Francis Marion University Athletics

 

Named in  honor of the university's first president, Dr. Walter D. Smith, the Smith University Center  provides  comprehensive facilities for student services and activities as well as for recreation and athletic  programs   to serve students, faculty, and staff. Opened in 1974,  the center's gymnasium originally seated 3,027 for basketball, but with recent renovations  that include  new theater-style seats, a new hardwood floor, new scoreboards, a new lighting and sound system, and a new paint job it now seats 2,547.  New video boards and press row tables were added in 2020, and new bleachers on the north, south, and west sides were added in 2023.

Francis Marion University is a smoke-free campus.  No pets are allowed within the confines of FMU athletic facilities.

The Patriot Women have compiled a 515-172 (.750) mark in the Smith University Center, including 18 consecutive wins entering the 2024-25 season.

In addition to numerous  sporting events, the building has hosted musical concerts, an appearance by Miss America 1994 Kimberly  Aiken, U.S. Presidential candidates, and both   college and high school commencement exercises. Francis Marion hosted a 1977 AIAW Regional Tournament, and the following year entertained the 1978 AIAW Division II National Women's Basketball Tournament.  In 1988, the U.S. Olympic Women's Basketball Team played an exhibition game against the Cuban National Team in the building.  In 1998, 1999, and 2008, FMU hosted the NCAA Division II women's basketball South Atlantic Regional Tournament.