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Robsion Arena
LADY BULLDOG BASKETBALL
Constructed in 1963, the John M. Robsion Jr.
Memorial Arena has served as the home court
for the Lady Bulldog basketball program since
the 1978-79 season. The arena’s seating capacity
is 1,800, and the gymnasium has recently
undergone some renovation.
The gym floor was repainted and the new
3-point line for men’s basketball was added.
During the past year, the lobby and gym areas
have been total repainted. New scoreboards and
lighting system were installed for the 2003-
04 season as well as a new roof and gutters.
Also, all of the locker room areas received vast
improvements.
Previously, the only major alteration had to
do with the reserved seating section in the lower
level portion of the gym.
The reserved seating section once consisted
of folding chairs. However, orange, chair-back seats with black armrests have replaced the folding chairs. In addition, there are
handrails dividing each aisle in the reserved seating section.
Besides the gym, Robsion Arena also houses an indoor swimming pool, an athletic training room, lockerrooms for the the men’s
basketball, women’s basketball, volleyball and swimming and visiting teams and classrooms and offices for the Health, Physical
Education and Recreation Department.
Originally, the building was known as the Physical Education Building. The name was changed to the John M. Robsion Jr. Memorial
Arena in 1990 to honor one of the school’s alums and long-time supporter.
Robsion was a 1919 graduate of the old Union College Academy. Though his professional and political life took him all over the
world, Robsion never forgot his roots and ties to Union as he remained a loyal supporter of the school.
Born in 1904, the Barbourville, Ky. native attended and graduated from George Washington University in 1926. He was a congressional
secretary from 1919-28, and he was admitted to the bar in 1926 and moved to Louisville in 1928. From 1928-35, Robsion
served as chief of the Law Division of the United States Bureau of Prisons. After practicing law in Louisville for nearly seven
years, Robsion served in the U.S. Army from 1942-46 and was stationed overseas in Africa, Italy and Austria. Upon his discharge,
he held a variety posts in the political world, including three terms as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Following an
unsuccessful run as Kentucky gubernatorial candidate in 1959, Robsion practiced law in Louisville and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. until
his death on Feb. 14, 1990.
THE UNION COLLEGE WEIGHT ROOM FACILITY
Union College student-athletes have a new state-of-the-art wellness
center to help train in and out of season. The renovation of the lower level
of Soldiers and Sailors Center was completed in the spring of 2008 and
features two areas, a weight-room and cardio area.
The revamped weight-room facility is open to all Union students as
well as faculty and staff during designated times.
The weight-room portion features 10 power racks with platforms and
420 pounds per station. Also located in the weight room are leg extension
and leg curl combo machines, pull down and preacher curl areas. In
addition, the weight room houses dip racks and free weights ranging from
five pounds to 120 pounds.
The cardio area is home to
treadmills, elliptical and stationary
bikes along with additional free
weights from three to 50 pounds.
Soldiers and Sailors was
constructed in 1919 as the College’s gymnasium. It contained a swimming pool in the
basement and at the time of its construction was considered “state-of-the-art.” The pool was
the first indoor pool in the state of Kentucky. In the early 1960s, a new gymnasium (Robsion
Arena) was built, and the old gym was turned over to the Drama Department. It was renamed
the Dramatic Arts Center (DAC), and the gymnasium was converted into a stage.
Part of the basement area was converted into a coffee shop in the fall of 1973, and it
remained that way throughout the 1970s. For a period of time in the ‘80s, the building was
closed because of structural problems. It was reinforced and re-opened as the Intramural
Center in 1990. In 1994, the area once used as a coffee shop was cleaned up and was used as
a recycling center before being renovated for the new Wellness Center.
4 • Union College