Cameron Turns 70

Corrina and I are fortunate to go to basketball games at both Duke (Cameron Indoor Stadium) & UNC Chapel Hill (Dean E. Smith Center). I try to say this with the least amount of bias possible, but the Dean Dome doesn't hold a candle to the experience of watching a game at Cameron. When the Dean Dome gets cranking, it's undoubtedly exciting, but it just can't match Cameron's intimacy and history. Cameron feels like it's 70 years old... in the best way possible. Happy Birthday!

From Duke Sports Information:
DURHAM, N.C. - On Wednesday (01-06-10), Cameron Indoor Stadium celebrates its 70th birthday.

Cameron Indoor has been the site of 746 Duke victories in men's basketball over the past 70 years.

The doors of Cameron first opened on Jan. 6, 1940 with a 36-27 Duke win over Princeton in front of 8,000 people - the largest crowd ever to see a basketball game in the South.

The original design of the Stadium was said to be conceived on the back of a matchbook by Eddie Cameron and Wallace Wade in 1935. The official architectural plans for the Stadium were drawn by the Philadelphia firm of Horace Trumbauer, Architect.

The architect who designed the $400,000 Stadium was Julian Abele, who had studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris, France.

The original arena measured 262-feet long by 175-feet wide and was the East Coast's largest indoor stadium south of the Palestra in Philadelphia.

Seating for 8,800 included 3,500 folding bleacher seats on the floor designated, then as today, for the exclusive use of undergraduates. The maximum capacity was 12,000.

The money from Duke's 1939 Rose Bowl appearance enabled the building of the arena, which the Blue Devils have posted a 746-150 record (.832) in.

Through the years Cameron has maintained its historic look and feel and is considered one of the premier sporting venues in the world. Sports Illustrated rated it as the fourth-best sporting venue worldwide of the 20th century.

Success inside Cameron didn't begin with the arrival of head coach Mike Krzyzewski, but the Hall of Fame coach has had tremendous success inside Cameron over his career, posting a 387-55 home record.

Over the last two seasons, the Blue Devils have lost just two games inside the historic arena, which has sold out 298 consecutive games.