First operated in 1976, the building and its resources have continued to grow with the college around it. In addition to serving as the center of the athletic programs at the college, this facility provides numerous benefits to the students, faculty and community who use it.
One of the primary purposes of the Ford Fieldhouse is hosting GRCC's Raider Athletics Department, whose teams practice and compete in the facility. The Gordon Hunsberger arena has the capacity for nearly 4,000 fans. Last year, 120 students participated in the intercollegiate sports at GRCC. The facility provides space for practices, open gyms, home games, and tournaments, hosting tens of thousands of guests. This number does not include the sports which take place outside of the fieldhouse. In addition to our intercollegiate programs, the intramural program draws an equal number of athletes to the facility annually. As important as intercollegiate athletics are to the college and its pride, they comprise only a small fraction of the visitations to the facility.
A large number of students visit the fieldhouse to attend classes offered by the Exercise Science Department. Last year, over 3,600 students participated in 165 sections of 35 different classes. Altogether, nearly 117,000 visits to the facility were made for exercise science and wellness courses.
In addition to the structured education courses offered through the college, the Ford Fieldhouse fitness center is open to all current students and faculty free of charge. This allows students without the time or inclination to take a course the opportunity to maintain their personal fitness. Persons not associated with the college may also purchase a membership.
Maintaining the fieldhouse requires an extensive professional staff and close to sixty student employees during the school year. Employing GRCC students serves two purposes. First, it allows the student to have valuable employment experience on campus and earn money to defray the costs of a college education. Second, it is part of our mission to prepare student for work outside of the formal education process. While working at the fieldhouse, they have the opportunity to develop skills useful in the marketplace after they depart from the college.
Activities at the fieldhouse are not limited to sports. The versatility of the building makes it conducive to the operation of activities which are not athletic in nature. The facility serves well as a venue for banquets both large and small, concerts, commencement programs, lectures, and trade shows. All of these have been scheduled and successfully executed within the Fieldhouse. To learn more about the Fieldhouse's history or take a virtual tour see the links below.