One of the premier on-campus
basketball arenas in all of
America, Viejas 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.
Until July 1, 2009, the
arena's naming rights were owned
by Cox Communications and was
known as Cox Arena. On March 17,
2009, the Viejas Band of
Kumeyaay Indians announced the
signing of a 10-year naming
rights agreement which changed
the name to Viejas Arena.
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, Viejas 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, Viejas
Arena has played host to
concerts by such artists as
Cher, Eric Clapton, Britney
Spears, No Doubt, Barry Manilow,
Black Eyed Peas and Aerosmith.
In the spring of 2001, Billy
Joel and Elton John opened their
world tour with a sold-out show
at Viejas Arena.
Viejas 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 hosting the 2006
NCAA men's basketball first and
second rounds.
Viejas Arena Facts
First Game: Brigham
Young 73, SDSU 59 (11-14-97) Aztecs' First Win (Men's):
SDSU 79, Southwest Texas 57
(11-26-97) Aztecs' 50th Victory (Men's):
SDSU 89, New Mexico 73
(3-24-03) Basketball Capacity:
12,414 Seasons Entering: 13th
season in 2009-10
San Diego State in Viejas
Arena (end of 2008-09 season) Men's All-Time Record in
Viejas Arena: 123-64 (.658)
Women's All-Time Record in
Viejas Arena: 88-73 (.547)
SDSU Record in Viejas Under
Steve Fisher: 112-46 (.709) SDSU Record in Viejas Under
Beth Burns: 38-24 (.613) Longest Win Streak in Viejas
History (Men's): 9 Longest Losing Streak in
Viejas 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 Viejas Arena
2001
NCAA 1st & 2nd RoundDiv. I Men's Basketball Championship
2001
NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Semifinals and Finals
2003
Coren Owens Corning NIT 1st Round Div. I Men's Basketball
2006
NCAA 1st & 2nd Round Div. I Men's Basketball Championship
2009
NIT 3rd Round Div. I Men's Basketball
2009
NCAA 1st & 2nd Round Div. I Women's Basketball Championship
Men's Basketball Viejas Arena Home Record and Attendance (end of 2008-09 season)
Season
Games
W
L
Total
Average
1997-98
14
7
7
60,363
4,312
1998-99
15
4
11
47,035
3,316
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
2004-05
16
7
9
94,450
5,903
2005-06
15
13
2
105,209
7,014
2006-07
16
14
2
125,135
7,821
2007-08
14
11
3
94,638
6,760
2008-09
18
16
2
126,420
7,023
Viejas Totals
187
123
64
1,084,534
5,800
Largest Viejas
Arena Crowds (end of 2008-09 season)
Rk.
Att.
Day
Opponent
Date
Result
1.
12,414 (c)
Sat.
Saint Mary's+
March 25, 2009
W, 70-66
12,414 (c)
Wed.
Brigham Young*
Feb. 24, 2007
W, 86-74
12,414 (c)
Mon.
(14/15) Arizona (SS)
Dec. 9, 2006
L, 48-69
12,414 (c)
Sat.
Wyoming*
Mar. 1, 2006
W, 91-72
12,414 (c)
Wed
(23/21) Texas Tech
Jan. 6, 2003
L, 63-75
12,414 (c)
Sat.
(1/1) Arizona
Dec. 7, 2002
L, 81-89
7.
11,764
Sat.
UNLV*
Jan. 2, 2002
L, 79-80 (ot)
8.
11,718
Wed,
Air Force*
Feb. 8, 2006
W, 61-51
9.
11,553
Sat.
UNLV*
March 7, 2009
W, 57-46
10.
11,334
Sat.
Fresno State*
Jan. 31, 1998
L, 94-97
11.
11,287
Sat.
Brigham Young*
Jan. 21, 2006
W, 88-61
12.
11,027
Sat.
Air Force*
Jan. 31, 2004
L, 43-57
13.
10,293
Mon.
Brigham Young*
Jan. 12, 2004
W, 65-61
14.
9,923
Sat.
UCSD
Dec. 6, 2008
W, 57-46
15.
9,776
Sat.
Brigham Young*
Feb. 23, 2008
W, 69-65
16.
9,631
Tue.
Brigham Young*
Feb. 24, 2009
L, 59-69
17.
9,497
Sat.
TCU*
Feb. 18, 2006
W, 83-71
18.
9,231
Tues.
(15/13) Air Force*
Feb. 6, 2007
W, 62-41
19.
9,156
Sat.
Utah* (D)
Feb. 11, 2006
L, 65-67
20.
9,131
Sat.
UNLV*
Jan. 26, 2008
L, 69-72
21.
9,116
Sat.
Air Force*
Feb. 7, 2009
W, 65-34
22.
9,075
Wed.
San Diego
Nov. 29, 2006
W, 79-76
23.
9,006
Tues.
UNLV*
Feb. 13, 2007
W, 67-52
24.
8,983
Sat.
(21/22) Utah*
Feb. 5, 2005
L, 41-61
25.
8,978
Sat.
California (SS)*
Dec. 11, 2004
L, 57-60
26.
8,692
Sat.
TCU*
Mar. 3, 2007
W, 56-51
27.
8,554
Sat.
Colorado State*
Feb. 1, 2003
L, 69-72
28.
8,497
Mon.
Brigham Young*
Jan. 20, 2003
L, 69-80
29.
8,438
Sat.
(21/16) Fresno State
Dec. 8, 2001
W, 93-78
30.
8,198
Sat.
Wyoming*
Feb. 21, 2004
W, 74-66
Opponent Associated Press
national ranking at game time
left of team name (Associated
Press/coaches poll if
available). * -- Indicates
conference game. (c) --
indicates venue capacity. game.
(SS) -- San Diego SLAM. (D)
-- Game played during day. + --
NIT Third Round
