📍 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
🏀 Home of Saint Joseph’s Hawks basketball
Saint Joseph’s University is nestled among the prestigious Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia and boasts a quaint campus that architecturally reflects the illustrious style of these fine neighborhoods, which feature some of the most grandiose buildings and homes on the East Coast. One of Saint Joseph’s crown jewels, Hagan Arena, sits atop Hawk Hill near the corner of Route 1 and N 54th Street and is home to the school’s basketball teams.
SJU’s motto is “The Hawk Will Never Die“, something that’s heavily featured all around Hagan Arena, reminding fans and opponents alike of the team’s enduring attitude. The motto can be found on statues and murals outside the venue, as well as emblazoned across the walls of the interior concourses. The team’s mascot, a cheeky red hawk, also never stops flapping his wings during games, serving as an additional reminder that “The Hawk Will Never Die.”
Prior to each game, the Hawks invite either a student, alumni or other famous person onto the court to bang a drum, symbolizing the “spirit of the Hawk” and warning the visiting team that Saint Joseph’s means business. “Oh, When the Hawks Go Flying In”, the team’s fight song, is also played by the pep band to the tune of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
Renovations on Hagan Arena wrapped in 2009, providing a fresh new update to the then-60-year old venue, which was formerly known as the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse when it opened in 1949. The upgrades included the expansion of the student section, the addition of over 1,000 new seats and completely remodeled and refreshed concourses. Capacity today is right at an even 4,200 and the arena features an even newer attached lobby, full of history and graphics celebrating the long tradition of Saint Joseph’s basketball.
Look up during the game and you’ll see some crowded rafters, with banners commemorating some of St. Joe’s greatest stars, as well as the Hawks’ successes in conference and postseason tournaments. On the concourse, you can browse trophies and medals across all sports that the Hawks have nabbed over the years. Overall the arena is a charmingly modern venue, home to an Atlantic 10 team which has been very prosperous on the hardwood. It may not have the notoriety or prestige of The Palestra or the Finneran Pavilion, but Hagan Arena deserves recognition in its own right as one of the top-tier basketball gyms in the City of Brotherly Love. A game on Hawk Hill shouldn’t be missed!
Info Invasion
Parking: $10 garage across the street, or ample free street parking
Nearby Venue(s): Finneran Pavilion, The Palestra
In the Area: Have your Rocky moment on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
Stadium51 