McDonald Gym, built in 1958, is located on the campus of

Lamar University Lamar University (Lamar or LU) is a public university in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar has been a member of the Texas State University System since 1995. It was the flagship institution of the former Lamar University System. As of the ...

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur metropolitan area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston (city ...

. The building was completely renovated in 2006-07 as part of the $17.8-million, 126,000 sq ft Sheila Umphrey Recreational Center project. The gym's seating capacity was reduced from 4,200 to 500 as part of the renovation. ''McDonald Gym'' has been the home of the Lamar Lady Cardinals Volleyball Team since the renovation. The facility was named after the fourth president of Lamar Dr. F.L. McDonald. (1952–1967) The original construction cost estimate in 1957-1958 was $850,000. Chambers Construction Company of Houston, Texas was the main construction contractor. Allco, LLC was the main contractor for the 2006-07 renovation.

Facility Features

In addition to the competition volleyball arena, the facility has the following: *Coaches offices for Volleyball, Cross Country, Tennis and Track & Field *Separate team locker and shower facilities for each of the sports listed above. Shower and locker facilities are also provided for visiting teams, coaches, and officials. *Athletic Training Suite - athletic training staff offices, treatment and rehabilitation areas, and hydrotherapy room *Student athlete lounge *Student athlete study center - four private study rooms, computer lab with 14 workstations, and offices for two Athletic Academic Affairs coordinators.

Prior to 2007

As a 4,200 seat gymnasium, prior to the 2007 renovation project, the gym was home to both the Lamar Cardinals men's basketball team and Volleyball team from 1958 until the 1980–81 season. It was also the home of the

Lamar Lady Cardinals basketball The Lamar Lady Cardinals basketball team represents Lamar University in NCAA Division I women's basketball competition. The team plays in the 10,080 seat Montagne Center. The Lady Cardinals currently compete at the NCAA Division I level in the S ...

team from 1969 to 1980–81. Following the 1980–81 season, the basketball teams called the off-campus

Beaumont Civic Center The Beaumont Civic Center, in downtown Beaumont, Texas, is a 6,500-seat arena where concerts, conventions, trade shows and exhibitions are held. Banquet maximum capacity is 2,000. It has of ground-level exhibit space and space on the second ...

home from 1980-1984 until the construction of the 10,080 seat

Montagne Center Neches Federal Credit Union Arena at the Montagne Center, built in 1984, is a mixed-use event center that houses a 10,746-seat a multi-purpose arena and a variety of event spaces in Beaumont, Texas. The Montagne Center was designed especially for ...

in 1984 gave the basketball teams a new on-campus home.

220-65 Home Court Advantage Over the Years

McDonald Gym was home of the men's basketball team for 23 years. The Cardinals had a home record of 220–65 (.772) during that period.

Post Season Tournaments

* 1964 NCAA College Division Men's Basketball Tournament Southwest Regional Site Over its life, the gym has also served as one of the venues for an annual YMBL South Texas Shootout high school basketball tournament held on the campus of Lamar University. In recent years, the

also serves as another venue for the tournament. The tournament began in 1952.

McDonald Gym highlights

1968-69 Season

As evidenced by the lopsided won/loss record when it was the home court for Lamar basketball, McDonald Gym was a tough place for an opponent to win. The 1968–69 season was a good example. That year, McDonald Gym was the home court of one of the more memorable seasons in Lamar Cardinals history. In addition to defeating several highly ranked NCAA Division I teams that season, Lamar defeated a previously unbeaten and sixth ranked

Tulsa Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tul ...

as well

1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1968 NCAA University Division basketball tournament involved 23 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 9, 1968, and ended with the cham ...

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

team,

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

at McDonald Gym. That season was featured in a February 3, 1969 article in

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

The Streak - Start of the 80 Game Home Court Winning Streak

The men's basketball team's eighty (80) game home court winning streak started at McDonald Gym on February 18, 1978. Before the Cardinals moved to their new home at the

, McDonald Gym saw the first thirty-seven (37) straight home wins of the streak. When the streak ended on March 10, 1984, the Cardinals were owners of seventh (7th) longest home court winning streak in NCAA history.http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/lama/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2010-11/misc_non_event/6-3-8.pdf

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control Lamar Lady Cardinals volleyball College volleyball venues in the United States Indoor arenas in Texas Lamar Cardinals and Lady Cardinals basketball venues Sports venues in Beaumont, Texas Volleyball venues in Texas Sports venues completed in 1958 1958 establishments in Texas