War Memorial Gymnasium, Athletic building at University of San Francisco, United States
War Memorial Gymnasium is a 3,005-seat arena inside the Sobrato Center on the University of San Francisco campus, home to Dons men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball. Above the court hang banners for national and conference titles and retired numbers, and the foyer holds a mini-hall of fame with trophies and memorabilia. The 2008–09 and 2015–19 renovations replaced the original floor and upper bleachers, added a club level and elevator, and installed four corner video boards.
War Memorial Gymnasium opened in 1958, after USF's back-to-back NCAA titles in 1955 and 1956 spurred a fundraising drive; before that the team played at Kezar Pavilion or St. Ignatius High School. It is dedicated to USF alumni killed in action, and from 1962 to 1967 it hosted occasional games of the San Francisco Warriors. It was the home of the late-1970s Dons teams led by Bill Cartwright, Phil Smith and Quintin Dailey.
The gym's foyer holds a mini-hall of fame with trophies and memorabilia from USF's athletic history. Banners above the court commemorate national and conference championships, including titles won by the women's team in the old Northern California Athletic Conference, and retired numbers of players, Pete Newell and Phil Woolpert among them.
The gymnasium is accessed from the main campus, and visitors should know that certain areas may be restricted depending on scheduled events. It helps to check in advance what games or activities are happening to understand access rules and crowd levels.
The gymnasium made television history in 1982 when CBS broadcast the first national television showing of a college basketball game from this location. This event marked a turning point in how college sports reached audiences across the country.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,776 contributors worldwide.