Ferrell Center Review
By Tyler Smith 2/3/2014
Ferrell Center
Ferrell Center Home of the Baylor Bears
Game Attended: 1/18/2014 vs. Oklahoma
Ferrell Center Capacity: 10,284
Date Opened: Nov. 25, 1988
Miles Traveled: 362 miles round trip
Location: Waco, Texas
School: Baylor University
Tickets: www.baylortix.com
Athletics Site: www.baylorbears.com
Ferrell Center Seating Chart:
Ferrell Center Capacity: 10,284
Date Opened: Nov. 25, 1988
Miles Traveled: 362 miles round trip
Location: Waco, Texas
School: Baylor University
Tickets: www.baylortix.com
Athletics Site: www.baylorbears.com
Ferrell Center Seating Chart:
Ferrell Center Seating Chart via BaylorBears.com
Ferrell Center Features
The Baylor Bears first called the Ferrell Center home on November 29th, 1988. The Center was constructed at a cost of 12.5 million next to the Brazos River. The arena is home to the Basketball and Volleyball teams at Baylor. The facility also includes the Lt. Jack Whetsel Jr. Practice Facility. The Ferrell Center holds 10,284 fans for basketball games.
The seating in the Ferrell has a bowl style seating which can go as high as 42 rows. Nine of those rows are retractable seating located next to the floor. The seats in the retractable seating area are black. In the permanent seating locations they are green with gold arm rests.
A new scoreboard was brought to the Ferrell Center in 2010 giving Bear fans a great view of replays and stats from any seat in the house. The project cost 3.2 million dollars and gives the Ferrell center 360 ribbon scoreboards and four HD boards on the structure. In addition to the center-hung scoreboard the arena features four upper video boards. You can see 12 ribbon boards above each entry to the court in the upper portion of the arena.
The Ferrell Center is hard to miss with its large gold dome top. The arena stands 111 feet high.
The rafters are full of banners from the men's, women's and volleyball team.
The concourse serves both the floor seats and seating bowl. The concourse has pictures of players and plays to Baylor's colors.
The seating in the Ferrell has a bowl style seating which can go as high as 42 rows. Nine of those rows are retractable seating located next to the floor. The seats in the retractable seating area are black. In the permanent seating locations they are green with gold arm rests.
A new scoreboard was brought to the Ferrell Center in 2010 giving Bear fans a great view of replays and stats from any seat in the house. The project cost 3.2 million dollars and gives the Ferrell center 360 ribbon scoreboards and four HD boards on the structure. In addition to the center-hung scoreboard the arena features four upper video boards. You can see 12 ribbon boards above each entry to the court in the upper portion of the arena.
The Ferrell Center is hard to miss with its large gold dome top. The arena stands 111 feet high.
The rafters are full of banners from the men's, women's and volleyball team.
The concourse serves both the floor seats and seating bowl. The concourse has pictures of players and plays to Baylor's colors.
Outside of the Ferrell Center
Ferrell Center Scoreboard
What to do on Game Days?
 Judge Baylor Statue-Baylor University Campus
#1 Check out downtown Waco. Plenty of attractions to see like the Dr. Pepper Museum and Cameron Park Zoo.
#2 Go to the Ferrell Center to get free parking next to the arena. #3 Check out Baylor's Athletic facilities. #4 Head to Baylor's campus and check out the live Bears! #5 Head to the Ferrell Center! |
Ferrell Center and Baylor University Photos
Ferrell Center Overview
Ferrell Center: From the outside the gold dome looks pretty cool, but for a better atmosphere, a lower ceiling would be nice. The round seating structure isn't the best for basketball, but it is a multi-purpose facility. Even with a capacity over 10,000 the view from the top is pretty good.
The seats in the bowl could be upgraded, they look like the original seats. Not having cup holders is a downfall as well. The lack of suites hurts the overall appearance of the arena.
Baylor: Baylor University first started in 1845 and is the oldest university in Texas. The school has an enrollment of just over 15,000 students. One of the main attractions on campus is the Bear Habitat located on the corner of 5th street and MP Daniel Esplanade. Here you will see two Black Bears, Joy and Lady. Notable buildings to see on campus are the Pat Neff, Tidwell Bible Building and Burleson Quadrangle. You can see several statues on campus, Rufus Burleson near the Old Main, Judge Baylor on Founders Mall, "time capsules" and the Immortal Ten located near Pat Neff Hall. All the athletic facilities can be found by the Brazos River. The new football stadium will be built on the opposite side of the river with a pedestrian walkway connecting the campus and the stadium. They have a nice walkway that takes you by the sports facilities that starts/ends at the Ferrell Center. While walking around campus you will see red lamp posts, these posts were built to honor fallen troops that attended Baylor.
I really enjoyed the campus. They have done a great job preserving the original campus buildings. The live bears on campus are very cool. The athletic facilities being in the same area is great and gives the campus definition. Overall this is a great campus to see.
Waco: The city of Waco's population currently over 120,000. Downtown Waco started to take shape after the Waco Suspension bridge was completed. The bridge is now a pedestrian bridge. The Alico building is the tallest in the city and was built in 1910.
The main attractions in Waco are the Dr. Pepper Museum, Cameron Park Zoo, and Texas Rangers Museum.
The Dr. Pepper Museum is open from 10-4:15 Monday-Saturday and 12-4:15 on Sunday. The cost to tour the museum is eight dollars for adults and five for children. You can't beat a free sample at the end of the tour.
The Cameron Park Zoo is 52 acres and holds over 1,700 animals. The zoo is opened 9-5 Monday-Saturday and 11-5 on Sunday. The zoo is only nine dollars for adults, six for children.
The Texas Ranger Museum is open from 9-5. Adults pay seven dollars for admission, kids 6-12 are three dollars and children under six are free.
I was unable to go to any of these attractions due to time restraints, but these were highly recommended to me from Bear fans. I will be making a return trip for a football game so look for more info then.
Scoreboard: The center hung scoreboard made its debut in 2010. The scoreboard includes four HD boards and two 360 ribbon scoreboards on the top and bottom of the four screens. Adding Ferrell Center to the top of the scoreboard is a nice touch. Two videoboards and six scoreboards can be seen throughout the center.
Atmosphere: The arena was nearly full with a capacity just over 8,500. The student section was packed from top to bottom. The students were vocal from start to finish. Plenty of "bear claws" in the air and cheers of Sic 'Em Bears!
The seats in the bowl could be upgraded, they look like the original seats. Not having cup holders is a downfall as well. The lack of suites hurts the overall appearance of the arena.
Baylor: Baylor University first started in 1845 and is the oldest university in Texas. The school has an enrollment of just over 15,000 students. One of the main attractions on campus is the Bear Habitat located on the corner of 5th street and MP Daniel Esplanade. Here you will see two Black Bears, Joy and Lady. Notable buildings to see on campus are the Pat Neff, Tidwell Bible Building and Burleson Quadrangle. You can see several statues on campus, Rufus Burleson near the Old Main, Judge Baylor on Founders Mall, "time capsules" and the Immortal Ten located near Pat Neff Hall. All the athletic facilities can be found by the Brazos River. The new football stadium will be built on the opposite side of the river with a pedestrian walkway connecting the campus and the stadium. They have a nice walkway that takes you by the sports facilities that starts/ends at the Ferrell Center. While walking around campus you will see red lamp posts, these posts were built to honor fallen troops that attended Baylor.
I really enjoyed the campus. They have done a great job preserving the original campus buildings. The live bears on campus are very cool. The athletic facilities being in the same area is great and gives the campus definition. Overall this is a great campus to see.
Waco: The city of Waco's population currently over 120,000. Downtown Waco started to take shape after the Waco Suspension bridge was completed. The bridge is now a pedestrian bridge. The Alico building is the tallest in the city and was built in 1910.
The main attractions in Waco are the Dr. Pepper Museum, Cameron Park Zoo, and Texas Rangers Museum.
The Dr. Pepper Museum is open from 10-4:15 Monday-Saturday and 12-4:15 on Sunday. The cost to tour the museum is eight dollars for adults and five for children. You can't beat a free sample at the end of the tour.
The Cameron Park Zoo is 52 acres and holds over 1,700 animals. The zoo is opened 9-5 Monday-Saturday and 11-5 on Sunday. The zoo is only nine dollars for adults, six for children.
The Texas Ranger Museum is open from 9-5. Adults pay seven dollars for admission, kids 6-12 are three dollars and children under six are free.
I was unable to go to any of these attractions due to time restraints, but these were highly recommended to me from Bear fans. I will be making a return trip for a football game so look for more info then.
Scoreboard: The center hung scoreboard made its debut in 2010. The scoreboard includes four HD boards and two 360 ribbon scoreboards on the top and bottom of the four screens. Adding Ferrell Center to the top of the scoreboard is a nice touch. Two videoboards and six scoreboards can be seen throughout the center.
Atmosphere: The arena was nearly full with a capacity just over 8,500. The student section was packed from top to bottom. The students were vocal from start to finish. Plenty of "bear claws" in the air and cheers of Sic 'Em Bears!
Baylor's new football stadium, McLane Stadium.
|
Arena 7.4/10
Scoreboard 8.3/10 Atmosphere 7.75/10 Baylor (Campus) 7.75/10 X-Factor (Bears on Campus) +2 Total 33.2/40 Waco, TX 6.75/10 |
Bears on Baylor's Campus at the Bear Habitat.
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