The time has come to ring in a new era. It’s been a long road, but the University will be breaking in the new Matthew Knight Arena this month and McArthur Court is destined to be vacant on game nights.
However, it will always remain a pivotal a piece of Oregon history. Ushering in a new era provides the opportunity to pay respects to Mac Court and reflect and remember what once was.
The arena was built in 1926 and used in official game action on Jan. 14, 1927. It has hosted Oregon’s basketball and volleyball teams as well as various other events ever since. The arena has gained attention for many of its unique qualities, including its nickname “The Pit,” which evolved because of the drastic upward slopes of the inner structure. Those sitting in the 300-level sections experience an aerial view of the game. Oregon’s passionate fan base isn’t isolated in Autzen Stadium, the noise of which is comparable to a jet during take-off; at Mac Court, the fans’ cheering ricochets off the walls and pierces the eardrums as the bleached maple floors shake with satisfaction.
Mac Court is named after the University’s first student body president, Clifton Nesmith McArthur. McArthur graduated from the University in 1902 and later became a lawyer and state representative for Oregon, serving two times as the Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives. His interest in politics and passion for sports while at the University became a crucial step in the birth of the campus’s political spirit. When McArthur was student body president, he also held a position that today would be equivalent to an athletic director. His position was and still is considered a crucial piece to the development of Oregon athletics. His involvement with these positions helped lead to the construction of McArthur Court.
As for the arena that bears his name, the court was built because University students were vying for an on-campus arena that would make athletic events more convenient to attend during stormy Oregon winters. The student government, which was something McArthur dedicated himself to years before, self-imposed a fee to all students to fund the arena. The lease for Mac Court was paid off in the middle of the Great Depression and a ceremonial burning of the paperwork followed.
The court hosted the final men’s basketball game on the first day of 2011 as the Ducks took on the Arizona State Sun Devils, which put a cap on an 84-year, 1,116 men’s basketball game career for McArthur Court and the University’s men’s basketball program.
Fans are sure to be amazed by the new home of Oregon hoops, but the moments created at McArthur will always be remembered. Aaron Brooks’ last second shot to dethrone No. 1 UCLA, The “Tall Firs” run to the first NCAA Championship in 1939, Luke Jackson’s 42-point game against Arizona, Jim Loscutoff’s 32 rebounds in 1955 and some of the more recent marks set by the women’s basketball program, who have won nearly three-fourths of their home games.
McArthur Court has been like that first car. It’s not the best, but there will always be a special place for it. The University is moving from that first car to a Ferrari, but let us not forget the story, the memories and the legacy that is McArthur Court.
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