Jersey Mike's Arena, commonly known as the Rutgers Athletic Center ("the RAC"), is an 8,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Piscataway, New Jersey on Rutgers University's Livingston Campus. The building is shaped like a truncated tent with trapezoidal sides on the north and south ends, and is home to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the wrestling, volleyball, and gymnastics teams.
History
Development
New Jersey governor William T. Cahill announced support for a new arena for Rutgers basketball during a game against Princeton in 1971 at the badly outdated "Barn" on College Avenue. He set a goal of a 10,000 seat venue, and provided $250,000 for feasibility studies. A bond issue passed that November, and by July the following year, the Rutgers Board of Governors unveiled a request for proposals. There were plans for a 13,000 seat arena in downtown New Brunswick, which turned out to be unfeasible. Instead, the university made plans for an arena on Livingston Campus, which would host 11,000 seats for basketball, ice hockey, and aquatics. One administrator opposed larger plans, hoping the university would not become "a basketball or a football factory".
The Rutgers Athletic Center was ultimately designed by architect Robert Hillier. Originally, he proposed a larger structure with modern amenities, however, the budget was limited to $8 million. Working with the cheapest structural materials he could source, the arena would have four massive support columns, and provide for 8000 seats, yielding a trapezoidal design. Construction began in 1975. The fans liked the then-new arena as an upgrade from "the Barn". It soon became apparent that the acoustics of the design made the venue very loud when it was full. Hillier credited the steep seating arrangement and materials used for amplifying the sound.
The arena was known as the Rutgers Athletic Center until 1986, when it was renamed for Louis Brown, a Rutgers graduate and former member of the varsity golf team, who made a large bequest to the university in his will. Despite this, it was usually referred to as "the RAC" by students, alumni, fans, and players.
Renovations
The arena was upgraded with air conditioning for the first time in 2016, at the insistence of newly hired coach Steve Pikiell. He also had weight room and locker rooms updated. The Big Ten Gymnastics Championships were hosted at the venue in 2017. The venue hosted the Big Ten Wrestling Championships in 2020.
Renaming
The arena was renamed Jersey Mike's Arena in 2021, after the university sold its naming rights to the sandwich chain in a 20-year $28 million deal, which includes signage inside and outside the arena, on the scoreboard and court. Additionally, the chain will be promoted in print and digital media, as well as radio and television. The deal begins with a $1.1 million annual payment that will increase to $1.7 million at its end on June 30, 2041. The signage cost $300,000 at Rutgers expense. The deal also will bring Jersey Mike's subs to the concessions, to be operated by Rutgers or a third-party. It also has opt-out clauses for both parties, with the sponsor able to suspend the deal starting July 2029 if upgrades or a new arena are not built, and both can unilaterally opt out starting in July 2036. Finally, an outdoor plaza is to be developed jointly by the two parties to the agreement. After the second giveaway on January 27, an unknown burglar or burglars broke into the building and stole the remaining cards from a locked office that night.
Acoustics
thumb|left|250px|Rutgers hosts Northwestern on February 9, 2020
Jersey Mike's Arena is renowned for being one of the loudest arenas in college basketball at maximum capacity. The trapezoidal design of the building resonates crowd noise onto the court, creating a deafening environment. The RAC has even been described as being "louder than a 757 at Newark Airport." Eric Zwerling of the Rutgers Noise Technical Assistance Center noted the hard surfaces and concrete structure reflect and trap the sound, which has been measured to reach 118 to 125 decibels, which can cause a temporary threshold shift, and with repeated exposure, damage the inner ear. A rudimentary study by the Rutgers Society of Physics Students measured sound levels around the arena, and found that it was loudest at the highest seats, where the compact flat surfaces focus noise. They also extrapolated that the court was louder than much of the arena, but did not measure there.
A Daily Orange writer referred to the arena as a "house of horrors" for Syracuse in 2005. A Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writer reiterated the epithet in a 2011 article about Marquette playing there. A Syracuse Post-Standard writer in 2020 continued the tradition, musing whether it would still be a house of horrors without any fans in attendance. He said the arena is a "modern-day torture device", drawing a parallel to the medieval rack, and noted it feels like playing in a sunken pit. The journalist also noted that Rutgers had a 43.2% win rate at home, while only earning 15.4% away. Former Syracuse player Ryan Blackwell concurred that Rutgers does much better at home.
ESPN's Jay Bilas has lauded the arena, saying, "The Scarlet Knights play great there, and the crowd is right on top of you and intimidating." Many visiting players have also extolled the RAC's atmosphere. Former UConn shooting guard Ben Gordon said that "it is very difficult at the RAC...the gym is shaped, it seems like everybody is on top of you. At times, if you're not focused, you can get lost in the game just by how intense the crowd is." The venue hosted SpringBlaze 2008, a concert featuring Christian rock bands, with a special appearance by Rutgers Football head coach Greg Schiano.
Other events
Rutgers University Dance Marathon has been held at the RAC since 2014, having moved from the College Avenue Gym.
The arena is used every June as a graduation hall for J. P. Stevens High School, Edison High School, Piscataway Township High School, North Brunswick Township High School, and other area high schools.
Proposed expansions
left|thumb|Side view of the arena (2026)
The Star-Ledger and The Daily Targum reported in 2010 that Rutgers then-athletic director Tim Pernetti planned to expand the arena to include more practice facilities, more concourse space, and a seating expansion to accommodate 12,500 fans (including club seating), and premium restaurants. Pernetti also stated that he wanted to book more concerts at the arena and at nearby Rutgers Stadium.
When the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten Conference in 2014, the RAC was the smallest arena in conference, with slightly smaller capacity than Northwestern's 8,117-seat Welsh–Ryan Arena provided at the time. However, after renovations of Welsh-Ryan Arena during the 2017–18 season, which decreased its capacity, the RAC became the second-smallest arena in the conference. The other 16 Big Ten schools' arenas all seat at least 10,000.
Rutgers athletic director Patrick E. Hobbs wanted to upgrade the RAC during his tenure, replacing office space with a lounge, and converting the media center into a bar.