St. John Arena

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St. John Arena
St. John's

Location	410 Woody Hayes Dr Columbus, OH 43210
Opened	November, 1956
Owner	Ohio State University
Operator	Ohio State University Department of Athletics
Construction cost	$4 million (approximate)
Tenants	Ohio State Buckeyes (volleyball, gymnastics & wrestling)
Capacity	13,276 (basketball)

For St. John Arena in Steubenville, Ohio, see St. John Arena (Steubenville).

St. John Arena is a 13,276-seat multi-purpose arena in Columbus, Ohio, USA. The arena opened in 1956. It was home to The Ohio State University Buckeyes basketball teams before they moved to the Jerome Schottenstein Center's Value City Arena in 1998. The arena now hosts the school's men's & women's volleyball teams, men's & women's gymnastics teams, and wrestling squad. It also hosts the annual Buckeye Classic women's basketball tournament. In 2004, it hosted its first men's basketball game in six years due to a scheduling conflict at the Schottenstein Center. St. John Arena was again used for men's basketball on March 24, 2008. The Buckeyes hosted an NIT game there since Bruce Springsteen performed at the Schottenstein Center that night. The building is named for Lynn St. John, former basketball coach and athletic director at Ohio State.

The most popular event still held at the arena happens before each home Buckeye Football game. Two hours prior to kickoff The Ohio State University Marching Band performs in the Skull Session. With roots all the way back to 1932, the Skull Session is a concert/pep rally that usually fills the arena, with many fans arriving up to two hours prior to the band's entrance just to get a good seat for the band's performance. The Skull Session typically features the Buckeye band along with the visiting school's marching band and sometimes even a local high school.