The USF Sun Dome is a 55,000 square-foot multi-purpose entertainment/sports facility on the campus of the University of South Florida, which is located in Tampa, Florida. It is located on the southeastern side of campus, and is home to the men's and women's basketball and volleyball teams. It was built starting in 1977, and was completed on November 29, 1980.

The Sun Dome is a multi-purpose facility, hosting approximately 300 different events each year, including sporting events, concerts, home and garden shows, trade shows, religious services and conventions, ethnic festivals, rodeos, bull riding competitions, youth sports camps, wrestling, boxing, Taekwondo tournaments, gymnastics and cheerleading competitions, commencement ceremonies, lectures and political rallies among other corporate, community and university events. Performers such as Tool, Frank Sinatra, DMX, and Elton John have all held concerts from their respective tours in the Sun Dome, as well as live events by WWE, such as the 1995 Royal Rumble.

The Sun Dome was one of the few arenas in the United States to be created with an inflated roof. Airlocks kept the interior pressurized and the roof up. This system was replaced in 2000 with a 90,000 square foot Teflon coated roof supported by a futuristic steel space frame that peaks 115 feet above the arena floor. State of the art video screens were added in time for the USF Men's Basketball Team's 2005-2006 season.

Trivia

• With a capacity of 10,411, the Sun Dome was Tampa's largest arena until the completion of the Ice Palace (now the St. Pete Times Forum) in 1996.
• Original cost: $12 million
• Renovated in 93-94 for $5 million
• New roof installed in 2000 at a cost of $8 million
• First events: USF vs Florida A&M men?s basketball; Alice Cooper in concert

External links

• The Sun Dome