Northern Illinois University Athletics

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The Convocation Center has been the center of entertainment and athletics in DeKalb for almost 20 years.

Former NIU President John G. Peters called the building "a jewel rising out of the prairie," upon seeing the center lit from a distance on a drive home from Springfield.

The $36 million arena was completed in 2002 after 22 months of construction, and has since hosted musicians, comedians, trade shows, and, of course, Huskie Athletics.

NIU Athletics

The Convocation Center is home to both the NIU men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the Huskie volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics and women's indoor track and field squads. In addition, the Convocation Center also houses locker rooms for the NIU men’s and women’s soccer teams.  

It has seating for up to 10,000, with a basketball capacity of 9,100, in the 45,000-square-foot "bowl" arena, a spectacular four-sided video scoreboard newly installed in 2018, and a 200-meter track. There are four private suites, each with seating for 20, and one club-level suite, the Nelson Suite, named in honor of David and Linda Nelson whose generous lead donation helped transform and modernize the space in 2019.  

The Convocation Center also houses Victor E. Court, an auxiliary gym with seating for 800. The Huskie volleyball team plays all its home matches at V.E.C., which also hosts wrestling meets and provides additional practice space for the NIU basketball teams.

The first NIU athletic event in the facility occurred on August 30, 2002, when the Huskie women's volleyball team defeated IUPUI, 3-1, in the opening round of the Best Western Invitational at Victor E. Court.

On November 22, 2002, the Huskie women's basketball initiated NIU Athletics' "The Big Weekend," a Huskie triple-header that spanned three days. The women's basketball team opened the Convocation Center in style by topping Wisconsin, 49-47, thanks to a nine-foot bank shot by guard Monique Davis with 0:02 to play. The next day, the Huskie men's hoops team drew a campus-record 8,041 spectators to the Convocation Center during a 63-48 setback to DePaul. To conclude opening weekend, No. 3 Minnesota edged the NIU wrestlers, 24-17, before 3,858 fans on November 24.

Since the opening weekend, NIU teams have hosted hundreds of contests at the Convocation Center, including numerous memorable matchups.  

In 2005, over 5,300 fans saw the NIU men’s basketball team earn a 75-70 overtime win against Kansas State while on January 22, 2019, 14th-ranked Buffalo became the highest-ranked team to visit DeKalb since 1981 and the Huskies dispatched the Bulls, 77-75, producing just the third win over a ranked opponent in program history.  

Along with its opening win over Wisconsin, the NIU women’s basketball program has claimed many big wins in the Convocation Center, including a November 2006 victory against Illinois.  

The NIU volleyball team has scored wins over the likes of Mississippi State, Kansas and Iowa, as well as winning the Mid-American Conference Tournament when it hosted the event in 2016.  

Huskie wrestling has hosted the MAC Championship three times in the Convocation Center (2006, 2011 and 2020) while also scoring victories against top-10 ranked Northwestern (#5 Nov. 30, 2007) and Missouri (#8 Feb. 16, 2003). The Huskie gymnastics team has also hosted the MAC Championship three times at the Convocation Center (2005, 2012, 2019) and claimed the first MAC title in program history at home in 2019.

Entertainment

In addition to its primary service as the home of NIU Athletics, the Convocation Center has brought world-renowned entertainers from country music stars to comedians to DeKalb.

The first performance at the Convocation Center set the tone for the level of top-notch entertainment to arena has provided for over five years. Bill Cosby was the first act in the Convocation Center on August 23, 2002.

Cosby isn't the only A-list performer to have graced the Convocation Center stage. Grammy-award winners B.B. King, Bob Dylan, John Mayer and Kanye West have all performed at the Convo, as have dozens of other platinum-selling musicians.

Comedians of all sorts have also become familiar with DeKalb. Cedric the Entertainer, Larry the Cable Guy, Wayne Brady and Dave Chapelle are just a few of the funnymen to perform at the Convocation Center.

As if comedy, music, and athletics wasn't enough, the Convocation Center has presented a multitude of other acts, including The Blue Man Group, Sesame Street Live, the Harlem Globetrotters, World Wrestling Entertainment and Monster Trucks just to name a few. The arena also hosts Northern Illinois University's commencement ceremonies and numerous high school graduations each year.  

History

The center was designed to replace Chick Evans Field House, which had been the home of Huskie thletics teams since 1957. That building was turned over to the NIU Office of Campus Recreation when the Convocation Center opened, allowing OCR to meet the growing demand for its programs.

The plans for the Convocation Center also addressed other problems on the West Campus, including a lack of parking spaces. Approximately 3,000 new parking slots were added with the new facility, with a portion dedicated to student parking. A ten-minute walk from those spaces by the Convocation Center puts students in the center of the DeKalb campus.

Prime Group Realty Trust (PGRT) oversaw development of the project, with A. Epstein and Sons International, Inc., serving as architect and engineer, plus Turner Construction providing construction management.

Chicago-based Epstein earned the Chicago Sun-Times Real Estate Development of the Year Award for its work on the R. R. Donnelly Building at 77 West Wacker Drive in Chicago and also was responsible for Washington Library Center and the Eastern Illinois University computer laboratory and a new terminal at Chicago's Midway Airport.

Turner has earned a reputation as a national leader in the construction of athletics facilities. The Chicago-based firm has played a significant role in work at the United Center and Wrigley Field in Chicago, as well as many other projects across the country.

On the NIU campus, Turner's work is already highly visible in the form of the Stevenson Towers renovations and the restoration efforts on the 100-year-old Altgeld Hall on main campus.

The Convocation Center continues as a partnership between Prime Group Realty Trust and Northern Illinois University, one which also includes development of facilities at the Pine Meadow Corporate Center office park in Libertyville, Ill.

Driving Directions

From the West

From I-88: Exit onto Annie Glidden Road. From Annie Glidden Road, turn left (west) onto Lincoln Highway (Route 38) to the Convocation Center entrance.

From the East

From I-88: Exit onto Annie Glidden Road. From Annie Glidden Road, turn left (west) onto Lincoln Highway (Route 38) to the Convocation Center entrance.

From I-90: Exit onto Route 47 South. Take Route 38 West approximately 20 miles to the Convocation Center entrance.

From the South

From I-39: Exit I-39 to Route 38 East. Travel Route 38 East to the Convocation Center Entrance.

From the North

From I-39: Exit I-39 to Route 38 East. Travel Route 38 to the Convocation Center Entrance.