Skip To Main Content

University of San Francisco Athletics

Events

Composite Calendar +


War Memorial Gym

 
War Memorial Overview


Directions to War Memorial Gym | Men's Basketball Seating Chart | Women's Basketball Seating Chart

Home to San Francisco’s only Division I men’s basketball team, War Memorial has been the scene of many USF championship efforts. The gym serves as home court for women’s volleyball and basketball, the Athletic Department offices, and athletic training rooms. Built in 1958, the gym is a tribute to the USF alumni who died during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

Originally serving all of USF's athletic needs, War Memorial Gym also briefly hosted the San Francisco Warriors during the 1966-1967 season. Upon the arrival of women's sports on campus, War Memorial Gym also became the home of the women's basketball and volleyball teams. Though the gym missed the Bill Russell and KC Jones era by three years, it was the home of great USF teams in the late 1970s, which were led by Bill Cartwright and Phil Smith (though some games were held at the Cow Palace or the Oakland Arena). In 1989, with the construction of the Koret Health and Recreation Center, War Memorial became exclusively an athletic venue, though training facilities continue to be housed in the Moran Center beneath the gym.

Dedicated to the fallen alumni of USF from World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, War Memorial currently seats 5,300 spectators. The gym's foyer houses a mini-hall of fame, displaying trophies and memorabilia from USF's athletic history.

In 2008 and 2009, USF made upgrades to the gym. The old floor, which was the original installation, was replaced, along with the bleacher seating in the upper level. The old baskets were replaced with stand-alone versions, and new banners were installed. In 2014, the Hilltop introduced club-level spectator seating for patrons 21 and up at men's basketball games and additional select events.

War Memorial Gym was also the site of CBS's first national college basketball broadcast, a 1982 match-up between USF and the University of Georgia. It has hosted the 1987, 1989, and 1993 West Coast Conference men's basketball tournaments.