"The Pit" is what the gymnasium at University of Oregon is called. The official name is McArthur Court, but "The Pit" and "Mac Court" are the names commonly used by students and Oregon Duck fans. The 10,000 seat auditorium was built in 1926 and named after Clifton N. (Pat) McArthur, a student-athlete and the university's first student body president. The first game was held in 1927, when the "Tall Firs" beat Willamette 38-10. The "Tall Firs" won the first NCAA Championship in 1939.
It has since been remodeled and updated several times. In 1992, new locker rooms, a team room and coaches offices were added, and in 1993, women's basketball, volleyball and softball received new quarters. During the 1995-96 academic year, a $400,000 renovation of the outer concourse on the street level was completed and the academic area for student-athletes was completely updated and redesigned. The venerable facility received a new roof in the summer of 1996 to the tune of $1.7 million. New seating in the court level and the first balcony was put in place in the fall of 1997. Mac Court is home to men's & women's basketball, women's volleyball and wrestling. According to a recent poll, McArthur Court was deemed as a Pac-10 visiting team's least favorite place to play and in 1995 Sports Illustrated listed it as one of the 12 toughest places in the country to play college basketball. Oregon's fans are also part of the ambience. The Ducks have ranked annually near the top of attendance figures in the conference and the setting is the favorite of the many television producers and announcers who cover games at Mac Court.
When I attended U of O and was one of the lucky winners in the student lotto for season tickets to football and basketball, I had no idea what an event a basketball game at Mac Court would be. Each time I went, the place was filled to capacity, and it was a challenge to the crowd to see how much we could make the hanging scoreboard suspended over the middle of the court sway in response to our shouting. Basketball games at the Pit and a Grateful Dead concert that I saw there are two of my favorite memories of my years as a duck.