Dunn Center
The Winfield Dunn Center (officially the Winfield Dunn Health and Physical Education Building and Convocation Complex) is a 132,000-square-foot (12,300 m2) facility, located on the main campus of Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. Construction began on the (then) $5.3 million facility in 1973, and the building opened in 1975.[1] It was home to the Austin Peay Governors men's and women's basketball teams through the 2021–22 season, and remains home to Peay's women's volleyball team, also serving as an indoor practice facility for the baseball, softball, and track and field teams. It also houses the athletics department's weight room and the David P. Roe Academic Services Center which was named for alumnus Phil Roe. The building was named for the governor of Tennessee at the time of its construction.[2]
The House That Fly Built | |
 | |
| Full name | Winfield Dunn Health and Physical Education Building and Convocation Complex |
|---|---|
| Location | Clarksville, Tennessee |
| Coordinates | 36°32′10″N 87°21′25″W |
| Owner | Austin Peay State University |
| Executive suites | 0 |
| Capacity | 7,257 |
| Surface | Wood |
| Scoreboard | Yes |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | February 1973 |
| Opened | 1975 |
| Construction cost | $5.3 million |
| Tenants | |
| Austin Peay Governors basketball (1975–2022) and volleyball (1975–present) | |
| Website | |
| http://www.letsgopeay.com | |
The Dunn Center features a 7,257-seat multi-purpose arena[3] named the Dave Aaron Arena in 1988 in honor of the longtime Austin Peay athletic director and coach, Dave Aaron. In the fall of 2007, the basketball court was named the Dave Loos Court to honor the then athletic director and men's basketball coach Dave Loos. [2] It hosted the Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament in 1977.[4]
The basketball teams are set to leave the Dunn Center after the 2021–22 season and move to the new F&M Bank Arena in downtown Clarksville. The Dunn Center will then be reconfigured into a volleyball-specific facility.[5]
The Dunn Center is often referred to as "The House That Fly Built", a reference to Austin Peay basketball great Fly Williams. It has also been called "The Big Red Barn," a reference to its predecessor gymnasium where Williams played (which had been built during the World War II era) that was known as the "Little Red Barn."
Records
The Austin Peay men's basketball team earned their 350th victory in the building on December 30, 2013 as they defeated Dalton State College 93–57. With that victory, the men's basketball program owned a 350–144 record in the facility.[6]
References
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-03-26. Retrieved 2013-03-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-01-10. Retrieved 2013-03-04.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - http://ovcsports.com/documents/2012/10/22/2012-13%20OVC%20Men's%20&%20Women's%20Basketball%20Media%20Guide.pdf%5B%5D
- Smith, Chris (July 29, 2021). "Downtown Clarksville event center name announced: F&M Bank Arena". Clarksville, TN: WNZE. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
- "Dalton State vs Austin Peay (12/30/13 at Clarksville, Tenn. (Dunn Center))". Archived from the original on 2014-01-10.