Clio Logo
Marquette University Walking Tour
Item 14 of 22
Opened in 2003, the Al McGuire Center, or “The Al,” is Marquette’s state-of-the-art athletics complex. It is named after the legendary men’s basketball coach who led the team to an NCAA championship in 1977.

Marquette university’s women’s basketball and volleyball teams compete in this 3,700-seat arena Photo: Al McGuire Center: Official Photo Gallery, Gomarquette, http://www.gomarquette.com/view.gal?id=144181.

Marquette university’s women’s basketball and volleyball teams compete in this 3,700-seat arena 

Photo:  Al McGuire Center: Official Photo Gallery, Gomarquette, http://www.gomarquette.com/view.gal?id=144181.

Statue of Al McGuire in the lobby of the Al McGuire Center. Photo: Al McGuire Center: Official Photo Gallery, Gomarquette, http://www.gomarquette.com/view.gal?id=144181.

Statue of Al McGuire in the lobby of the Al McGuire Center. 

Photo:  Al McGuire Center: Official Photo Gallery, Gomarquette, http://www.gomarquette.com/view.gal?id=144181.

At a cost of $31 million, NBBJ architecture firm designed the facility; NBBJ also designed the Staples Center in Los Angeles and Miller Park in Milwaukee.1 The Al includes a 3,700-seat arena where the university’s women’s basketball and volleyball teams compete. It also contains a full-sized practice gym, a 4,000 square foot strength and conditioning facility, a sports medicine suite (featuring a three-pool hydrotherapy room), a weight room, locker rooms, and business and administration offices.2

 The Al McGuire celebrates Marquette’s athletic achievements and basketball heritage. A statue of Al McGuire in the lobby depicts his triumphant pose after the last-minute Marquette victory over the University of Wisconsin Madison in 1974. The 1977 national championship trophy is held inside the men’s basketball locker room.3

 Just inside the main entrance is Marquette’s Ticket Office. There one can purchase admission for seven of the university’s sports: men’s and women’s basketball, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, and women's volleyball.4


 

1. “Marquette unveils Al McGuire Center drawings and location,” Go Marquette, February 18, 2002, http://www.gomarquette.com/genrel/021802aaa.html.

2. “Al McGuire Center,” Go Marquette, accessed December 3, 2017, http://www.gomarquette.com/sports/facilities/AlMcGuireCenter.html.

3. Michael Hunt, “Marquette's Al McGuire Center gets a facelift”, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Oct. 07, 2014, http://archive.jsonline.com/sports/goldeneagles/marquettes-al-mcguire-center-gets-a-facelift-b99365518z1-278415131.html/

4. “Ticket Hub,” Go Marquette, accessed December 3, 2017, http://www.gomarquette.com/tickets/.