Frank Erwin Center 30th Anniversary

30 and Still Fabulous! A Letter From the Director

Thirty years and counting….

On November 28, 1977, the Erwin Center opened its doors for our first public ticketed event…Oklahoma vs. Texas Men’s Basketball. The event was a sellout and Longhorn fans were thrilled to witness a victory…the first of many in what was sometimes called “The Drum.” Since that day, over 1000 opponents have played on our court and Texas has emerged victorious a vast majority of the time. This season, we expect they will win all their home games!

While the game of basketball is still played on a 94 x 50 foot court with 10 high foot baskets, a few things have changed over the last 30 years. In 1977, the average home cost $50,000. Gasoline was .62 cents a gallon. The Dow was at 831 and inflation was ripping along at 11%. The population of Travis County was 393,000 when the Erwin Center opened. Through all these years and the ever climbing cost of living, people of Central Texas continue to come to the Erwin Center for sports and entertainment. 6000 events and nearly 24 million people later, we are still here. Last season, 840,000 guests came through our doors.

We have had children attend Sesame Street Live in the early 1980’s, who are now bringing their children to see Big Bird and Ernie. We have had young fans who sang along to Bruce Springsteen in the Born to Run years, bring their kids to see what “real music is all about.” And I have seen a daughter bring a mom to see the Backstreet Boys. It looked like everyone had a good time.

What really makes the Erwin Center special is the caliber of folks that work here, the quality of the artists who entertain us and the skills of Longhorn athletes and the coaching staffs that bring victory on the court. Most importantly, however, it’s the wonderful people Austin and Central Texas who attend our concerts, circuses and sporting events each year, year-in, year-out.

I guess some things change and some things keep on keepin’ on.

John M. Graham
Associate Athletics Director

Wrapping Up Our Year-long Celebration!

As the Frank Erwin Center turns 30 years old this month, we will celebrate by unveiling a photo gallery of some of our biggest events from the past 30 years. Details are being finalized including the date and time of the unveiling, but we can tell you that the unveiling will be in conjunction with an event at the Frank Erwin Center, the photo gallery will include 40-50 photos that will be displayed on the arena concourse throughout the building and that there will be a big cake involved! An Applause update with finalized details will be sent out to all our Applause subscribers so they can join us for our big celebration. If you are not currently a subscriber, register today at uterwincenter.com
 
All the big names have been to the Frank Erwin Center over the years. Legends like Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, KISS, David Bowie, U2 and Madonna have played the Frank Erwin Center stage as well as popular contemporary artists of today like Coldplay, Kenny Chesney, Tool, No Doubt, Dixie Chicks and John Mayer. These are just a few of the names you might see displayed in our photo gallery.
 
We’d also like to take this time to congratulate those who won a $30 Texas Box Office gift certificate during our year-long celebration through our Register to Win contests conducted at each professional entertainment event this year. We hope to see you at the Frank Erwin Center soon.