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Forbes
Arena
Named in honor of legendary Morehouse coach and administrator,
Franklin Lafayette Forbes in 1999, Forbes Arena the $8 million,
6,000-seat facility __part of the $51 million-plus investment
in the Atlanta University Center by the Atlanta Committee for
the Olympic Games (ACOG)__ was dedicated on April 3, 1996. The
facility is, without question, one of the finest places to watch
basketball in Atlanta, Georgia. Highly accessible, it has excellent
sightlines and lighting, and the fans are right in the mix of
all the action. Morehouse Madness is an interesting experience.
With the famed Morehouse student body out in force and venting
in full voice, Forbes Arena is an extension of old Archer Hall
longtime home of Maroon Tiger basketball teams and becomes the
setting for a truly incredible adventure. It can also be an
intimidating place for visiting teams.
The state-of-the-art arena designed by Moody Noland, Ltd., Inc.,
a minority-owned architectural firm, houses offices of the athletics
and physical education departments. The three-level Forbes Arena
has four locker rooms, a first-aid station, a training room,
a weight room, four concessions stands, and is elevator serviced.
The Maroon Tigers played their first contest in Forbes Arena
on November 16, 1996 against Savannah State University. The
arena served as the home court for the Atlanta Glory of the
American Basketball League for two years, the 1996-97 and 1997-98
seasons. It has also hosted the 1997 Black College All-Star
Basketball Game as well as the fiercely contested Atlanta Public
League basketball game between archrivals Frederick Douglass
and Benjamin Mays high schools during the 1997 and 1998 seasons.
The 1996 and 1997 Peach State Holiday Basketball Classics, and
the SIAC Basketball Tournaments in 1998 and 1999 have been played
at Forbes Arena.
On January 29, 1998, a crowd of 7,127 found its way into Forbes
Arena to witness cross-campus Atlanta University Center rivals
Morehouse and Clark Atlanta do battle; Morehouse emerged victorious
by an 88-77 score before the record throng. During the 2000-2001
season, 48,445 fans attended 11 games at Forbes Arena. That
number enabled Morehouse to lead all NCAA Division II institutions
in attendance with an average of 4,404 fans per basketball game.
This figure outpaced many recognized Division I programs.
Second
to None
To support its athletics programs, Morehouse College provides
facilities that equal those of any school in its conference
and most in Division II of the NCAA.
From
the Samuel H. Archer Student Center, housing the James
E. Haines Swimming Pool and intramural basketball courts,
to B.T. Harvey Stadium with its Edwin Moses Track, to
the Tennis Center where netters representing the college
have won 25 of the last 26 SIAC championships, Morehouse
athletics teams compete in first-class surroundings.
Harvey
Stadium seats 9,000 and is the home of the Maroon Tiger
football team and the powerhouse Flying Tigers track and
field teams. Every spring, Harvey Stadium is the site
of the Morehouse Relays, a track meet that draws entries
from thoughout the United States. The 2002 SIAC Track
and Field Championships were held at Harvey Stadium for
the very first time and the Flying Tigers responded by
winning their seventh consecutive outdoor title on their
home turf with Edwin Moses, a living legend, in attendance.
Added to this impressive mix of athletics venues is Frank
Forbes Arena, home of the Maroon Tiger basketball team.
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