9/24/01 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Heather Johnson, program assistant, UNI-Dome, (319) 273-3166

Vicki Grimes, University Marketing & Public Relations, (319) 273-2761

Note to editors: A history of the UNI-Dome is attached to the end of this story.

UNI marks 25^th anniversary of the UNI-Dome Sept. 29

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- The University of Northern Iowa will kick off the 25^th anniversary of the UNI-Dome Sat., Sept. 29, with a ceremony at 2 p.m. in the parking lot south of the Dome. Among speakers will be LeRoy Redfern, Cedar Falls attorney and one of the original fundraisers for the UNI Foundation's campaign that resulted in the Dome's construction; Robert Koob, UNI president; and Rick Hartzell, UNI athletic director.

An official ribbon-cutting will follow. Gates will open at 2:30 p.m. for the Panthers' 4:05 p.m. football game against the Penguins of Youngstown State. Commemorative tickets will be handed out at the door, and the first 10,000 fans will receive purple "Growl Towels." Hartzell encouraged those attending the game to wear purple.

A tailgate begins at noon in the Dome's south parking lot. Major Healey, a local band, will play at 1:30 p.m., and there will be inflatable games, obstacle courses, face painting and carnival games. Food will be available for purchase.

All events are open to the public. Game tickets are available by calling (319) 273-DOME.

A history of the UNI-Dome

When University of Northern Iowa officials launched a multimillion-dollar fund drive in December 1972, one of their goals was to build a multipurpose coliseum on the west edge of campus combining the features of three buildings-- a football stadium, fieldhouse and large auditorium.

They wanted a name to reflect the uniqueness of the facility and a sense of unity or "oneness" and settled on the UNI-Dome. Its prefix, pronounced "you-knee," stands not only for the University of Northern Iowa, but also was chosen to mean "one" and "unique." 

The late UNI athletic director and football coach, Stan Sheriff, was a driving force behind the need for the facility and for the air-inflated structure, which opened in time for the university's centennial and the nation's bicentennial in 1976. At a cost of $7.5 million, the UNI-Dome came in at about one-third the price of three separate buildings.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place July 26, 1974, construction began in August, and the Dome was on its way to becoming the first structure of its kind in Iowa and the Midwest, and only the fourth air-supported, fabric-covered structure in the world. The concept was pioneered in 1970 with the U.S. Pavilion at Expo ’70 in Osaka, Japan.

Including all seating, office and corridor areas, the building has more than 250,000 sq. ft. of usable space. Its fixed seat capacity is 16,400, and the concert capacity is 24,000. The first sell-out crowd for a football game came in 1989 for a game against Southwest Missouri State. This was followed in 1990 with 22,797 for the UNI/Iowa basketball game, the largest crowd ever to see a basketball game in the state of Iowa.

The UNI-Dome officially opened with the UNI vs. University of Iowa wrestling meet Feb. 7, 1976. The crowd was estimated at nearly 12,000.

In 1997, the Dome was the site of the NCAA Division I Wrestling championships and all events sold out, smashing previously established NCAA attendance records. Among other sports-related activities have been performances the Harlem Globetrotters, All-Star Basketball and the Iowa Barnstormers; the Pepsi Cola Bowl and the Iowa State High School football playoffs.

The Dome hosts concerts, exhibitions, trade shows, rallies, car shows and convocations. The Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac are among concerts that were sold out, with a record attendance of 25,647 in 1979 for the latter group’s performance. Others who have performed in the Dome include Steve Martin, Dolly Parton, the Beach Boys, Willie Nelson, the Grateful Dead, the Doobie Brothers, Chicago and Johnny Cash. The Dome also has hosted programs such as the Shrine Circus, the Royal Lippizan Stallion Show, Special Olympics, Truck and Tractor Pulls, and the Northeast Iowa Sports Show.

Three times during its history, severe storms have caused the roof to deflate, the most recent being Dec. 7, 1994, following a heavy, wet snow. This deflation caused damage to the ring structure, precipitating the conversion to a hybrid roof system -- or fixed roof-- for the structure in 1998.

It is estimated more than 4 million people attended events in the UNI-Dome during its first 10 years in operation. Current estimates are that about 400,000 people annually attend events in the Dome.

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9/24/01

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Bill Stigliani, professor and director, Center for Energy and Environmental Education, (319) 273- 2573

Vicki Grimes, University Marketing and Public Relations, (319) 273-2761

UNI to host director of Iowa Energy Center for presentation Wednesday, Sept. 26

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Floyd Barwig, director of the Iowa Energy Center in Ames, will present, "The Mission and Activities of the Iowa Energy Center, Including Opportunities to Obtain Funding from the Energy Center," at the University of Northern Iowa, Wednesday, Sept. 26. He will speak at 4 p.m., in Room 1536 McCollum Science Hall. The presentation is free and open to the public.

The Iowa Energy Center offers funding for energy-related projects, and is urging UNI to make proposals for the funding.

For more information, contact Bill Stigliani, professor and director, Center for Energy and Environmental Education, (319) 273- 2573.

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