NCAA BASKETBALL
Year: Conferences: Teams:
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Kingdome
201 South King St
Seattle, WA 98104
Opened: March 27, 1976
Closed: January 9, 2000
The Kingdome (officially the King County Stadium) was a multi-purpose stadium located in the Industrial District neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. Owned and operated by King County, it was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) and the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB); it was also home to the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and additionally served as both the home outdoor and indoor venue for the Seattle Sounders of the North American Soccer League (NASL). The Kingdome measured 660 feet (200 m) wide from its inside walls.

The idea of constructing a covered stadium for a major league football or baseball team was first proposed to Seattle officials in 1959. Voters rejected separate measures to approve public funding for such a stadium in 1960 and 1966, but the outcome was different in 1968; King County voters approved the issue of $40 million in municipal bonds to construct the stadium. Construction began in 1972 and it opened in 1976 as the home of the Sounders and Seahawks. The Mariners moved in the following year, and the SuperSonics moved in the year after that, only to move back to the Seattle Center Coliseum in 1985. The stadium hosted several major sports events, including the Soccer Bowl in August 1976, the Pro Bowl in January 1977, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game in July 1979, the NBA All-Star Game in 1987, and the NCAA Final Four in 1984, 1989, and 1995.

The first men's college basketball game at the Kingdome was held on January 9, 1984, when the Washington Huskies defeated the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 63-61, in the second overtime in front of 7,466 fans. The Huskies held their only other basketball game at the Kingdome more than a decade later, defeating the Old Dominion Monarchs 71-61 on December 22, 1994, with 4,187 in attendance.

The NCAA Final Four of men's college basketball was held three times at the Kingdome, with the stadium hosting the 1984, 1989, and 1995 editions. The 1984 championship game saw the Georgetown Hoyas defeat the Houston Cougars, 84-75. Meanwhile, the 1989 championship game had the Michigan Wolverines beat the Seton Hall Pirates, 80-79, in overtime because of a controversial last-second foul call against the Pirates. Finally, with the 1995 championship game, the UCLA Bruins defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks, 89-78, to win their first championship since the retirement of coach John Wooden twenty years earlier in 1975.

The Kingdome was not the first venue in Seattle to host the Final Four; Hec Edmundson Pavilion had previously hosted it in 1949 and 1952. However, the Kingdome is credited with helping shape the Final Four into an event with a stature comparable to that of the Super Bowl because of its large capacity. It was the only such capable venue on the West Coast of the United States; the last time a non-Seattle West Coast site hosted the game was when the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena hosted it in 1972. The 1995 edition was the last time that Seattle hosted a Final Four.
Last 10 Games
Date Opponents Result
Apr 3, 1995Arkansas @ UCLA #78 - 89
Apr 1, 1995Oklahoma State @ UCLA #61 - 74
Apr 1, 1995North Carolina @ Arkansas #68 - 75
Mar 28, 1993Temple @ Michigan $72 - 77
Mar 26, 1993Vanderbilt @ Temple #59 - 67
Mar 26, 1993George Washington @ Michigan #64 - 72
Mar 23, 1991Seton Hall @ UNLV $65 - 77
Mar 21, 1991Utah @ UNLV #66 - 83
Mar 21, 1991Arizona @ Seton Hall #77 - 81
Apr 3, 1989Seton Hall @ Michigan $79 - 80

# - 1994-95 NCAA Tournament
$ - 1992-93 NCAA Tournament