Tech made the Big Dance by his second season. The program’s average attendance jumped from 8,994 fans per game in 2016-17, Beard’s first season, to an average of 10,739 fans in 2017-18.
“Now they’re happy they have every one of those 15,000 seats,” Weiberg said. “I think that’s just the perfect example of just what winning can do.”
(Doug McSchooler | AP) Butler University’s Hinkle Fieldhouse during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015, in Indianapolis.
Weiberg is now facing a similar problem with Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma, which has 13,611 seats. The Cowboys have the second-worst attendance record for men’s basketball in the conference. They also haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2020-21.
“Fans will come when you’re winning,” Weiberg said. “It’s a little bit of a chicken and egg thing too. You need the crowd, and particularly the students, to show up to create that home-court advantage and help you win those games.”
This season, Utah men’s basketball has seated an average of 8,015 fans per game, 10th among the 16 teams in the Big 12. The Huntsman Center has also averaged 3,869 and 12,207 fans per contest for women’s basketball and women’s gymnastics, respectively.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes guard Matyson Wilke (23) celebrates her game-winning shot as Utah hosts BYU, NCAA basketball in Salt Lake City on Saturday, March 1, 2025.
But even winning basketball programs have had to consider downsizing in recent years.
The Baylor Bears won the NCAA title in 2021. But their new Foster Pavilion has 70% the capacity of the school’s old arena.
“It helps the guests, it helps the coach and it helps the fans create that hostile environment,” Howard said. “It just made sense to downsize.
“With the new acoustics of the facility and with the slope of the risers, even if we have half of a crowd on a Tuesday night at 8 p.m. that’s better than having a place that looks empty.”
Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard told The Tribune that he’s tried being ahead of the curve in the fan experience market, recently breaking ground on a new sports and entertainment district, CYTown, to generate revenue for the campus when basketball and football are out of season.
The Cyclone’s Hilton Coliseum seats more than 14,000. But Pollard still sees the appeal of a smaller building.
“Scarcity is a great motivator, and we prey on that in our industry because of the donation levels that you require people to give to get the best seats,” he said of downsizing arenas. “That also helps in those lean years, because they know [it’s not worth] giving those seats up.”
Focusing on the future
As pre-game music reverberated off the ceiling of the Huntsman Center on Feb. 15, Mike Ohlin scarfed down a cookie while wearing his signature black Utes pullover, as crumbs scattered on the ground.
Ohlin has been attending games in Utah’s famed arena since the 1960s. When his parents went out, he’d listen to the radio broadcast to catch the live scoring updates on the Runnin’ Utes. The next day, he’d read the paper to digest a recap.
“I’m just used to coming,” Ohlin said, as he watched Utah’s team warm up. “The present situation bothers me, because — I’ll be honest with you — we probably are the most unathletic team in the conference, and I don’t see a future. I think that’s what’s hard.”
Ute fans hope new basketball coach, Alex Jensen, will usher in better times.
Meanwhile, inside the 55-year-old arena, Utah officials said they were focused on small changes to improve the fan experience this year.
“Our focus is on what we can control, and that, to me, is our concessions; that’s our parking, that’s our in-game entertainment. Those are areas that we continue to focus on and innovate,” Patrick Nowlin, Utah’s new deputy athletic director and chief revenue officer, said.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Fans celebrate the Utah Red Rocks 50 years during a gymnastics meet against Arizona at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City on Friday, February. 7, 2025. The University of Utah won.
This season, the Utes added grab-and-go concessions, so fans could get back to their seats quicker during games. They also sent out fan surveys and held focus groups with donors to understand what Utah fans like, and don’t like, about attending games in the Huntsman Center.
“Whether it be through how [fans] enter the building to how they consume the game to how they are entertained,” Nowlin said. “We are going to challenge ourselves to continue to find new ways to innovate, but we also want to understand what it is that our fans find value in because that right there is what we want to invest in.”
But the U. is currently surveying what’s next. Is it out with the old and in with the new, or are renovations of the Huntsman Center still the main focus?
Pyne doesn’t know.
“I don’t know what can be done to bring that excitement back, especially when there’s not a good product on the floor,” Pyne said.
He still regularly comes to Utah games when he has time and is also a strong proponent of bringing back the black curtains that cover up the top half of the arena’s seats.
Like most Utah fans, he longs for change in the building he has dedicated so much of his life to.
When Pyne thinks back on the 40 years he’s spent working in the Huntsman Center, he smiles at the memories, whether it be Majerus’ NCAA Tournament runs or watching Kelser relive his 1979 championship.
As Pyne handed Kelser the red-painted piece of wood from the Huntsman Center in 2016, he bartered in exchange for The Michigan State forward’s signature on one of the original 1979 national championship programs he held onto as a keepsake.
It’s a personal token from one of the most historic moments in college basketball. But it’s also a reminder of what the Huntsman Center can be when it’s at its best.
A place for rowdy crowds. A place for electric basketball.
And, he hopes, a place for more memories.
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It’s funny, I remember making pretty much the same recommendations for remodeling the JMHC on the “old” board. I should be an architect or something.
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Sounds like the JMHC will be going away
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Not sure about Hunty is going away – don’t think the Utah community has the $$$, especially given the prevailing economic/political climate.
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Pretty sure it’s going away.
It’s not about the arena as much as the university.
The U wants the land where the JMHC is for more housing etc.
They’re creating campus districts, one of which is “athletics”. They also understand the arena isn’t going to support future needs (for example, the floor cannot support gymnastics podiums, it’s too small) and is an ADA nightmare.
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I see. Thanks.
p.s. just received an email from the U about Hunty.
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Here’s a link to the plan. Long on concept, short on details. Bottom line is they’ll move the JMHC to somewhere TBD and use the existing one until that happens. What I find interesting is the building is still shown in the illustration of the “college town” area.
Gotta admit, im feeling emotions about this. Im excited about the future of campus and President Randall is the leader that campus needs now. That area around the jmhc is an eyesore in some cases and could use a refresh. But I will miss that arena up on the hill.
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The good news I see is the re-creation of open space near where on-campus residents are. When I walk past where Austin, VanCott, and Ballif were I’m continually amazed that all the places where we used to hang out, play softball or flag football, watch the girls tanning on Austin Beach, etc. are gone.
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I could see them move Print & Mail, the motor pool, etc over to Fort Douglas and tear down the Turpin building and the others adjacent and build the new arena there. Then the could tear down the Huntsman for more housing. The other spot I could see them using is just some of the open space on the Fort Douglas site across from the Madsen Health center. In either case I expect them to add a parking garage as part of the development.
I can also see Turpin and adjacent buildings going over to Fort Douglas in any scenario and putting more student housing and services in that area. That area is currently a bit of a dead zone in the middle of campus that could be better utilized for other things, especially with more space opening up in Fort Douglas. I expect some of the Fort Douglas buildings to be converted to dorms at some point as well.
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I have heard - not sure how solid the rumor - a new arena may be located just west of the FB stadium, in that parking lot, basically creating a combined area, like some cities have done with FB and baseball stadiums next to each other.
(Somebody smarter than me can figure out how the parking situation would work out in that scenario.)
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Letter from Harlan this morning:
Dear Utah Athletics Family,
At the University of Utah Board of Trustees meeting today, President Taylor Randall announced an exciting vision for the future transformation of our campus, which you can view here. While this framework marks just the beginning of a lengthy collaborative process, I want to provide you with some context about the important role that athletics plays in this bold vision.
In alignment with campus leadership, we have placed a high priority on examining the future of our athletics facilities, those for competition and for training, to ensure that we will continue to be able to provide the best experience for our student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans. The Jon M. Huntsman Center has been central in our discussions, as it has played a prominent role in our storied history as an athletics program, and it remains a vital facility in our present landscape.
We have evaluated the most strategic approach to the future of the Huntsman Center, and it is exciting now to see clarity within President Randall’s comprehensive vision to create College Town Magic on our fantastic campus. This unprecedented project will positively impact future generations of U students, and today’s announcement is simply the start of a process that will include an even brighter future for our athletics facilities as a key piece of this plan, including the relocation of the Huntsman Center.
I want to assure you that the process to identify the ideal location for a new arena will be very thorough, comprehensive and inclusive. We will have the opportunity to explore a completely reimagined in-venue experience to serve our athletics programs and our great fans who support our teams. This process will evolve over several years, and we will work closely with university leadership and campus planners, and seek significant input from fans, donors and the surrounding community.
I want to note that while the Huntsman Center will relocate, the neighboring Jon M. and Karen Huntsman Basketball Facility, as well as the recently expanded Dumke Gymnastics Facility, will remain in their current locations.
The Jon M. Huntsman Center will forever hold a special place in the history of Utah Athletics and in college sports, having hosted countless unforgettable NCAA postseason competitions across several sports. It will remain the home venue for our men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and gymnastics programs until a new arena is built, and we will strive to provide the best in-venue experience possible while we celebrate more big moments in the years ahead, as our teams continue to chase championships.
We look forward to embarking on this journey and working collaboratively to design the bright future for the University of Utah that President Randall envisions—to become a top 10 public institution with unsurpassed societal impact.
Go Utes!!
Mark Harlan"
At the rate of change, pretty soon the only people that will be able to find a place to park on campus will be professors driving mopeds.
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We have two professors that are tenants of ours in our rental on 1100 East. They ride their bikes or walk to campus every day. Of course, they’re young Europeans originally so a little exertion to go a little ways isn’t much of an issue for them.
Best tenants we could ever hope for.
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My biggest hope is that any new arena is not located where the Guardsman tailgate lot currently is. They already took part of that lot, and I don’t know where they could move all the tailgaters.
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Interesting that the practice facility for basketball will remain and there will no longer be a direct connection to that and the arena. This issue exists also for volleyball.
Will the soccer and softball fields remain where they are? If so, then you don’t really have a “athletic zone”, do you.
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And gymnastics
But, the U doesn’t have the land to move all of those facilities.
My guess is the arena goes next to RES with a rather large parking garage going in that can be used for basketball, football, gymnastics and volleyball, as well as Kingsbury Hall/PT
With all sports having practice facilities now I don’t know that proximity is an issue.
Especially when the JMHC and RES aren’t actually athletic facilities
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Lots of memories. Watched my very first Utes event there when my father (I still take him to football and basketball games) took me to Utah versus Loyola (CA) in 1969. Saw Danny Vranes lead Skyline to the state title there, then watched Danny, Tom Chambers, Pace Mannion, Karl Bankowski, and Scott Martin coached by Jerry Pimm make it to the sweet 16 only to be dispatched by North Carolina. Watched many great Maji coached teams including a match up of Keith Van Horn and Tim Duncan (who were top 2 picks in the upcoming draft). Also walked on the arena floor for my graduation and to pick up my diploma from the College of Engineering.
Missed seeing the historic Bird/Magic matchup. The previous year had sent in a handful of applications for that final four but didn’t have my envelope drawn out.
Saw lots of other tourney games over the years including Wyoming upsetting UCLA in the funnest non-Utah game I’ve ever been to with most of the arena yelling out Dubya-Why-Oh throughout the second half.
Going to miss the place but it is time for a change.
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If they want the arena in the Athletics Area, the only choices are the parking west of RES and the tailgate parking area. The Basketball Offices, Gymnastics center, soccer and softball venues are still in that same area as JMHC.
I don’t see how they could do a re-build in one off-season and leave it in the same place.
With Jazz and UtahHC in the Delta Center it would almost be impossible to get a schedule there. I guess they could play at the Maverick Center for a year.
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