University officials have installed a $3 million heating and air conditioning system at Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium. For the last three decades, Duke's Cameron Stadium has literally been a hotbed of college basketball. Since it was built in 1940, the arena had no air conditioning. Through the years, the heat inside has taken a toll on people. During a high school graduation ceremony, some spectators had to be taken away on stretchers due to the high temperatures.
"It feels like 150 degrees on intense home basketball games, so it's an experience onto itself," assistant athletic director Mike Cragg said.
Bob Harris, radio announcer for the Duke Blue Devils, knows a little bit about the heat at Cameron Indoor Stadium himself. His radio booth sits near the top of the stadium.
"There have been days that I have done a game then that I would gladly have stripped down to an undershirt," he said.
For those who want to check out the new air-conditioned facility, Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski will host a celebrity charity basketball game on Aug. 23.
Cameron Indoor Stadium was built in 1940 for $400,000. Originally, it was the largest indoor arena in the South, but now it is one of the smallest in the country.
In 1999,
Sports Illustrated
rated Cameron Indoor Stadium fourth on a list of the top 20 sporting venues in the world in the 20th century, ranking ahead of places such as Wrigley Field, Fenway Park and Pebble Beach Golf Club.
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