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Cox Arena
Home of SDSU Basketball
One of the premier on-campus basketball arenas in all of America, Cox
Arena at Aztec Bowl provides a 12,414-seat, state-of-the-art venue while
keeping fans close to the floor and part of the action.
Opened in 1997, the facility is the home of San Diego State Basketball and
provides a venue for university functions, cultural events, concerts and
other special-event programming. It features a unique open-air concourse
design that allows fans to enjoy the excellent San Diego climate and adds a
new experience to attending arena-type events.
The arena is built on the site of the old Aztec Bowl stadium which hosted
San Diego State football games as well as other athletic, entertainment and
cultural events from the time of its construction in 1936 until 1967.
Built directly into a canyon hillside, Cox Arena encloses one end of the
old horseshoe-shaped Aztec Bowl. Two sections of the stadium’s original
concrete bleachers and cobblestone walls frame each side of the arena’s
north entrance. In addition, the university’s 10-ton granite boulder, a
California landmark commemorating President John F. Kennedy’s 1963
commencement address at Aztec Bowl, has also been placed in this area.
In addition to Aztec basketball contests, Cox Arena has played host to
concerts by such artists as Cher, Eric Clapton, Britney Spears, No Doubt,
Barry Manilow and Aerosmith. In spring of 2001, Billy Joel and Elton John
opened their world tour with a sold-out show at Cox Arena.
Cox Arena seats 12,414 for sporting events. The seating includes the top
nine rows consisting of bench seats with the remaining areas as chairbacks.
The total seating is approximately 3,935 bench seats and 8,065 chairs. In
the special event/concert configuration there are approximately 11,500
seats. All seating configurations are flexible and can be adjusted.
The facility features a $1.2 million octagonal scoreboard with
video-replay capabilities. The board also includes up-to-the-minute
statistical information on individual players.
The facility is equipped with seven locker rooms, two of which are
complete with team rooms, equipment rooms, and a shared training room.
The men’s team lounge was recently renovated and now includes three
large-screen television sets, individual leather recliners and track lighting.
The Mezzanine Level houses a VIP Room for banquets, pre and post-game
functions, and other formal and informal gatherings. The room consists of a
2,200 square-foot space that can be divided into two rooms of 800 and 1,400
square feet. The 800-square foot area can also serve as an interview room
for sporting events.
After serving as host to the first and second rounds of the NCAA men’s
basketball championship in 2001, the building was the home of the 2001 NCAA
women’s volleyball national championship and has been awarded the 2006 NCAA
men’s basketball first and second rounds.
Cox Arena Facts
First Game Brigham Young 73, SDSU 59 (11-14-97)
Aztecs’ First Win SDSU 79, Southwest Texas 57 (11-26-97)
Aztecs’ 50th Victory SDSU 89, New Mexico 73 (3-24-03)
Basketball Capacity 12,414
Seasons Entering 8th season in 2004-05
San Diego State in Cox Arena (entering 2004-05 season)
SDSU’s All-Time Record in Cox Arena 62-46 (.574)
SDSU Record in Cox Under Steve Fisher 51-28 (.646)
Longest Win Streak in Cox History 9
Longest Losing Streak in Cox History 6
The Playing Floor
The court was originally used at the 1997 NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis.
In the semifinals of the ’97 championship, Kentucky defeated Minnesota,
78-69, and Arizona beat North Carolina, 66-58. In the championship game,
Miles Simon scored 30 points and Mike Bibby added 19 as Arizona defeated
Kentucky, 84-79, on March 31, 1997.
Postseason Events Held in Cox Arena
| 2001 | NCAA 1st & 2nd Round Div. I Men’s Basketball Championship |
| 2001 | NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Semifinals and Finals |
| 2003 | Coren Owens Corning Men’s NIT (First Round) |
| 2006 | NCAA 1st & 2nd Round Div. I Men’s Basketball Championship |
Cox Arena Home Record and Attendance (entering 2004-05 season)
| Year | Gms. | Record | Total | Average |
| 1997-98 | 14 | 7 - 7 | 60,363 | 4,312 |
| 1998-99 | 15 | 4 - 11 | 47,035 | 3,136 |
| 1999-00 | 15 | 5 - 10 | 39,266 | 2,618 |
| 2000-01 | 17 | 12 - 5 | 77,104 | 4,528 |
| 2001-02 | 15 | 12 - 3 | 92,475 | 6,165 |
| 2002-03 | 17 | 11 - 6 | 121,926 | 7,172 |
| 2003-04 | 15 | 11 - 4 | 100,513 | 6,701 |
| Cox Totals | 108 | 62 – 46 | 538,682 | 4,988 |
Largest Cox Arena Crowds (entering 2004-05 season)
| Rk. | Att. | Day | Opponent | Date | Result |
| 1. | 12,414 (c) | Mon. | (23/21) Texas Tech | Jan. 6, 2003 | L, 63-75 |
| | 12,414 (c) | Sat. | (1/1) Arizona | Dec. 7, 2002 | L, 81-89 |
| 3. | 11,764 | Sat. | UNLV* | Jan. 26, 2002 | L, 79-80 (ot) |
| 4. | 11,334 | Sat. | Fresno State* | Jan. 31, 1998 | L, 94-97 |
| 5. | 11,027 | Sat. | Air Force* | Jan. 31, 2004 | L, 43-57 |
| 6. | 10,293 | Mon. | Brigham Young* | Jan. 12, 2004 | W, 65-61 |
| 7. | 8,554 | Sat. | Colorado State* | Feb. 1, 2003 | L, 69-72 |
| 8. | 8,497 | Mon. | Brigham Young* | Jan. 20, 2003 | L, 69-80 |
| 9. | 8,438 | Sat. | (21/16) Fresno State | Dec. 8, 2001 | W, 93-78 |
| 10. | 8,198 | Sat. | Wyoming* | Feb. 21, 2004 | W, 74-66 |
| 11. | 8,186 | Sat. | San Diego | Dec. 9, 2000 | L, 52-55 |
| 12. | 8,178 | Sat. | UNLV* (D) | Jan. 17, 2004 | W, 83-78 |
| 13. | 8,139 | Sat. | Utah* (D) | Mar. 6, 2004 | L, 53-66 |
| 14. | 8,078 | Wed. | San Diego | Jan. 8, 2003 | W, 78-72 |
| 15. | 7,575 | Tues. | UNLV | Feb. 11, 2003 | L, 64-79 |
| 16. | 7,232 | Sat. | Utah* (D) | Feb. 9, 2002 | L, 53-70 |
| 17. | 7,164 | Sat. | Utah* | Feb. 10, 2001 | L, 63-76 |
| 18. | 7,128 | Sat. | Iowa State | Jan. 3, 2004 | W, 86-76 |
| 19. | 7,102 | Sat. | Utah* (D) | Jan. 18, 2003 | W, 58-56 |
| 20. | 6,967 | Sat. | Air Force* | Mar. 2, 2002 | W, 49-47 |
| 21. | 6,950 | Sat. | Air Force* | Feb. 22, 2003 | W, 67-53 |
| 22. | 6,739 | Mon. | New Mexico* | Jan. 8, 2001 | L, 67-75 |
| 23. | 6,553 | Sat. | Colorado State* | Jan. 19, 2002 | W, 81-69 |
| 24. | 6,410 | Mon. | Colorado State* | Feb. 23, 2004 | W, 72-64 |
| 25. | 6,184 | Mon. | Wyoming* | Feb. 3, 2003 | W, 80-70 |
Opponent Associated Press national ranking at game time left of team name.
SO – Indicates season opener. D - Indicates day game. * – Indicates conference game.
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