Stephen C O’connell Center

Specialties

The Stephen C. O’Connell Center, also known as the O’Dome, is an 11,000-plus-seat multi-​purpose arena located on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, Florida. The facility is named for the sixth president of the university, Stephen C. O’Connell, who served from 1967 to 1973. The facility is located on the northern side of the university’s campus, between its football field, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, and its baseball field, McKethan Stadium.

The O’Connell Center specializes in various events like concerts, speeches and University of Florida athletics. The arena is the home to the Florida Gators Basketball, Volleyball, Gymnastics and Swim and Dive teams. Many famous musicians have played at the arena including Tom Petty, Elton John, Billy Joel, Jason Aldean and numerous more over the years.

The arena opened in December of 1980 and has undergone several renovations in the process. The once inflatable room has been switched out for a more steady hard roof and in 2012 the area between Gates 1 and 4 was expanded out to add a state of the art Gymnastics studio.