Adjacent to the historic Kezar Stadium in San Francisco rests a century-old building that oozes history. Over the past 100 years, it has hosted some of college basketball's most storied programs while inviting those who needed just a little more exposure to get a chance to extend their basketball journey.
100 Years of Memories
Designed by the soon-to-be-deceased Willis Polk, Kezar Pavilion was opened in 1924 and immediately started hosting the University of San Francisco basketball program. While the Dons were Independents for much of their stay, they ended their time in Kezar Pavilion with a bang. It was Pete Newell who first put the program on the map, recruiting players such as All-American Don Lofgran and making it an attractive destination for Bill Russell and K.C. Jones.
But alas, Newell would never see his grand plans come to fruition as he left for Michigan State in 1950, just before Russell and Jones arrived on campus. Phil Woolpert took over the program and won national titles in 1955 and 1956, losing just once in that two-year span and winning a then-record 55 straight games. A year after Russell and Jones left, the Dons returned to the Final Four in 1957 but lost to Kansas. They spent just one more year in Kezar Pavilion before moving to War Memorial Gym.
Santa Clara College began playing in Kezar Pavilion just three year after USF began their stay. While the Broncos rose to the level that the Dons did, they did reach the Final Four in 1952 and finished as high as 16th in the nation in 1953 and 1954.
Other than scattered high school games here and there, the arena remained dormant until 1979 when a man came with a unique plan. Former NBA referee John Greenberg knew that there was undiscovered talent that just needed a chance to showcase their talent to get an opportunity to extend their basketball journey. All they needed was a platform.
So Greenberg set up the San Fransisco Pro-Am in the Summer of 1979. It's always free to the public, is open to players from around the world and through the years people have watched such NBA dignitaries like Brian Shaw, Gilbert Arenas, Gary Payton, Aaron Gordon, Jeremy Lin and Steph Curry play in the tournament. Future Los Angeles Lakers power forward Kurt Rambis was even discovered there in one of the first tournaments and went on to win nine NBA championships as either a player, a coach or an executive.
As the years roll on bye, Kezar Pavilion still displays an old school charm. While the spotlight is directed towards the arena, the stands are kept dimmed, making for an intimate setting.
Several Summer league teams from the ABA have recently played at Kezar Pavilion. The San Francisco Pilots never stood much of a chance. They didn't make the playoffs in their first year and an aging arena only brought more issues in 2007, forcing the Pilots to suspend operations before eventually folding.
Meanwhile, the Rumble were more successful from the very beginning, making the playoffs their first year and winning their division in their third. They came close to going to the Final Four in 2013, but succumbed to the Colorado Kings.
The San Francisco City Cats were the most successful of all ABA teams to have played at Kezar Pavilion. In their inaugural season of 2019, not only were they named the ABA Expansion Team of the Year, but they also won the league title that same year. A remarkable accomplishment for any expansion team at any level.
The Academy of Art Urban Knights have played there since 2006. While the men's team has never won anything, the women's have won two conference titles in 2013 and 2014.
Change was in the air in March 2020. That month, voters approved the Earthquake Safety and Response bond in hopes of making one of the country's most notorious earthquake spots safer. Seen as a possible shelter, Kezar Pavilion is a part of that plan. Soon it will be closed for a while as it undergoes extensive upgrades in hopes that it will both be modernized while preserving the historical integrity of the historical structure.
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