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O'Reilly Family Event Center

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O'Reilly Family Event Center
Map
Location935 N Summit Ave
Springfield, MO 65802
Coordinates37°13′7.05″N 93°17′4.63″W / 37.2186250°N 93.2846194°W / 37.2186250; -93.2846194
OwnerDrury University
Capacity2,850 (athletics)
3,160-3,592 (concerts)
Record attendanceWomen's Basketball
January 10, 2018
vs. Lane College
3,258[2]

Men's Basketball
February 8, 2020
vs. Illinois-Springfield
3,200[3]
Construction
Broke groundMay 15, 2009
OpenedOctober 1, 2010
Construction cost$13.5 million
ArchitectH Design Group[1]
General contractorKillian Construction[1]
Tenants
Drury Men's Basketball
Drury Women's Basketball
Drury Volleyball
Website
O'Reilly Family Event Center

The O'Reilly Family Event Center is a sports arena on the campus of Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. O'Reilly is home to the Drury Panthers men's basketball, women's basketball, and volleyball teams. In addition to Drury athletics, O’Reilly has also hosted concerts along with boxing and MMA matches. The arena can seat 2,850 for basketball and volleyball games and up to 3,592 for concerts. The facility is named after the O'Reilly family of O'Reilly Auto Parts.

Construction and opening

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On December 19, 2007, Drury University officials announced that their new basketball arena was going to be named after the O'Reilly family of Springfield after they donated $6 million towards the arena which was then budgeted at $12 million.[4] Drury University basketball and volleyball had previously called Weiser Gym home since 1948, currently home to Men's Wrestling.[5] The arena was originally expected to be completed by fall 2009 and seat 4,000 spectators (reduced to 3,100 by November 2008).[6][7] After fundraising delays, O'Reilly's groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 15, 2009, as its budget increased to $13.5 million.[8] In January 2010, the arena reached LEED Gold status—the first sports arena in the United States to receive the award.[9] O'Reilly's funding gap was filled with a $500,000 donation on May 12, 2010.[10]

O'Reilly Family Event Center celebrated its grand opening on October 1, 2010, which included a free concert by The M-Dock Band, a Springfield-based group.[11][12] October 8, 2010 marked the first intercollegiate matchup at O'Reilly as the Drury volleyball team played Missouri S&T; the Panthers lost 3–1.[13][14] Aretha Franklin was to perform a concert at O'Reilly on October 30, but canceled due to health concerns.[15] November 13, 2010 marked the first regular season basketball games at the arena for both Drury women's and men's basketball as the women fell to Northeastern State and the men defeated Upper Iowa.[16][17]

Regional tournaments

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As of 2024, O'Reilly has hosted six NCAA Division II regionals for men's basketball, women's basketball, and volleyball, five of which have been won by Drury University. Drury Women's Basketball, who went undefeated at 32–0 for the 2019–20 season, was set to host the 2020 Midwest Regional, but the tournament for that season was canceled as it coincided with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.[18]

Men's basketball

[edit]
Year Tournament name Champion
2013 Midwest Regional Drury University
2014 Midwest Regional Drury University

Women's basketball

[edit]
Year Tournament name Champion
2014 Midwest Regional Drury University
2019 Midwest Regional Drury University
2021 Midwest Regional Drury University

Volleyball

[edit]
Year Tournament name Champion
2018[19] Midwest Regional Lewis

Special events

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Concerts and speakers

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Throughout its history, O'Reilly has hosted many concerts ranging from small, local bands to world-renowned groups and singers. Some well-known bands and singers who have performed at O'Reilly include: Sheryl Crow,[20] Chicago,[21] REO Speedwagon (ft. Styx and Ted Nugent),[22] Kelly Clarkson,[23] Incubus,[24] and The Steve Miller Band.[25] 3 Doors Down and Asking Alexandria have performed opening acts for O'Reilly concerts.[26][27] While O'Reilly has not seen many speakers, animal scientist Temple Grandin notably spoke there in front of ~2,500 spectators on March 3, 2011.[28]


Boxing and MMA

[edit]

Multiple combat sporting events have taken place at the O'Reilly Family Event Center, particularly during its first years of operation. Missouri native BJ Flores fought at O'Reilly twice during his career.

Winner in bold

Date Sport Main event Outcome Source
July 23, 2011 Boxing BJ Flores vs. Nicholas Ianuzzi TKO [29]
October 15, 2011 Boxing BJ Flores vs. Paul Jennette Unanimous [30]
February 11, 2012 MMA Zak Cummings vs. Lamont Stafford Submission [31]
March 24, 2012 Boxing Kimbo Slice vs. Brian Green Knockout [32]
June 16, 2012[33] MMA John Gunderson vs. Karo Parisyan
ShoFight 20 		Submission (Guillotine) [34]

References

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  1. ^ a b Tang, Didi (April 15, 2009). "Drury Will Begin Construction Soon on Sports Center". The Springfield News-Leader. p. 4. Retrieved March 18, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Drury Athletics Department (January 10, 2018). "LANEWB vs. Drury (01/10/18 at Springfield, MO/O'Reilly Event Center) Official Basketball Box Score". static.drurypanthers.com. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  3. ^ Drury Athletics Department (February 8, 2020). "Ill. Springfield vs. Drury (02/08/20 at Springfield, MO) Official Basketball Box Score". static.drurypanthers.com. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  4. ^ Koehler, Steve (December 20, 2007). "O'Reilly Donation to Help Fund Drury Arena". The Springfield News-Leader. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved March 15, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Drury Athletics Department. "Weiser Gym". drurypanthers.com. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  6. ^ The Associated Press (December 20, 2007). "Family Donating for New Arena". The Belleville News-Democrat. p. 17. Retrieved March 18, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Baker, Matt (November 30, 2008). "A New Home for Drury". The Springfield News-Leader. pp. 28, 29. Retrieved March 18, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Bolen, Erin (May 16, 2009). "Arena Now Reality". The Springfield News-Leader. pp. 23, 27. Retrieved March 18, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Wall, Kathryn (January 9, 2010). "Sports Arena Wins Gold Rating". The Springfield News-Leader. p. 2. Retrieved March 19, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  10. ^ SBJ Staff (May 12, 2010). "Curry Family Donates $500K to Drury Events Center". Springfield Business Journal (sbj.net). Archived from the original on March 19, 2024. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  11. ^ de Vera, Cory (October 2, 2010). "Kickoff Unveils New Arena on Drury Campus". The Springfield News-Leader. p. 11. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Drury Holding O'Reilly Center Open House Tonight". The Springfield News-Leader. October 1, 2010. p. 21. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Booher, Kary (October 8, 2010). "DU Volleyball to Open New Arena". The Springfield News-Leader. pp. 27, 29. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Missouri S&T 3, Drury 1". The Springfield News-Leader. October 9, 2010. p. 24. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Pickle, Geoff (October 27, 2010). "Aretha Franklin Cancels Drury Concert; the Pointer Sisters Sign On". Springfield Business Journal (sbj.net). Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  16. ^ Booher, Kary (November 14, 2010). "Drury Women Struggle". The Springfield News-Leader. p. 28. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Booher, Kary (November 14, 2010). "Panthers Celebrate With Win in Opener". The Springfield News-Leader. p. 28. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Drury Athletics Department. "2019-20 Women's Basketball Schedule". drurypanthers.com. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  19. ^ Drury Athletics Department. "2018 Volleyball Schedule". drurypanthers.com.
  20. ^ News-Leader Staff (April 21, 2011). "Crow Performs at Drury in July". The Springfield News-Leader. p. 1 – via newspapers.com.
  21. ^ Pickle, Geoff (June 7, 2011). "Chicago to Play Springfield". sbj.net (Springfield Business Journal). Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  22. ^ SBJ Staff (March 30, 2012). "Drury Lands Three Classic Rock Sets". sbj.net (Springfield Business Journal). Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  23. ^ Collins, Larry T. (March 11, 2012). "American and Argentinian "Idols" Take the Stage". The Springfield News-Leader. p. C1 – via newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Collins, Larry T. (May 20, 2012). "Ready to Rock Out? You're in Luck". The Springfield News-Leader. p. C1 – via newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Rehwald, Jackie (January 12, 2015). "Tickets to Steve Miller Band on Sale Friday". news-leader.com. Retrieved April 16, 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
  26. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (October 8, 2012). "Daughtry, 3 Doors Down team For Co-Headlining Tour". billboard.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  27. ^ Carter, Emily (August 2, 2021). "A Day To Remember Announce Huge U.S. Tour with Asking Alexandria". kerrang.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022.
  28. ^ Okeson, Sarah (March 4, 2011). "Autistic Professor's Story of Success Inspires Crowd". The Springfield News-Leader. pp. 1, 4. Retrieved April 16, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Bolen, Erin (July 24, 2011). "Flores Dominates, Wins by TKO". The Springfield News-Leader. p. 22. Retrieved April 15, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  30. ^ Booher, Kary (October 16, 2011). "A Win, But No Knockout". The Springfield News-Leader. pp. 31, 32. Retrieved April 15, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  31. ^ Abernathy, Don (February 12, 2012). "Cummings Cruises in Main Event". The Springfield News-Leader. p. 24. Retrieved April 15, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  32. ^ Abernathy, Don (March 25, 2012). "Slice Wins by Knockout". The Springfield News-Leader. pp. D1, D5. Retrieved April 15, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  33. ^ "ShoFight 20". tapology.com. May 23, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2024 – via Wayback Machine.
  34. ^ "SF: ShoFight 20 Fight Results". espn.com.
    Note: Date is one day off. The event was on June 16. There was a concert at O'Reilly on the 15th.
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