Arizona State's new sports facility gets its name: Mullett Arena
Arizona State’s new sports facility will officially be named Mullett Arena in recognition of longtime donors Donald "Donze" and Barbara Mullett.
“Don and Barbara were part of those original calls, part of those original folks who said, if you can deliver what you think the university can deliver, then we can talk," ASU Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson said on Tuesday in announcing the name of the new building.
The 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena will serve as the home for ASU hockey, gymnastics and wrestling as well as the Arizona Coyotes. The first event will be on Oct. 14 when ASU hockey hosts Colgate.
More: Work on ASU's new arena ahead of schedule; NCAA, NHL hockey games expected sooner
ASU began construction in late 2020, and in February it was announced that the arena would become the new, temporary home for the Coyotes. The project's cost is currently at $140 million, with around $19.7 million coming from the Coyotes.
One major upgrade to the arena is the 185,000-by-15,000 sq. ft. Annex that is set to be completed around December and will be the locker rooms for both the Coyotes and their NHL opponents.
The arena also is adjoined by the Mountain America Credit Union Community Iceplex, which will provide the community with a public ice rink.
Back in 2014 when Anderson was presented with the figures to start a Division I ice hockey program, Donald Mullett became the prime donor in what became the largest donation in ASU athletic history. His son, Chris, is a former ASU hockey player.
“There is nobody else’s name on this planet that should be on this arena than Mullett," ASU head coach Greg Powers said. "Hockey on this campus would not exist without this family here. The way that they’ve supported us, not just financially, but in so many ways and so many years, for 20-plus years."
Powers said whenever the hockey program needed money and assistance, they would call the Mulletts.
"It didn’t matter what it was, Donze was always there for us,” Powers said.
When the donations starting coming in around 2014, Powers was in his fifth season as the coach of what was then an American Collegiate Hockey Association Division I team. After leading ASU to four ACHA national appearances and a national title in 2013, he was the choice to continue leading the program through NCAA Division I competition.
Seeing a new arena named after the primary people who helped fund the program is a full-circle moment for those involved, especially for Powers, who has been involved at ASU since 1995.
"This was something we would joke about for years and just talk about how incredible it would be to have a Division I program at Arizona State be unique and be the first Pac-12 school or school out west to add hockey," Powers said. "To have a facility like this is I think bigger than any of us could have ever dreamed of. This is nicer than anything we could have ever envisioned."
Reach the reporter at jenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com or 602-647-4122. Follow her on Twitter @jennarortiz.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU announces new sports arena to be named Mullett Arena
