The Nutter Center is a multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectato ...

located at Wright State University, in Fairborn, Ohio. It mainly serves as the home court of the Wright State Raiders men's and women's basketball teams. It is also regularly used as a

music venue A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from a small coffeehouse for folk music shows, an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium ...

for touring concerts and shows and for area high school graduation ceremonies.

History

A local businessman and inventor, Ervin J. Nutter, donated $1.5 million to Wright State University in 1986. Funds from both the state of

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

and the university contributed an additional $8 million to construction efforts which began in 1988. Work was completed twenty months later and on December 1, 1990, the Nutter Center held its first official event.

Events

Sports

*2002 Kelly Cup Finals (Game 3 and 4) *1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001 & 2007 Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now Horizon League) men's basketball tournament. *2014 Horizon League championship game *The

Harlem Globetrotters The Harlem Globetrotters are an American exhibition basketball team. They combine athleticism, theater, and comedy in their style of play. Created in 1926 by Tommy Brookins in Chicago, Illinois, the team adopted the name '' Harlem'' because of ...

have performed at the Nutter Center every New Year's Eve since at least 2005.

Wrestling

*1993 WWE's King of the Ring 1993 tournament. *Taping of ''WWE SmackDown'' on Tuesday September 25, 2001. *WWE vs. ECW Head to Head special held in 2006. *Hosted its second WWE Raw, the night following WrestleMania 23 on April 2, 2007. *Taping of ''

WWE Friday Night SmackDown ''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes sim ...

'' on Tuesday May 12, 2009. *Live ''WWE Raw'' on Monday January 4, 2010, which featured the return of Bret Hart to the company, who served as a guest host. This episode of Raw went head-to-head against wrestling promotion

TNA TNA may refer to: Organisations * Tamil National Alliance, a political coalition in Sri Lanka * The National Alliance, a political party in Kenya * The National Archives (United Kingdom), a UK public body * Tonga Nurses' Association, a trade union ...

on TV for the very first time. *Taping of ''WWE Friday Night SmackDown'' on Tuesday December 7, 2010. *Live ''WWE Raw'' on Monday April 30, 2012. *Live ''WWE Raw'' on Monday November 19, 2012. *Live ''WWE Raw'' on Monday January 20, 2014. Which Saw The Return Of The Animal Batista. *Taping of "WWE SmackDown" on Tuesday February 10, 2015. *Taping of "WWE SmackDown" on Tuesday January 19, 2016. *Live "WWE SmackDown" on Tuesday June 20, 2017. *Live "WWE SmackDown" on Tuesday March 12, 2019.

Other

Gloria Estefan played the Nutter Center on her comeback “Into The Light World Tour” on August 19, 1991. Dire Straits played on their final tour, the ‘On Every Street’ tour. They played the Nutter Center on February 21, 1992. * The band Phish played a concert at the venue on December 7, 1997, which was released in its entirety on their 2008 live album ''Live Phish 12.07.97''. *

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...

's "Keeping America’s Promise" rally, on Monday, February 25, 2008. *“Road to the Convention Rally” on August 29, 2008, at which time

Sarah Palin Sarah Louise Palin (; Heath; born February 11, 1964) is an American politician, commentator, author, and reality television personality who served as the ninth governor of Alaska from 2006 until her resignation in 2009. She was the 2008 ...

, Governor of Alaska, was announced as presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain's vice-presidential candidate, or running mate. *On May 17–18, 2013, the Nutter Center hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2013 Science Olympiad National Tournament. *July 22, 2015, the band Eagles performed one of their last stops on their

History of the Eagles Tour History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as we ...

. *The Nutter Center was originally scheduled to host the first 2016 presidential debate but the venue was changed due to security and financial concerns. *The Nutter Center is frequently used as a competition venue for the Winter Guard International indoor percussion,

color guard In military organizations, a colour guard (or color guard) is a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of regimental colours and the national flag. This duty is so prestigious that the military colour is generally carried by a young o ...

, and winds championship. *On May 19–20, 2017, the Nutter Center hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the

2017 Science Olympiad National Tournament Science Olympiad is an American team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Over 7,800 middle school and high school team ...

. *On November 16, 2022, touring giant

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and back ...

played the arena.http://dmbalmanac.com/TourShowSet.aspx?id=453090946&tid=8172&where=2022

References

External links

The Nutter Center

Wright State University
{{Authority control 1990 establishments in Ohio Basketball venues in Ohio Buildings and structures in Greene County, Ohio College basketball venues in the United States Sports venues in Dayton, Ohio Tourist attractions in Greene County, Ohio Wright State Raiders basketball Ice hockey in Dayton, Ohio Sports venues completed in 1990 Indoor arenas in Ohio