RCA Dome

The RCA Dome is a domed stadium located in Indianapolis, Indiana which is the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise. It was completed in 1983 at a cost of $82 million as part of the Indiana Convention Center, with the costs split evenly between private and public money. It was finished a year before the Colts actually moved to the city. In 1984, the Colts left their former home of Baltimore in the middle of the night. The stadium was named the Hoosier Dome until RCA paid $10 million for the naming rights for 10 years, with two five-year options to RCA at a cost of $13.5 million if invoked. The stadium seats 60,272 for football, following an expansion completed in 2001. Prior to that, the maximum seating for a football crowd was 56,000.

Related Topics:
Domed - Stadium - Indianapolis, Indiana - Indianapolis Colts - NFL - 1983 - 1984 - Baltimore - RCA - Naming rights - Football - 2001

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Basketball is also played at the RCA Dome. The first game played there was an exhibition game in 1984 between an NBA All-Star team led by home-State hero Larry Bird and the United States Olympic Men's Basketball team, coached by Bob Knight, who was at the time the coach of Indiana University. The dome also served as the site of the NBA All-Star Game in February of 1985. Since then it has hosted many basketball contests, including countless NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games, including several Final Fours, the next one scheduled for April 1 and 3 in 2006. The NCAA, whose headquarters are in Indianapolis, has committed to holding the Final Four in Indianapolis once every four years. The RCA Dome hosted its first Women's Final Four on April 3 and 5 in 2005. In addition, it has hosted the Indiana High School Athletic Association's annual boys and girls championships, and served as one of two sites for the FIBA Men's World Basketball Championship Tournament in 2002, sharing the honors with Conseco Fieldhouse, the home of the Indiana Pacers. Additionally, the RCA Dome is the site of the Indiana State School Music Association State Marching Band Competition, the Bands of America Grand Nationals, and the Drum Corps International Midwestern Regional.

Related Topics:
1984 - NBA - Larry Bird - United States - Olympic - Basketball - Bob Knight - Indiana University - NBA All-Star Game - NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship - Final Four - NCAA - Women's Final Four - 2005 - Indiana High School Athletic Association - FIBA - Men's World Basketball Championship - Conseco Fieldhouse - Indiana Pacers - Indiana State School Music Association - Bands of America - Drum Corps International - Midwest

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The dome hosted WrestleMania VIII.

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The roof is made up of teflon-coated fiberglass and weighs 257 tons. It is held up by the air pressure inside the building. The ceiling is 193 feet high, though the height can actually vary up to 5 feet as the materials expand and contract with the weather. When exiting the RCA Dome, there are warning signs posted cautioning patrons of the high winds at the doors. The RCA Dome is one of the few remaining inflated-roof sports structures.

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The stadium is scheduled to be replaced by a new retractable-roof stadium in time for the 2008 NFL season. The new stadium, which is named Indiana Stadium (although the Colts have rights to sell the name), will be located a block south of the RCA Dome's location in downtown Indianapolis. After the 2010 Final Four, the RCA Dome will be demolished to make room for an expansion to the Indiana Convention Center.

Related Topics:
2008 - Indiana Stadium - Final Four - Indiana Convention Center

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