Venue Information
Previously the only school in the 20-member CSU system without an on-campus playing facility, Cal State University Bakersfield saw the completion of the Jimmie and Marjorie Icardo Center in late winter 1989.
Originally named the CSUB Activities Center, the building was dedicated in honor of the longtime Roadrunner boosters who donated more than $2.5 million to support Roadrunner athletics.
The 44,000 square foot facility seats 3,800. Primarily funded by the state of California in the 1987-88 fiscal year budget, separate improvements financed by the CSU Bakersfield Foundation include 700 improved chair-back seats and air conditioning. A 2,000-square-foot, $100,000 reception room was financed by the Icardos.
Team rooms for men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball were also updated to better serve student-athletes. Some of the additional amenities include a concession area in the lobby, a state-of-the-art sound system dual scoreboards at either end of the playing surface and a high definition video board which was added in the 2014 season.
The Icardo Center received a notable facelift in the Fall of 2011 with the installation of the first blue floor. The playing surface is the first of it’s kind in college basketball and created quite a buzz when installed with ESPN, NBC, CBS and other college sports networks writing stories about this new potentially-trend-setting playing surface.
In Summer of 2014 the facility underwent construction again which included a new ceiling and walls color scheme matched to compliment a newly redesigned blue floor which featured a smaller center court logo, refreshed blue paint and ‘Bakersfield’ spelled out in a similar font and arc to the famous Bakersfield sign.
The Icardo Center is the primary home to men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and wrestling.