Facility Info

Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl

Ground was broken for the Cox Arena on March 27, 1995 in the historic San Diego State University Aztec Bowl site. The Aztec Bowl, which opened on October 3, 1936, served as the site for university sporting and cultural events through august of 1994.  Of note, on June 6, 1963, President John F. Kennedy presented the commencement address and received his honorary doctorate in front of 30,000 people in and around Aztec Bowl. In February and March of 1988, the Associated Students’ of SDSU approved the Student Activity Center referendum. This referendum allowed for a mandatory student fee increase which provided funding to build what would be called the Cox Arena and Aztec Recreation Center. In November of 1994, Aztec Bowl received designation as a historic site and was chosen as the site for the Cox Arena. Due to the bowl’s historic designation, bleacher sections of the bowl were preserved and can still be seen today.

Cox Arena opened its doors to the campus and community in July of 1997.  Cox Arena continues to provide quality entertainment with impeccable acoustics and sight lines. Every seat in the house is great. Cox Arena hosts athletic events, concerts, conferences, lectures, academic gatherings and is home to Aztec Basketball.