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The RCA Dome is a domed stadium located in Indianapolis, Indiana which is
the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise. It was completed in late-1983 at a cost of $82 million as part of the Indiana Convention Center, with the costs split evenly between private and public money. It was finished a year before the Colts actually moved to the city. In 1984, the Colts relocated to Indianapolis from Baltimore.
The stadium was named the Hoosier Dome until 1994 when RCA paid $10 million for the naming rights for 10 years, with two five-year options to RCA at a cost of $13.5 million if invoked. The stadium seats 60,272 for football, following an expansion completed in 2001. Prior to that, the maximum seating for a football crowd was 56,000. The dome was officially dedicated on September 8, 1984 as a sold-out crowd witnessed the Purdue Boilermakers defeat the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.
Basketball is also played at the RCA Dome. The first game played there was an exhibition game in 1984 between an NBA All-Star team led by home-State hero Larry Bird and the United States Olympic Men's Basketball team, coached by Bob Knight, who was at the time the coach of Indiana University. The dome also served as the site of the NBA All-Star Game in February of 1985. Since then it has hosted many NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship games, including four Final Fours (1991, 1997, 2000, 2006). The NCAA, whose headquarters are in Indianapolis, has committed to holding the Final Four in Indianapolis once every five years. The RCA Dome hosted its first Women's Final Four in 2005. In addition, it has hosted the Indiana High School Athletic Association's annual boys and girls championships, and served as one of two sites for the FIBA Men's World Basketball Championship Tournament in 2002, sharing the honors with Conseco Fieldhouse, the home of the Indiana Pacers. Additionally, the RCA Dome is the site of the Indiana State School Music Association State Marching Band Competition, the Bands of America Grand Nationals, and the Drum Corps International Midwestern Regional. The dome also served as host venue to the World Wrestling Federation's WrestleMania VIII in 1992.
The RCA Dome was the site of the last NFL game played on AstroTurf (and any carpet-style artificial turf), during a playoff game between the Colts and the Denver Broncos on January 9, 2005. FieldTurf was installed for the 2005 season.
The venue hosted its first AFC championship game when the Colts beat the New England Patriots on Sunday, January 21, 2007.
Roof
The roof is made up of teflon-coated fiberglass and weighs 257 tons. It is held up by the air pressure inside the building. The ceiling is 193 feet high, though the height can actually vary up to 5 feet as the materials expand and contract with the weather. There are warning signs posted cautioning patrons of the high winds at the doors when exiting the RCA Dome. The RCA Dome is one of the few remaining inflated-roof sports structures.
Future
The stadium is scheduled to be replaced by a new retractable-roof stadium in time for the 2008 NFL season. The new stadium, which is named Lucas Oil Stadium will be located across the street directly to the south of the RCA Dome's location in downtown Indianapolis. The RCA Dome is slated to be demolished to make room for an expansion to the Indiana Convention Center in late 2008.
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