Elma Roane Fieldhouse - Facilities - University of Memphis Athletics

Elma Roane Fieldhouse

By the Numbers

Built	1950
Capacity (as of 2003)	2,565
Original Capacity	2,800
All-Time Record (since 1977)	393-202

Top Crowds (All-Time)

Crowd	Date	Opponent
3,410	Feb. 12, 1998	Tennessee
3,012	Dec. 31, 1995	Tennessee
2,912	Feb. 14, 1997	Louisville
2,791	Feb. 4, 1997	Mississippi
2,789	Feb. 9, 1985	Southern Miss

Top Crowds (After 2003)

Crowd	Date	Opponent
2,585	Feb. 16, 2014	Louisville
2,342	Jan. 13, 2016	Connecticut
2,313	Jan. 24, 2018	Connecticut
2,312	Dec. 18, 2009	Mississippi
2,263	Jan. 26, 2012	Marshall

Elma Roane Fieldhouse Records

Record	Stat	Date
Most Points (Team)	116 vs Alabama State	Dec. 1, 1995
Most Points (Individual)	45 by Tamika Whitmore vs Arkansas State	March 17, 1999
Most 3-Point FG Made	8 by Madison Griggs vs Mississippi Valley State	Dec. 20, 2019
Most Rebounds (Team)	73 vs Southern	Dec. 18, 1982

An intimidating arena for opponents of the University of Memphis women’s basketball team, the Elma Roane Fieldhouse serves as the home for the Tigers in the heart of the University of Memphis campus. The arena is often packed with Tigers fans and gets loud, providing Memphis with a great homecourt advantage. Taking advantage of its homecourt, Tigers basketball holds a 393-202 record at the Fieldhouse since 1977-78.

The Fieldhouse is named after former women’s athletic director Elma Neal Roane. A pioneer for women’s athletics at Memphis and in the Mid-South, Roane attended games until her passing in 2011.

The second phase in the most recent development of Elma Roane Fieldhouse is currently in the works as a new video and scoreboard are being installed.

During the 2020-21 season, the facility went through an extensive $3.5 million facelift that updated the gym's appearance and included adding amenities for players and fans. Work on the gym portion was completed by the start of the 2020-21 season, while renovations to the lobby continued throughout the season. The renovations were designed by local design firm Fleming Architects.

"This is an impactful and significant upgrade to the home of our women's basketball program," said Director of Athletics Laird Veatch. "Our goal is to improve the fan experience, drive attendance and impact our homecourt advantage. We are very thankful to everyone who has helped make this project a reality."

The upgrades included:

modifying existing concrete risers to provide greater row-to-row spacing and install new arena chairback seating
add new acoustical wall panels inside the gymnasium
repaint all walls, risers, flooring and structure
replace all ceiling tiles
renovate team benches and press area
add air conditioning and heating in the lobby and concourse restrooms
replace all flooring, windows and paint in the lobby
renovate men's and women's restrooms
update concession stands

The $3.5 million project is the second significant upgrade to the facility in recent years. The last was a two-phase plan that began in 2011 and improved "behind-the-scenes" areas of the Fieldhouse.

The first phase gave the women's basketball program updates to its space just off the playing floor. The makeover included new locker rooms for players and coaches; a coaches' meeting room; a doctor's examination room; a meeting/video room and a student-athlete lounge area that can cater to many different team functions.

The second part of the previous renovation was state-of-the-art upgrades for the athletic training and strength and conditioning areas, located on the first floor of the Fieldhouse.

One part of the second renovation phase was converting what used to be racquetball courts in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse into a strength and conditioning area. The lower level is now home to five PowerLift Power Racks, leg extension and leg curl machines and an assortment of new Iron Grip dumbbells, ranging from five to 80 pounds. The strength and conditioning equipment came to the Tigers courtesy of a gift from the Helen and Jabie Hardin Charitable Trust.

Above the weight area are two new cardio fitness platforms. One platform houses six new Woodway 4Front Treadmills, while another consists of a four-lane, indoor track to work on sprints.

Adjacent to the strength and conditioning area is an athletic training facility. The Tigers can get prepped for games on the Proteam by Hausmann Taping Station and can receive treatment on any of the five Proteam training tables, one of which — a Hausmann high/low table — can also serve as a massage table. The Tigers also have a new Chattanooga Vectra Genisys Electrotherapy System to aid in treatments.

Recoveries from injuries also will be aided by the addition of a HydroWorx PolarPlunge pool, which keeps water at a 55-degree temperature to control joint inflammation and enhance muscle recovery. Previously, the Tigers had to stagger ice baths among three stainless steel tubs, but the PolarPlunge pool will enable more student-athletes to get into their recovery plans quicker after workouts and games.

A second HydroWorx pool added to the athletic training area is an aquatic therapy pool, which has an underwater treadmill. The aquatic therapy pool assists student-athletes in a low-impact exercise environment that increases range of motion and improves muscle strength with strategically-placed, high-powered water jets which can be used for resistance training and deep-tissue massage.

Prior to 2003, the Elma Roane Fieldhouse had a seating capacity of 2,800. In 2003, 900 chairback seats were installed, lowering the total capacity to 2,565, the capacity that remains today.

Elma Roane Fieldhouse Attendance

Year	Record	Total / Average	Largest Crowd
1977-78	13-0 (1.000)	N/A	N/A
1978-79	14-1 (.933)	N/A	N/A
1979-80	7-4 (.636)	N/A	N/A
1980-81	10-3 (.769)	N/A	N/A
1981-82	17-1 (.944)	N/A	N/A
1982-83	9-3 (.750)	N/A	N/A
1983-84	9-3 (.750)	N/A	N/A
1984-85	10-2 (.714)	N/A	N/A
1985-86	9-3 (.750)	N/A	N/A
1986-87	12-2 (.857)	N/A	N/A
1987-88	10-4 (.714)	N/A	N/A
1988-89	7-9 (.438)	N/A	N/A
1989-90	5-8 (.385)	N/A	N/A
1990-91	4-10 (.286)	N/A	N/A
1991-92	8-6 (.571)	N/A	N/A
1992-93	4-8 (.333)	N/A	N/A
1993-94	10-2 (.833)	N/A	N/A
1994-95	10-1 (.909)	N/A	N/A
1995-96	9-3 (.750)	N/A	N/A
1996-97	10-2 (.833)	N/A	N/A
1997-98	10-1 (.909)	N/A	N/A
1998-99	13-3 (.813)	N/A	N/A
1999-00	11-3 (.786)	19,680 / 1,406	1,951 vs Tulane
2000-01	9-3 (.750)	24,520 / 2,043	2,637 vs Southern Miss
2001-02	7-4 (.636)	16,350 / 1,486	1,668 vs Southern Miss
2002-03	8-5 (.615)	12,687 / 976	1,568 vs Arkansas
2003-04	10-3 (.769)	13,517 / 1,040	2,213 vs Saint Louis
2004-05	10-4 (.714)	13,301 / 950	1,723 vs Southern Miss
2005-06	2-10 (.167)	8,644 / 720	1,231 vs Mississippi
2006-07	4-11 (.267)	9,509 / 634	1,114 vs Tulsa
2007-08	6-9 (.400)	8,547 / 570	1,147 vs Southern Miss
2008-09	6-6 (.500)	9,257 / 771	1,473 vs Marshall
2009-10	12-3 (.800)	14,391 / 959	2,312 vs Mississippi
2010-11	9-4 (.692)	10,132 / 779	1,843 vs UAB
2011-12	15-1 (.938)	22,197 / 1387	2,263 vs Marshall
2012-13	9-5 (.643)	14,609 / 1044	1,687 vs SMU
2013-14	9-4 (.692)	14,002 / 1,077	2,585 vs Louisville
2014-15	9-6 (.600)	12,938 / 863	1,930 vs USF
2015-16	12-5 (.705)	15,570 / 973	2,342 vs UConn
2016-17	11-5 (.687)	11,170 / 698	1,432 vs Houston
2017-18	7-8 (.467)	9,673 / 645	2,313 vs UConn
2018-19	6-10 (.375)	8,623 / 539	755 vs Jackson State
2019-20	8-7 (.533)	7,513 / 501	1,027 vs UConn
2020-21	3-7 (.300)	limited attendance	COVID-19 season
44 seasons*	393-202 (.661)*