The University of Rhode Island opened the doors to the $54 million, 7,657-seat Thomas M. Ryan Center in June of 2002 and fans have flocked to Kingston for men's and women's basketball games and several big name concerts in the state-of-the-art arena.

The women's basketball team won the first-ever regular season game in the Ryan Center 53-39 over Kent State on Nov. 22, 2002 and four days later the men made their official debut in the building with a 73-71 overtime upset over the University of Southern California. Ever since the Ryan Center has been rocking with the men's team drawing a standing room only crowd of 8,121 against No. 3-ranked Pittsburgh in 2002 and the women's team setting its attendance record with 3,402 fans against St. Bonaventure on Jan. 16. Both the men's and women's teams more than doubled their attendance from the last year in Keaney Gymnasium.

The Ryan Center boasts three tiers of seating in the arena to bring all 7,657 seats within 74-feet of the court, creating a frenzied atmosphere. The URI students enjoy 700 courtside seats, including 50 reserved at mid-court for the "Fanatical Fans," who stand the entire game and make the Ryan Center an unfriendly place for visiting teams and coaches. The students have come out in droves, including a crowd of over 2,200 students attending the men's game against Temple on Jan. 22.

Every seat in the Ryan Center has a chairback, and there are eight luxury suites that overlook both the Meade Stadium football field and the Ryan Center basketball court. The building stands 86-feet high and includes three lighthouse towers that mark the north and south entrances. The Ryan Center is also home to the football teams' locker room, along with athletic department offices, training rooms, players' lounges and a souvenir store.

A multi-purpose facility, the Ryan Center seats 9,000 for concerts, lectures and other community events. Popular acts such as Bob Dylan, No Doubt, Counting Crows, John Mayer, Rusted Root and the Dave Matthews Band have highlighted the Ryan Center's first school-year in operation.

Amenities include two state-of-the-art, full-color scoreboards with video capabilities. The house sound system, designed with acoustic provisions, provides a full range of high power sound to all seats in the venue including the concourse and Alumni Room, making it suitable for any event.

The arena can also be subdivided to provide a half-house venue for smaller functions. The event floor seating retracts to provide space suitable for family shows or trade conferences. A portable stage is available for concerts and performance events and the event floor itself can seat up to 500 for a banquet.