50 years ago this February, thousands of curious fans packed into a new one-of-a-kind venue for the first time. On February 7, 1976, the first official event inside the UNI-Dome brought the University of Northern Iowa wrestling team face-to-face with the University of Iowa. 

According to the Northern Iowan, “over 10,000 people jammed both the finished and unfinished sides of the new domed stadium” and “everybody was awed by the size and grandeur of the Dome in an article titled “Under the Big Top… the greatest show on earth.”

While the opening of the new venue coincided with the university’s centennial celebration, it was envisioned as much more than a birthday building for UNI’s 100th year… and was instead viewed as an opportunity to provide UNI a renewed sense of identity and build a better community.

By spring, it hosted its first commencement ceremony - the beginning of a tradition that would go on to welcome tens of thousands of graduates across the stage to receive their degree under the fabric roof. 

The vision for the UNI-Dome was championed by then-athletics director Stan Sheriff, whose leadership helped bring the project to life. (Sheriff would later go on to create another iconic domed venue at the University of Hawaii.)

Five decades after that first whistle blew, the UNI-Dome remains one of the most recognizable symbols of the university… home to state tournaments, concerts, community gatherings, youth events and countless memories shared by students, alumni and Iowa residents across the state. Today, the venue accounts for an estimated more than $17 million in economic impact to the Cedar Valley each year. 

To learn more about the vision, construction and evolution of the UNI-Dome, explore the full building history maintained by UNI Special Collections and University Archives.