The Robert A. Mott Athletics Center (formerly Mott Gym) is a 3,032-seat, indoor multi-purpose arena on the campus of California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California.
History
With Cal Poly officials looking for a larger alternative to the previously used Crandall Gym on campus, construction for the new multi-purpose arena was well underway by April 1959. The complex's cost totaled a reported $2 million as of September 1959 (covering not only the gym itself but also surrounding practice courts and a field), with construction contracted to Maino Construction Company of San Luis Obispo. (In years since, the surrounding practice surfaces have been remade into a parking garage, a beach volleyball court and a recreation center.) Costs ultimately totaled $2.2 million by the time of the complex's opening in January 1960.
The arena officially opened on January 15, 1960 for a game between the Cal Poly men's basketball team and San Diego State.
The gym was named after Robert A. Mott (at the time referred to as "Mott Gym") on September 24, 1988. Mott had been a physical education faculty member and department head at Cal Poly between 1946-1978.
Following an elevation to Division I of the NCAA, the Cal Poly men's basketball team saw its attendance jump from an average of 926 fans in 1994-95 to 2,901 spectators by 1996-97, coinciding with season ticket sales skyrocketing from 36 in 1995-96 to 1,140 by 1997-98, prompting designs for a $1.2 million renovation to the building's seating.
Soon after, the facility underwent major renovations beginning in the summer of 1998 by local construction firm Santa Margarita Construction Corp. The seating was completely redone and arena-style chairbacks were added to Mott Athletics Center in addition to upgraded heating and ventilation systems.
On January 9, 1999, the first nationally televised game at Mott Athletics Center took place, as ESPN2 carried a game between Cal Poly and Idaho. Several games have since been broadcast regionally and nationally live on Fox Sports West, ESPNU, Spectrum SportsNet (LA), and CBS Sports Network, often before capacity crowds.
The building took on its modernized formal title of Mott Athletics Center in mid-January 2013.
Mott Athletics Center underwent another significant renovation in the summer of 2014, including a repainted court design, the addition of two new Daktronics video boards and the implementation of new LED-advertising courtside panels.
Conference and NCAA championship events
Cal Poly hosted the 1969 NCAA College Division Wrestling Championships in the facility, winning the national title with a then-division record of 127 team points. On March 15, 1969, according to the San Luis Obispo Tribune, "the Saturday night finals attracted 4,000-plus fans to the Cal Poly gym. The 'official head count' was announced at 3,500 but that figure did not take into consideration the fans already in the gym when the count was started." In March 1981, the men's basketball team hosted New Hampshire College (now Southern New Hampshire University) in the Division II NCAA Tournament Elite Eight. Cal Poly won 77-73 to advance to the Final Four, with a crowd of 3,217 (at the time a facility record for basketball) in attendance. Mott Athletics Center hosted the 1994 and 2005 Pac-10 Wrestling Championships, with the total attendance for the latter two-day four-session event totaling 7,738. The Mustangs finished the meet in fourth place and crowned one individual champion, Vic Moreno at . At the 1994 meet, Oregon State won the team title, before Arizona State won the 2005 conference championship. In 2006, Mott Athletics Center was home to the first and second rounds of the NCAA volleyball tournament, each with sold-out crowds. Cal Poly defeated Michigan 3-1 before falling to Cal 3-1.