Loyola Field House was an indoor arena built in 1954 on the campus of Loyola University New Orleans, originally serving as the home court for the university’s Wolf Pack basketball team. For nearly two decades it was one of the city’s primary indoor sports venues, hosting college basketball before the sport’s landscape in New Orleans shifted dramatically.
The building’s biggest claim to fame came from professional basketball. The ABA’s New Orleans Buccaneers played there for two seasons in the late 1960s, and the arena briefly hosted the NBA’s New Orleans Jazz in 1974-75 before the team moved into the Louisiana Superdome. After Loyola discontinued varsity sports in 1972, the field house was repurposed as a recreation center with most of its seating removed, and it was eventually torn down in 1986.
- Utah Jazz played here 1974–1975. See every Jazz arena →
Stats at a Glance
- Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Opened: 1954
- Demolished: 1986
- Capacity: About 6,500
- Tenants: Loyola Wolf Pack (1954-1972), New Orleans Buccaneers (ABA, 1967-1969), New Orleans Jazz (NBA, 1974-1975)
- Notable fact: Hosted the Buccaneers’ 1967-68 ABA Finals run, starring Doug Moe and Larry Brown, the latter a future Naismith Hall of Fame coach
A Home for Pro Basketball in New Orleans
Before the Superdome gave New Orleans a modern home for professional sports, Loyola Field House filled that role. The ABA’s Buccaneers made it their arena for two seasons, with a roster that included former college teammates Doug Moe and Larry Brown, both named to All-ABA teams in 1967-68. Moe went on to a long career as an NBA head coach, while Brown later entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2002. The Buccaneers advanced all the way to the 1967-68 ABA Finals that season before losing to the Pittsburgh Pipers in seven games.
The field house got one more taste of top-level professional basketball in 1974-75, when the expansion New Orleans Jazz used it as a venue during their inaugural NBA season, ahead of their eventual move to the Superdome.
From Campus Arena to Demolition
Loyola University discontinued its varsity athletics program after the 1971-72 season, and Loyola Field House lost its primary purpose as a competitive basketball venue. The university converted the space into a general recreation center, stripping out most of the seating that once held thousands of fans.
The building stood in its diminished form for another decade before it was demolished in 1986 to make way for a recreational sports complex and parking garage on Loyola’s campus, closing the book on one of New Orleans’ earliest pro basketball homes.
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Loyola Field House FAQs
Does Loyola Field House still exist?
No. It was demolished in 1986 after Loyola University New Orleans converted it from an arena into a recreation center.
What professional basketball teams played at Loyola Field House?
The ABA’s New Orleans Buccaneers played there in 1967-68 and 1968-69, and the NBA’s New Orleans Jazz used it during the 1974-75 season.
How many people could Loyola Field House hold?
The arena had a capacity of about 6,500 people.
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