Belk Gymnasium

Belk Gymnasium
The Mine Shaft
	Belk Gym post-renovation
Location	UNC Charlotte; Charlotte, North Carolina 28223
Owner	UNC Charlotte
Operator	UNC Charlotte
Capacity	3,000
Construction
Broke ground	1968
Opened	1970
Closed	1996 (for intercollegiate events)
Tenants
	Charlotte 49ers (men) (NCAA) (1970–1976); Charlotte 49ers (women) (NCAA) (1975–1996)

Belk Gymnasium, known informally as The Mine Shaft, is a gymnasium on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina. Completed in 1970, it was the first on-campus home of the Charlotte 49ers basketball team.

History[edit]

Before Belk Gym was built, UNC Charlotte's basketball team (then a member of the NAIA) played at various high school gyms in the greater Charlotte area. As the full-time home of the 49ers from 1970 through 1976, the team enjoyed a tremendous home-court advantage, going undefeated at home in 1974, 1975, and 1976. When Charlotte joined the Sun Belt Conference for the 1976–77 season, Belk's seating capacity (approximately 3,000) was too small for the conference's standards; as a result, the team moved its conference home games to the original Charlotte Coliseum.

From 1976 until the opening of Dale F. Halton Arena in 1996, the 49ers' women's basketball team and volleyball team played in the Mine Shaft; the men's basketball team played lower-profile non-league games in the gym during that time period - at least one each season.

Today[edit]

With the opening of Halton Arena, Belk Gym was no longer needed as a host for intercollegiate activities. Its bleachers were removed in 2000, and the main floor was removed in 2003; at that time, the overhead scoreboard was also removed. The facility now houses the Department of Recreational Services and the Department of Kinesiology for UNC Charlotte.^[1]

The gym is still an integral part of UNC Charlotte's recreation and classroom usage. The second-floor houses RM 229, nicknamed "The Stadium" by students because of its old school stadium-style seats and elevated floor. Belk went through renovations which started in 2014, including a refreshed facade and interior renovation that added new classroom space as part of UNC Charlotte's 2010 Master Plan. This allowed for the Kinesiology program to expand beyond its previous capabilities. The renovation was completed near the end of 2015. Recreational Services offices, use to be housed in Belk Gym but were moved in 2020 to the newly built University Recreation Center after its completion.^[2]

References[edit]

^ Price, Marty (September 2, 2015). "Renovations to Belk Gym nearly finished". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
^ "Multi-million dollar Belk Gym renovations benefits Kinesiology Department". kinesiology.uncc.edu. January 13, 2016.

External links[edit]

35°18′19″N 80°44′08″W / 35.305370°N 80.735622°W / 35.305370; -80.735622

[1] Price, Marty (September 2, 2015). "Renovations to Belk Gym nearly finished". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 29, 2020.

[2] "Multi-million dollar Belk Gym renovations benefits Kinesiology Department". kinesiology.uncc.edu. January 13, 2016.

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v t e University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Located in: Charlotte, North Carolina
Academics	Charlotte Research Institute University of North Carolina
Athletics	Baseball Men's basketball Women's basketball Football Men's soccer Softball C-USA Halton Arena Halton-Wagner Hayes Stadium Irwin Belk Track and Field Center Jerry Richardson Stadium Miltimore-Wallis
Student life	Belk Gymnasium The SAC Student organizations University City
History	People Norm the Niner Pride of Niner Nation Marching Band Mass shooting
Founded: 1946 Students: 29,710 Endowment: 202.793 million

v t e Charlotte 49ers men's basketball
Venues	Local high school gyms (1965–1970) Belk Gymnasium (1970–1976; alternate, 1976–1996) Bojangles Coliseum (1976–1988, 1993–1996) Charlotte Coliseum (1988–1993) Dale F. Halton Arena (1996–present) Spectrum Center (alternate, 2007–present)
Culture & lore	Norm the Niner
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

v t e Sports venues in Metrolina
Current	American Legion Memorial Stadium (Charlotte) Atrium Health Ballpark (Kannapolis) Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte) Belk Track/Transamerica Field (Charlotte) Bojangles Coliseum (Charlotte) Cabarrus Arena (Concord) CaroMont Health Park (Gastonia) Charlotte Christian School (Charlotte) Charlotte Motor Speedway (Concord) CSA OrthoCarolina Sportsplex (Pineville) Dale F. Halton Arena (Charlotte) GoPro Motorplex (Mooresville) Grady Cole Center (Charlotte) Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex (Charlotte) Irwin Belk Complex (Charlotte) Irwin Belk Stadium (Wingate) Jack D. Hughes Memorial Park (Pineville) John M. Belk Arena (Davidson) Jerry Richardson Stadium (Charlotte) Keffer Stadium (Charlotte) Manchester Meadows Soccer Complex (Rock Hill) Millbridge Speedway (Salisbury) Mooresville Dragway (Mooresville) North Carolina Quarter Midget Association Speedway (Salisbury) Richardson Stadium (Davidson) Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium (Charlotte) Sims Legion Park (Gastonia) Spectrum Center (Charlotte) Sportsplex at Matthews (Matthews) T. Henry Wilson, Jr. Field (Davidson) Truist Field (Charlotte) Tuckaseegee Dream Fields (Charlotte) U.S. National Whitewater Center (Mecklenburg Co.) Waddell High School Stadium (Charlotte) Winthrop Ballpark (Rock Hill) Winthrop Coliseum (Rock Hill)
Future	--
Defunct	Belk Gymnasium (Converted, Charlotte) Charlotte Coliseum (Demolished, Charlotte) Concord Speedway (Demolished, Midland) Griffith/Crockett Park (Burned down, Charlotte) Intimidators Stadium (Demolished, Kannapolis) Knights Stadium (Demolished, Fort Mill) Metrolina Speedway (Demolished, Charlotte)