The third-largest on-campus basketball arena in the country, Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center is one of the nation's biggest and brightest stages for college basketball.
What's on this page?
- History
- Basketball Time in Tennessee
- Men's Attendance Record
- Women's Attendance Records
- Directions
- Venue Entry Gates and Seating
Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center Information
- Address:
1600 Phillip Fulmer Way SW
Knoxville, TN, 37996 - Capacity:
21,678
Lady Vol Basketball Gameday Information
Vol Basketball Ticket Information
Vol Basketball Gameday Information
Facilities Home
History
Named for the late B. Ray Thompson Sr. (1906-87) and former UT President Dr. Edward J. Boling (1922-2015), Thompson-Boling Arena opened in 1987 and regularly hosts Tennessee men's and women's basketball game and volleyball matches as well as concerts, camps, conferences and other special events throughout the year.
Only Syracuse's Carrier Dome, which also is utilized for football, and UNC's Dean Smith Center can seat more on-campus basketball fans. Tennessee was the only school in the country to rank in the top 10 nationally in both men’s and women’s basketball average home attendance during the 2021-22 season.
Thompson-Boling Arena underwent a complete interior transformation starting in the fall of 2008, when Tennessee Athletics unveiled Phase I of a two-phase renovation project for the facility. The $35 million project marked the first major renovation in the venue's history.
Phase I included new seats for the entire arena, a center-hung scoreboard and concourse refurbishments, such as graphics and other amenities.
Phase I also included new luxury suites and loge seating, which were a primary funding source for much of the renovations. The 32 luxury suites are located in the north balcony of Thompson-Boling Arena. The loge area features 166 side court seats, located directly below the luxury suites and includes private adjoining hospitality areas.
Phase II highlights included the construction of a bridge connecting the G-10 parking garage to the arena at concourse level, and a 360-degree LED ribbon board located between the upper and lower decks also was added.
Finally, with the installation of state-of-the-art LED light fixtures—first put to use in February 2014—Thompson-Boling Arena became one of the first venues in the world to feature lights that are smaller, brighter, and up to 85 percent more efficient than conventional arena metal halide lights.
The light-emitting diode fixtures use an ORNL-developed lightweight graphite foam that cools the LED, making them more efficient and reliable. This enables ninety 400-watt LED fixtures to bathe the arena's floor with 200 foot-candles per square foot, compared to the 130 foot-candles produced by the arena's 110 old 1,100-watt fixtures.
In 2018, an extensive facelift took place to the existing men's and women's basketball locker-room space along the arena's north corridor on event level. Both locker rooms were enlarged and modernized with state-of-the-art technological and aesthetic enhancements. In addition, an expanded and enhanced athletic training facility, featuring world-class hydrotherapy systems, was completed for use by both basketball programs.
That new "Larry Pratt Basketball Locker Room Complex" cost $5 million, funded entirely through private gifts. Lead donor Larry Pratt's commitment of $2 million during the Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence—coupled with other leadership gifts—enabled UT to fund the project.
All restrooms throughout the facility also were renovated in 2018.
Funding for all Thompson-Boling Arena renovations projects came from donors to the Campaign for Tennessee Basketball, the Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence and revenue from new premium seating areas such as the north luxury suites and loge seats. The aforementioned capital projects bolstered Thompson-Boling Arena's reputation as one of the nation's premier basketball facilities.
Phase I renovations to Thompson-Boling Arena added loge seating and 32 luxury suites on the arena's north side, which were a primary funding source for the project. Visit the Tennessee Fund homepage for information on luxury seating options.
Basketball Time in Tennessee
Thompson-Boling Arena opened during the 1987-88 season, with the Tennessee men's basketball team defeating Marquette 82-56 before a crowd of 25,272 on Dec. 3. The Lady Vols raced to a 102-59 victory over Stetson earlier that evening.
In the venue's opening season, the Volunteers finished third nationally with an average attendance of more than 20,000 fans per game.
And since that debut season, a majority of the facility's storied history has centered around men's and women's basketball. In the last two and a half decades, the Vols and Lady Vols have hosted record college basketball crowds, as well as WNBA and NCAA Tournament basketball games.
The 1989 Men's SEC Tournament was the first of what promised to be many postseason tournaments to be held in Thompson-Boling Arena. The riverfront arena has drawn rave reviews from teams, administrators and media for its modern facilities, which are necessary for hosting major tournaments.
The men's 1990 NCAA Southeast Region first- and second-round games, followed by the 1990 NCAA Women's Final Four, made Knoxville a basketball hotspot. Thompson-Boling Arena later hosted the men's NCAA Tournament South Regional Finals in 1999 and 1994.
On the basketball front, Thompson-Boling Arena has been filled for more than just collegiate games. The Celtics-Bullets game in 1988 attracted a then-record NBA exhibition record crowd of 23,611.
Men's Attendance Records
Vols Largest Home Crowds
| RANK | CROWD | OPPONENT | RESULT | SCORE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 25,610 | Kentucky | L | 65-66 | 1/21/1989 |
| 2. | 25,272 | Marquette | W | 82-56 | 12/3/1987 |
| 3. | 25,125 | Kentucky | L | 74-78 | 1/12/1991 |
| 4. | 24,433 | Florida | L | 56-76 | 1/23/1988 |
| 5. | 24,378 | Kentucky | W | 72-70 | 2/17/1988 |
| 6. | 24,108 | Kentucky | L | 78-80 | 3/1/2006 |
| 7. | 24,047 | Florida | W | 86-76 | 2/27/2007 |
| 8. | 24,011 | Florida | W | 80-76 | 1/21/2006 |
| 9. | 23,969 | ETSU | L | 79-87 | 11/25/1991 |
| 10. | 23,764 | Vanderbilt | W | 80-72 | 1/9/1988 |
In men's basketball, Tennessee has now ranked in the nation's top-20 in attendance for 19 consecutive years. The Vols have ranked in the top five nationally in average home attendance for each of the last five non-COVID-impacted seasons, averaging 19,034 fans in 2018-19 (fourth), 18,990 fans in 2019-20 (fourth), 18,202 fans in 2021-22 (fifth), 18,781 fans in 2022-23 (fifth) and 19,664 fans in 2023-24 (fourth). The 2023-24 season marked the 14th time that Tennessee finished in the top 10 nationally in average home attendance. Additionally, the Vols have never fallen out of the nation's top 25 rankings in average attendance since the NCAA began archiving attendance data in 1976.
The arena's largest basketball crowd since its capacity dipped to 21,678 prior to the 2007-08 season came on Jan. 7, 2009, when the Tennessee men hosted Gonzaga in front of a sellout crowd of 22,326.
The Vols have drawn 37 home crowds of 20,000 or more during the last six non-COVID-impacted seasons. Thompson-Boling Arena has hosted the men's basketball version of ESPN College GameDay three times in its history, with the Vols winning each time.
Women's Attendance Records
Lady Vols Largest Home Crowds
| RANK | CROWD | OPPONENT | RESULT | SCORE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 24,653 | Connecticut | W | 89-80 | 1/7/2006 |
| 2. | 24,611 | Connecticut | L | 72-86 | 1/05/2002 |
| 3. | 24,597 | Connecticut | W | 84-69 | 1/03/1998 |
| 4. | 24,563 | Texas | L | 78-97 | 12/09/1987 |
| 5. | 24,373 | Old Dominion | W | 85-61 | 2/07/1998 |
| 6. | 24,251 | Vanderbilt | W | 73-53 | 2/25/2007 |
| 7. | 24,051 | Kentucky | W | 98-60 | 1/17/1999 |
| 8. | 24,046 | Connecticut | W | 92-88 | 2/01/2001 |
| 9. | 23,385 | Connecticut | L | 67-74 | 1/08/2000 |
| 10. | 22,694 | Louisiana State | W | 90-58 | 2/22/1998 |
In women's hoops, Tennessee has finished among the top eight nationally in average home attendance for 28 consecutive seasons (through the 2022-23 campaign), with the Lady Vols leading the nation 18 times since 1994-95.
On Dec. 9, 1987, the Lady Vols set a (then) world record with 24,563 showing up to see Tennessee battle Texas.
In 1998-99, the Lady Vols played before an average crowd of 16,565, the largest average home crowd in the history of women's collegiate basketball. In all, 231,915 fans viewed home games in Knoxville that season.
During the 1997-98 campaign, Tennessee set even more collegiate attendance records. On Jan. 3, 1998, the Lady Vols entertained a new women's collegiate record 24,597 fans for their game against Connecticut. A month later, the first advance sellout in UT women's athletics history occurred for the Old Dominion game in Knoxville, which 24,373 fans attended.
Tennessee again broke the all-time attendance mark during the 2001-02 season when 24,611 fans visited the arena for a No. 1-No. 2 matchup against Connecticut. It was set again in 2006 when the Huskies came to Knoxville in front of 24,653 spectators.
The women's basketball attendance mark was established at the NCAA Final Four when 29,619 people filled the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, for the semifinals and finals.
The women's basketball version of the popular show ESPN College GameDay originated from Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 26, 2023. It was the show's second visit to Rocky Top for a Lady Vols game.
Infrastructure
Ticket facilities are conveniently located on the Phillip Fulmer Way level on the west end of the building.
The Tennessee men's basketball staff, along with the women's hoops staff, occupy offices in the arena on the Phillip Fulmer Way level. The arena's dining center, also located on Phillip Fulmer Way and highlighted by a Which Wich, operates on a daily basis, catering to the university's students and administrative staff.
Entrances to the building are located on the east and west ends, with protection from the elements provided by tucking the doors under the structure. There are a total of 132 entrance doors to the arena.
A continuous-ring concourse encircles the building permitting entrance to eight large restrooms, six concession areas and 32 portals leading to the arena. The playing floor level provides access to team dressing rooms, press work areas and storage rooms.
The distance from the playing floor to the roof is 120 feet, the equivalent of a 12-story building. The arena is 448 feet long and 310 feet wide. It contains more than 411,000 square feet of floor space and more than 17 million cubic feet of space. The structure's roof measures 142,000 square feet, which is approximately three-and-one-quarter acres.
Directions
From McGhee Tyson Airport: Turn north on U.S. Highway 129 leaving airport. After crossing the Tennessee River bridge just outside of Knoxville, exit onto Neyland Drive (Tennessee Highway 153). Turn left (south) at the bottom of the exit ramp and follow Neyland Drive until Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center is visible. Turn left to enter campus on Lake Loudoun Boulevard. Then turn right at the first stoplight, which is Phillip Fulmer Way, and follow that to a parking garage.
From I-40 east (from Nashville) and I-75 north (from Chattanooga): Follow I-40 and I-75 to I-40/I-75 junction in west Knoxville. Continue on I-40 East to U.S. Highway 129 South. Follow 129 South to the exit for Neyland Drive (Tennessee Highway 153). Turn left (south) at the bottom of the exit ramp and follow Neyland Drive until Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center is visible. Turn left to enter campus on Lake Loudoun Boulevard. Then turn right at the first stoplight, which is Phillip Fulmer Way, and follow that to a parking garage..
From I-40 west (from Asheville, N.C.): Follow I-40 West to the James White Parkway exit. Follow James White Parkway to Neyland Drive (Tennessee Highway 153) until Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center is visible. Turn right to enter campus on Lake Loudoun Boulevard. Then turn right at the first stoplight, which is Phillip Fulmer Way, and follow that to a parking garage.
From I-75 south (from Lexington, Ky.): Follow I-75 South to I-275 South just past Merchants Road. Follow I-275 to I-40 East. Exit at I-40 east onto James White Parkway and follow it to Neyland Drive (Tennessee Highway 153) until Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center is visible. Turn right to enter campus on Lake Loudoun Boulevard. Then turn right at the first stoplight, which is Phillip Fulmer Way, and follow that to a parking garage.
Venue Entry Gates and Seating
All facilities and facilities projects at the University of Tennessee are supported by donations to the Tennessee Fund and season tickets.
For more information on how you can help support Tennessee Athletics, visit the Tennessee Fund homepage.
Tennessee Athletics is one of fewer than 15 departments in the country that receives no funds from state subsidies or taxes.
