Wesley Brown Field House

{{Short description|Sports arena at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, US}}

{{Infobox Stadium

| stadium_name = Wesley Brown Field House

| nickname =

| image =

| fullname = Wesley Brown Field House

| location = United States Naval Academy,
Annapolis, Maryland

| coordinates = {{coord|38|58|54|N|76|28|47|W|display=it|type:landmark_region:US-MD}}

| broke_ground = March 25, 2006

| built =

| opened = 2008

| renovated =

| expanded =

| closed =

| demolished =

| owner = United States Navy

| operator = United States Naval Academy

| surface =

| construction_cost = $50.0 million

| architect =

| structural engineer =

| services engineer =

| general_contractor= Hensel Phelps Construction Company

| project_manager =

| main_contractors =

| former_names =

| tenants = Navy Midshipmen (PL) 2002–

| capacity =

}}

Image:Wesley Brown Field House groundbreaking.jpg (left) and Wesley Brown (right) at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Wesley Brown Field House, March 25, 2006]]

The Wesley Brown Field House is a sports arena at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It is located between the 7th Wing of Bancroft Hall and Santee Basin.[http://www.navysports.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/navy/genrel/auto_pdf/wbfh-facts "Wesley Brown Field House" Facts sheet]. USNA Public Affairs Office. Athletics Department webpage (Naval Academy Varsity Athletics official website). Retrieved 2010-02-09. The {{convert|140000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} facility houses physical education, varsity sports, club sports, and personal-fitness programs and equipment.{{cite web |last=Green |first=Patrick (Trident staff) |title=Wesley Brown Field House Dedicated |date=May 15, 2008 |publisher=Comprint Military Publications ("Naval Academy on dcmilitary.com") |url=http://www.dcmilitary.com/stories/051508/trident_28234.shtml |accessdate=2010-02-09}} It is home to the Midshipmen women's volleyball team, men's and women's indoor track and field teams, men's wrestling, women’s lacrosse team and sixteen club sports.{{cite web|url=https://navysports.com/sports/2018/5/23/facilities-navy-facilities-html.aspx|publisher=navysports.com|title=Athletic Facility Information|accessdate=2019-03-10}} It also serves as the practice space for the football and women's volleyball teams.{{cite web |last=Rucker |first=Philip |title=Facility Dedicated to Black Pioneer: D.C. Resident Broke Institute's Color Barrier When He Graduated in 1949 |publisher=The Washington Post Company |date=May 11, 2008 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/10/AR2008051002435.html |accessdate=2010-02-09}} There is also a centralized sports-medicine facility. The building has a total room area of {{convert|5800|sqft|m2|adj=off}}, eight locker rooms, and 300 lockers.[http://www.navysports.com/facilities/wbfh.html Wesley Brown Field House] official webpage. Retrieved 2010-02-09.

The field house has a full-length, {{convert|76000|sqft|m2|adj=on}}, retractable Magic Carpet AstroTurf football field. When the field is retracted, students can then use the 200-meter AstroTurf track with a Mondo track surface and hydraulically-controlled banked curves and three permanent basketball courts. In four to six hours, the indoor track-and-field can be changed to an indoor football practice field, including target goalposts for placekicking practice. The synthetic playing surface (with football-field yard-lines) is stored on a spool at the field house's south end. The surface is put in place by nine winches and an 18-port air-blower that makes the turf float across the field-house floor while being deployed and retracted.

The weight room is one of three "strength and conditioning facilities" at the academy.[http://www.navysports.com/ot/strength-facilities.html Athletics Department: Strength & Conditioning Facilities]. Naval Academy Varsity Athletics official website. Retrieved 2010-02-14. With {{convert|6500|sqft|m2}}, it serves the members of the following teams: men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's track, golf, sprint football, volleyball, water polo, and women's lacrosse.[http://www.navysports.com/ot/strength-wesleybrown.html Athletics Department: The Wesley Brown Field House Weight Room]. Naval Academy Varsity Athletics official website. Retrieved 2010-02-14.

The facility is named for the first African American to graduate from the Academy, retired Lt. Cmdr. Wesley A. Brown, who graduated in 1949.{{cite web |last=Kelly |first=Earl |title=Naval Academy unveils $52 million field house: Facility named after first African-American graduate |date=May 8, 2008 |publisher=Capital Gazette Communications, Inc. |url=http://www.hometownannapolis.com/news/nav/2008/05/08-35/Naval-Academy-unveils-52-million-field-house.html |accessdate=2010-02-09}} The groundbreaking ceremony was held on March 25, 2006. Brown wielded a shovel in the groundbreaking.{{Cite web |author=Journalist 2nd Class Matt Jarvis |title=Naval Academy Breaks Ground on Wesley Brown Field House |publisher=USNA Public Affairs Office. United States Navy official website (Navy.mil) |date=March 28, 2006 |url= http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=22886 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060403141828/https://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=22886 |url-status= dead |archive-date= April 3, 2006 |accessdate=2008-02-24}} Hensel Phelps Construction Company constructed the field house, which was completed in March 2008. The U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) administered the contract for construction.{{Cite web |title=Naval Facilities Engineering Command Awards 'Wesley Brown Field House' contract |publisher=U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) |date=March 1, 2006 |url=https://portal.navfac.navy.mil/pls/portal/APP_PAO.SPOTLIGHTFULL_DYN.show?p_arg_names=newsid&p_arg_values=2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722224341/https://portal.navfac.navy.mil/pls/portal/APP_PAO.SPOTLIGHTFULL_DYN.show?p_arg_names=newsid&p_arg_values=2016 |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 22, 2011 |accessdate=2008-02-24}} The building was dedicated on May 10, 2008. Brown participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen, Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. Jeffrey L. Fowler, and Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley. Also present were almost one thousand guests.