Worthington Arena - History

History

The building was the inspiration of architect Oswald "Ozzie" Berg Jr. and Montana State College (MSC) President Roland Renne, who dreamed of an indoor facility large enough for college football games. Though there was not enough funding to build it big enough to house a full sized football field, the Fieldhouse was, at the time of construction, the largest clear span wooden structure in the world (it has since been surpassed by other buildings such as the Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, Arizona and the Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington).

It opened in 1957 as the MSC Fieldhouse. The building was renamed the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in 1981, in honor of John "Brick" Breeden, and the arena inside was named Worthington Arena in 1985 in honor of Max Worthington. Breeden and Worthington were members of the 1929 "Golden Bobcats" basketball team that was named national champions by the Helms Foundation. Breeden would go on to coach the Bobcats basketball team and serve as athletic director, and Worthington, also a former coach, served as a school administrator and longtime booster.

In 1960, the arena was host to a National Boxing Association middleweight title bout between Gene Fullmer and Joey Giardello. It was the first title bout held in Montana since the infamous Jack Dempsey vs. Tommy Gibbons bout that bankrupted the small town of Shelby, Montana in 1923. With a national television broadcast guarantee of $100,000 and a sold out crowd of 12,122 in attendance, the fight, which was declared a draw, was a tremendous financial success.