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William B. Finneran Pavilion
Construction
The Finn
The Finneran Pavilion during a basketball game in November 2018

Former names	John Eleuthère du Pont Pavilion (1986–1997) The Pavilion (1997–2017)
Location	Villanova University Villanova, PA 19085
Coordinates	40°02′03″N 75°20′12″W / 40.034072°N 75.336553°W / 40.034072; -75.336553
Public transit	Stadium–Ithan Avenue: Norristown High Speed Line SEPTA bus: 106
Owner	Villanova University
Operator	Villanova University
Capacity	6,501 (basketball) 5,500 (concerts) 3,500 (tennis)
Surface	Maple
Broke ground	1985
Opened	February 1, 1986 October 5, 2018^[2]
Renovated	2017-2018
Closed	February 25, 2017 (Original Pavilion)
Construction cost	$24.9 million ($69.2 million in 2023 dollars^[1])
Architect	Tully International Inc.
Tenants
Villanova Wildcats (NCAA) (1986–1995, 1998-2017, 2018–present) Philadelphia Freedoms (WTT) (2010–2016)

The William B. Finneran Pavilion is a 6,501-seat multi-purpose arena in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States, about 10 miles northwest of downtown (Center City) Philadelphia.

Built in 1985, the arena is home to the Villanova University Wildcats basketball teams. It is recognizable from the outside for its hyperbolic paraboloid roofline, similar to Alfond Arena at the University of Maine. It replaced the still-existing Villanova Field House, later renamed the "Jake Nevin Field House," a small arena-auditorium built in 1932.

The first men's basketball game played at the Pavilion took place on February 1, 1986, a 64-62 victory against the University of Maryland.

For basketball games where larger crowds are expected, Villanova plays at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia (where Villanova holds the record for largest Pennsylvania crowd to watch a college basketball game, att. 20,859).^[3] The Finneran Pavilion is known for its famed student section, which constitutes a full third of the seating. Formerly located in the south end, the student bleachers seat 2,000 students but have been known to be filled with as many as 2,500 students.

Until 2016, it was the home court of the Philadelphia Freedoms of World TeamTennis.^[4]

23,016 square feet (2,138.3 m²) of arena floor space is utilized for concerts, conventions, trade shows, graduation ceremonies and other special events. There are two meeting rooms.

History

The facility was originally known as John Eleuthère du Pont Pavilion, as it was funded in part by John Eleuthère du Pont, a member of the wealthy and influential Du Pont family. In 1997, the du Pont name was removed from the facility, with the family's tacit permission, after John was convicted of the murder of Olympic wrestling gold medalist Dave Schultz. From 1997 to 2017, it was simply The Pavilion before its current name was adopted as 1963 graduate William B. Finneran made a $22.6 million donation to the school in April 2016 to help with its current improvements.

Renovation

In 2016 it was announced the Pavilion would undergo a $65 million renovation to improve the aging facility. At the end of the 2016–17 academic year, the facility closed to begin on the renovations. During the renovations, Villanova's men's team played the 2017–18 season at Wells Fargo Center, while the women's team used Jake Nevin Field House.^[5] The renamed William B. Finneran Pavilion reopened in October 2018 with new concession stands, "enhanced audio-visual capabilities", new seating, along with a new entrance. The renovation also included the Court One Club which features the court from the 2016 National Championship Game.^[6] Another part of the renovation included reducing the student section on the south end and adding student seating to the baseline of the north end.^[7] The first game played in the renovated Finneran Pavilion was a 100–77 victory over Morgan State.^[8]

Events

The Finneran Pavilion is the current home to the Villanova Men's and Women's Basketball Teams. The arena also hosted other Villanova events including the yearly "Hoops Mania" event in Fall.^[9] Hoops Mania is the kickoff event to the Villanova Men's Basketball season and has had past performers such as Drake, Nicki Minaj and Wiz Khalifa.^[10] The Pavilion was the home court of the Philadelphia Freedoms of World TeamTennis from 2010 to 2016.^[11]

References

External links

Links to related articles

v t e Villanova University
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Campus	Arboretum Villanova St. Thomas of Villanova Church Villanova, PA
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Athletics	Villanova Wildcats Holy War Men's basketball Women's basketball Men's lacrosse Football (Battle of the Blue) Men's soccer Finneran Pavilion Villanova Stadium Jake Nevin Field House
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v t e Villanova Wildcats men's basketball
Venues	Jake Nevin Field House (1932–1986) William E. Finneran Pavilion (1986–2017, 2018–present) First Union Spectrum (alternate; 1967–2009) Wells Fargo Center (alternate; 1996–present)
Rivalries	Saint Joseph's
Culture & lore	Will D. Cat City 6 Philadelphia Big 5 (Robert V. Geasey Trophy) "V for Villanova"
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
NCAA national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

v t e Villanova Wildcats women's basketball
Venues	Jake Nevin Field House (1969–1986, 2017–18) Finneran Pavilion (1986–2017, 2018–present)
Rivalries	Saint Joseph's
Culture & lore	Will D. Cat City 6 Philadelphia Big 5 "V for Villanova"
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24

v t e Basketball arenas of the Big East Conference
Men only	Capital One Arena (Georgetown) CHI Health Center Omaha (Creighton) Amica Mutual Pavilion (Providence) Fiserv Forum (Marquette) Madison Square Garden (St. John's) Prudential Center (Seton Hall) Wells Fargo Center (Villanova)
Women only	Alumni Hall (Providence) D. J. Sokol Arena (Creighton) McDonough Gymnasium (Georgetown) McGrath–Phillips Arena (DePaul) Al McGuire Center (Marquette) Walsh Gymnasium (Seton Hall)
Both sexes	Carnesecca Arena (St. John's) Cintas Center (Xavier) Finneran Pavilion (Villanova) Gampel Pavilion (UConn) Hinkle Fieldhouse (Butler) Wintrust Arena (DePaul) XL Center (UConn)

v t e Philadelphia Big 5
Schools	Drexel University La Salle University University of Pennsylvania Saint Joseph's University Temple University Villanova University
Teams	Drexel Dragons La Salle Explorers Penn Quakers Saint Joseph's Hawks Temple Owls Villanova Wildcats
Arenas	Daskalakis Athletic Center Hagan Arena Liacouras Center Palestra Finneran Pavilion Tom Gola Arena Wells Fargo Center
Competitions	Big 5 Classic
Related	City 6 Holy War Robert V. Geasey Trophy Saint Joseph's–Temple rivalry Battle of 33rd Street

v t e World TeamTennis (WTT)
Current champions (2021): Orange County Breakers
Seasons	1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Current teams	Chicago Smash New York Empire Orange County Breakers Orlando Storm Philadelphia Freedoms San Diego Aviators Springfield Lasers Vegas Rollers Washington Kastles
Former teams	Austin Aces (2014–2015) Baltimore Banners (1974) Boston Lobsters (1974) Boston Lobsters (1974–1978) Boston Lobsters (2005–2015) California Dream (1993–2015) Chicago Aces (1974) Cleveland Nets (1974–1976) Cleveland-Pittsburgh Nets (1977) Delaware Smash (1987–2008) Denver Racquets (1974) Detroit Loves (1974) Florida Flamingos (1974) Hartford FoxForce (2000-2006) Hawaii Leis (1974–1976) Houston E-Z Riders (1974) Houston Wranglers (2005–2007) Idaho Sneakers (1994–1997) Indiana Loves (1974–1978) Indiana Loves (1983) Kansas City Explorers (1993–2012) Las Vegas Neon (2014) Los Angeles Strings (1974–1978) Los Angeles Strings (1981–1993) Minnesota Buckskins (1974) New Jersey Stars (1987–1995) New Orleans Sun Belt Nets (1974–1978) New York Apples (1974–1978) New York Buzz (1995–2010) New York Hamptons (2000–2002) New York OTBzz (1995–1998) New York Sets (1974–1976) New York Sportimes (2000–2013) Newport Beach Breakers (2003–2011) Philadelphia Freedoms (1974) Phoenix Racquets (1974–1978) Pittsburgh Triangles (1974–1976) Sacramento Capitals (1988–2013) San Diego Buds (1981–1985) San Diego Friars (1975–1978) San Diego Friars (1981–1983) San Francisco Golden Gaters (1974–1978) Schenectady County Electrics (1999–2000) Sea-Port Cascades (1977) Seattle Cascades (1974–1978) St. Louis Aces (1994–2011) Texas Wild (2013–2014) Toronto-Buffalo Royals (1974) Wichita Advantage (1990-1995)
Current stadiums	Credit Union 1 Arena (Chicago) Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning (New York) Breakers Stadium at the Palisades Tennis Club (Orange County) USTA National Campus (Orlando) Michael J. Hagan Arena (Philadelphia) Omni La Costa Resort and Spa (San Diego) Mediacom Stadium at Cooper Tennis Complex (Springfield) Orleans Arena (Vegas) Kastles Stadium at Union Market (Washington)
Other related articles	Team tennis No-line court

History

Renovation

Events

See also

References

External links