Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On February 7, 1976, the University of Northern Iowa wrestling team welcomed the defending national champion Iowa Hawkeyes to the UNI-Dome for the building’s first sporting event. Over 10,200 people packed in to witness the 31-8 Hawkeye win.
After identifying the need for a new stadium for UNI athletics during the late 1960s, several years of fundraising culminated in the $7.5 million necessary for construction. After a groundbreaking ceremony on July 26, 1974, crews spent the following two years completing the state-of-the-art structure. Designed by Thorson-Brom-Broshar-Snyder Architects of Waterloo, the facility featured a futuristic Teflon-coated fiberglass domed roof and astroturf on the football playing surface.
The space's adaptability allowed workers to roll up the turf and assemble a removable basketball course or an all-purpose floor with running-track markings. Constructed to hold over 16,000 people for football, the Panther faithful set the attendance record for the facility on October 17, 2009, when 17,190 crammed in to watch UNI take on Southern Illinois in football.
Although the opening event on the mats in 1976 went in favor of the Hawkeyes, the Panther faithful beamed with pride over their new facility. “This is like owning a Model A car and suddenly having a Ferrari,” commended UNI athletic director Stan Sheriff. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
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