The building was named in honor of Jack Breslin with a dedication Nov. 9, 1989.
- Breslin, a Battle Creek native, served his alma mater, Michigan State University, as a distinguished student leader, honored athlete, top administrator and relentless advocate.
- In 1969 he was one of the first administrators to initiate planning for a multipurpose, student facility and continued to be the leading force through the conceptual design.
- After years of discussions and revisions, construction on the Breslin Center began in July 1986.
- The first event at the Breslin Center was the Black Watch and Bands Of The Scots Guard in 1989 and the first concert was Diana Ross in 1990.
Renovations
BERKOWITZ CENTER
- In fall of 2001, MSU completed an expansion, adding one additional 8,340 square foot auxiliary gym and new office space for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. It was named the “Berkowitz Center” in honor of the late Alfred Berkowitz. Berkowitz was a business leader, U.S. Army veteran and pharmacist from southeast Michigan, whose private foundation pledged more than $2 million toward the project.
Fall 2017
MSU completed a $50 million renovation and expansion to enhance the student, alumni, fan and public experience, improving the functionality of the Breslin Center with a dedication in October of 2017.
Updates to the concourse with include a 22,000-square-foot addition of the concourse, new restrooms and concession stands and infrastructure upgrades. This upgrade was able to widen the concourse to allow more room for public and fan engagement.
GILBERT PAVILION/TOM IZZO HALL OF HISTORY
The pavilion is a 22,000-square-foot addition in the southeast corner of the arena, the project funded by private donations including:
- Gilbert Pavilion funded by a donation from Dan & Jennifer Gilbert with a part of their $15 million gift designated to the Breslin Center addition.
- The Tom Izzo Hall of History. Naming of the Tom Izzo Hall of History was made possible by Bob and Julie Skandalaris, who wanted to permanently recognize Izzo as part of their $10 million gift made in 2014.
- Draymond Green Strength and Conditioning Center funded by a $3.1 million donation to the basketball program, with a portion providing funds to construct the strength & conditioning center.
- A new ticket office, a championship display, a recruiting lounge, former player/alumni locker room and interactive areas.