Alex G. Spanos Center

Alex G. Spanos Center
1178 Larry Heller Drive
Stockton, CA 95211
Phone: 209-946-2474
Email: tickets@pacific.edu
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Sports: Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Women's Volleyball
Opened: 1981
Capacity: 5,634

The flagship facility of the Pacific Athletics Complex, the Alex G. Spanos Center is a 5,634-seat arena located on the Stockton campus of University of the Pacific that has been welcoming fans since September 9, 1981. Construction on the arena began in August of 1979 and it was completed for just over $7 million.

The home of the Tiger men’s and women’s basketball programs, as well as indoor volleyball, the multipurpose venue is named for the late Pacific alumnus and Los Angeles Chargers owner Alex G. Spanos. The arena boasts great sight lines and includes more than 3,000 chairback seats. It can accommodate up to 8,000 for community events and has hosted many commencements, local playoff tournaments, crab feeds, cheer competitions and educational events.

The university has invested in the facility in recent years. Two video boards and two endzone ribbon boards were installed prior to the 2020-21 campaign.

In 2017-18, the renovations inside of the Spanos Center gave the arena a fresh and revitalized look. The venue was revamped from floor to ceiling, including the refurbishment and redesign of the basketball and volleyball courts, upgraded West Coast Conference logo and opponent logos, and the installation of LED lighting. The redesigned court included bold graphics alongside the logo includes Tigers stripes within the basketball keys, the "Tigers" logo in the end zones and the "Pacific" logo alongside the "Powercat" logo at center court. In 2018-19, the West Coast Conference logo was updated.

The improved lighting, which was contracted through Collins Electrical, is not only an upgrade for the fan experience, but also assists in reducing Pacific’s carbon footprint and increasing foot candles for national and regional broadcasts. Additionally, floor-to-ceiling banners celebrating student-athletes and the university's historic athletic accomplishments were installed, as well as handrails in the chairback seating area of the facility. The banners included two that recognized the volleyball programs two national championships in 1985 and 1986.

The Spanos Center has featured many monumental events moments in collegiate athletics. In the 2020-21 season, it hosted the #1 team in the nation in both men’s and women’s basketball when the women played Stanford on December 15, 2020, and the men hosted Gonzaga on February 4, 2021. In the previous season, one of the country’s most thrilling game of the year was played in the Spanos Center as Pacific bested Saint Mary’s in a four-overtime contest, 107-99, on January 4, 2020.

The arena has seen its share of notable players including Valerie Higgins, who was selected with the first pick in the third round of the 2021 WNBA draft by the New York Liberty. Michael Olowokandi thrilled the Spanos Center crowds from 1995-1998. He was the overall first pick in the NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers following his third season. He is one of 16 former Tigers that had their names called in the NBA Draft.

On October 15, 2008, the Spanos Center hosted an NBA preseason exhibition between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Sacramento Kings.

As one of the largest venues in the WCC, the Spanos Center gives Pacific a home court advantage when hosting home athletics events with both a quality seating configuration and a tradition of generations of Tiger fans flocking to the arena to support the teams.

The facility is named for Alex G. Spanos ‘48, a Stockton native who was born to Greek immigrants. After serving as a tail gunner in World War II, he enrolled at University of Pacific and competed on the swim team, graduating in 1948. He founded a construction company in Stockton that grew into the A.G. Spanos Companies, a builder of multi-family residences and master-planned communities. The company remains one of the largest builders of rental housing in the United States. In 1984, he purchased a controlling interest in the San Diego Chargers. After purchasing the shares from the minority owners, the Spanos Family still owns the Los Angeles Chargers. He received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University in 1984. The Spanos family also received the Pacific Alumni Association’s Outstanding Family Award in 2002 for outstanding contributions over the years.