Directions to the Illinois Wesleyan Shirk Center
The $15 million Shirk Center, opened in 1994, was funded in part by a $5 million gift from the Russell and Betty Shirk Foundation of Bloomington. The Shirk family owns Beer Nuts, Inc.®, the Bloomington-based snack food company. The two-level, 135,344-square foot complex seats 2,500 for sporting events (3,450 for commencement) in its performance arena, and contains four multi-use courts for tennis, volleyball, basketball, and other sports, as well as racquetball courts, a 200-meter track, a training room and wellness center, classrooms, and other facilities.
The Shirk Center wood-floored performance gym court was named Dennie Bridges Court in February 2015 in honor of the longtime coach who led the Titans' men's basketball team to 667 wins over a 36-year span. Click here to read more about the dedication.
In the summer of 2017, 852 chairback seats were installed - 277 of those with a fold-up base, arms and a back rest behind the scorer’s table and the team benches. In addition, 575 seat backs featuring a backrest are on the remainder of the north side and in the first five rows of the south side. The remainder of the arena now has bleacher seating with more contour to the surface. The previous Shirk Center seats were 22” across and the new chairback and seatback areas have a 31” decking with bleachers being either 24” or 26”.
In October 2017, the practice gym was named Solberg Court, honoring the donation of Jeff and Janet Solberg, both class of '74.
The floor has served as the venue for the 2007 and 2008 NCAA Division III national volleyball championships and the 2010 and 2011 NCAA Division III national women's basketball final four sessions.
The Illinois Wesleyan men’s basketball team won a school-record 46 straight home games at the Shirk Center prior to losing to Benedictine, 73-70, on Dec. 9, 1998. The only prior loss was on March 11, 1995, to Manchester (89-82) in the NCAA Division III tournament. The Titans won their first 14 home games in 1994-95 at the Shirk Center, giving IWU a 23-game home court win streak, including nine at Fred Young Fieldhouse.
Fred Young Fieldhouse
From 1962-94, IWU men’s basketball was 311-80 at Fred Young Fieldhouse, named for 1915 IWU alumnus Fred Young, a Titan athletic great and long-time sports editor/columnist for The Daily Pantagraph. The first game in the building was March 2, 1962, an 85-59 conference championship-clinching win over Lake Forest. The final game was Feb. 22, 1994, a 91-80 conference championship-clinching win over North Park. The longest winning streaks at Fred Young Fieldhouse were 31 games (1975 to 1978), 20 games (1986 to 1988), and 17 games (1962 to 1965).
Memorial Gymnasium
A campus landmark since the 1920s, Memorial Gymnasium, located at 300 E. Beecher St., was used for athletic events until 1962 when Fred Young Fieldhouse was erected. The facility continues to be used as the Hansen Student Center after a complete renovation was completed in 2002.
Designed in the Neoclassical style, the cornerstone for Memorial Gymnasium was laid, Nov. 5, 1921, with construction taking place in 1921-22.
The 1921 Wesleyana yearbook described the facility this way; "When one enters the front doors of the new building he will be in a great hall, memorializing the soldiers of the world war . . . The gym floor will be 90 by 120 feet. The clear space in the middle will be 50 by 85, ample for basket-ball. Bleachers will be constructed around the sides. At one end there will be a gallery. "An important feature of the gymnasium," the Wesleyana continued, "will be a large stage where oratorios, festivals and large meetings may be accommodated."
The stage also could be rigged for plays. Adjacent to the stage were dressing rooms and a kitchen. "By having a kitchen," the Wesleyana reported, "it will be possible to turn the gymnasium into a great banquet hall." The building’s initial design also included offices for men’s and women’s physical education directors, storage for athletic equipment, and locker rooms.
"The swimming pool will be in the basement under the stage," the Wesleyana added. " . . . There will probably be bleachers arranged near the pool.. . . There will be a space in the basement for a bowling alley."
