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110-475: The complex opened in 1999 and cost $ 30.1 million to construct. Seven million dollars of the cost was donated by local businessman Stuart C. Siegel; the center bears his name as a result. Its main tenant is the VCU Rams men's basketball team, which enjoys one of the nation's best home-court winning percentages since moving into the facility. The court has received the reputation as arguably the toughest place to play in

220-575: A 24–5 record on their way to the Sun Belt Conference regular season and Conference tournament championships. The Rams entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed in the East region and defeated No. 12 Long Island before being eliminated by No. 4 Tennessee in overtime in the second round 56–58. The Rams would return to the tournament in 1983. The Rams, the No. 5 seed in the East region, defeated No. 12 seed La Salle in

330-623: A construction company owned by a local family in Mechanicsville, Virginia . The deal is for $ 2.75 million over ten years, but the Wade family has promised a total monetary donation of $ 4.05 million over those ten years. In 2011, a $ 3.4 million facelift to the Siegel Center saw offices renovated, with the addition of luxury suites, a 120-club seat balcony, and the Tommy J. West Club, a new lounge. In 2014,

440-516: A director of operations at Dayton. During his introductory press conference, he promised that his teams would "wreak havoc on our opponents [sic] psyche and their plan of attack." Smart's teams have employed a basketball philosophy nicknamed Havoc since that point. In Smart's first year as the Rams head coach , the team posted a 27–9 record, going 11–7 in the CAA, finishing fifth in the conference. As fifth seeds,

550-646: A general advance. When the Union Sixth Corps broke through Confederate lines on the Boydton Plank Road south of Petersburg, Confederate casualties exceeded 5,000, about a tenth of Lee's defending army. Lee then informed President Jefferson Davis that he intended to evacuate Richmond. On April 2, 1865, the Confederate Army began Richmond's evacuation. Confederate President Davis and his cabinet, Confederate government archives, and its treasury's gold, left

660-456: A general retreat southwestward, and General Lee continued to reject General Grant's surrender entreaties until Sheridan's infantry and cavalry encircled the shrinking Army of Northern Virginia and cut off its ability to retreat further on April 8. Lee surrendered his remaining approximately 10,000 troops the following morning at Appomattox Court House , meeting Grant at the McLean Home. Davis

770-464: A hall of fame. The Rams have three major rivals: Old Dominion , George Mason and their long-standing crosstown rival University of Richmond . In the 1970s, their first six games were decided at the buzzer. For the past 35 years, the two schools have competed annually in the Capital City Classic (formerly Black & Blue Classic). The success of the two school's basketball programs

880-620: A major railroad crossroads, showcasing the world's first triple railroad crossing. Tobacco warehousing and processing continued to play a central economic role, advanced by the world's first cigarette-rolling machine that James Albert Bonsack of Roanoke invented between 1880 and 1881. Another important contributor to Richmond's resurgence was the Richmond Union Passenger Railway , a trolley system developed by electric power pioneer Frank J. Sprague . The system opened its first Richmond line in 1888, using an overhead wire and

990-461: A more centralized location for Virginia's increasing western population and theoretically isolating the capital from a British attack from the coast. In 1781, Loyalist troops led by Benedict Arnold led a raid on Richmond and burnt it, leading Governor Thomas Jefferson to flee while the Virginia militia , led by Sampson Mathews , unsuccessfully defended the city. Richmond recovered quickly from

1100-476: A multimillion-dollar flood wall was completed, protecting the city's low-lying areas from the oft-rising James River. Consequently, the River District businesses grew rapidly, bolstered by the creation of a Canal Walk along the city's former industrial canals. Today the area is home to much of Richmond's entertainment, dining, and nightlife activity. In 1996, racial tensions grew amid controversy about adding

1210-641: A railroad hub, and one of the largest slave markets. It also had the largest Confederate arms factory, the Tredegar Iron Works . The factory produced artillery and other munitions, including heavy ordnance machinery and the 723 tons of armor plating that covered the CSS Virginia , the world's first ironclad ship used in war. The Confederate States Congress shared quarters in the Jefferson-designed Virginia State Capitol with

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1320-554: A score of 79–84. The next year the Rams would win their second straight CAA regular season championship, posting a 24–8 overall record, 15–3 in conference play, but fall short in the conference tournament in a heartbreaking upset to William & Mary in the semi-finals. The Rams missed an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament but instead received an invitation to play in the NIT. The Rams heartbreak continued as they were upset on their home court in

1430-495: A suburban character as part of Chesterfield County before being annexed by Richmond, most notably in 1970. Richmond has a humid subtropical ( Köppen : Cfa ) or oceanic ( Trewartha : Do ) climate, with hot, humid summers and moderately cold winters. The mountains to the west act as a partial barrier to outbreaks of cold, continental air in winter. Arctic air is delayed long enough to be modified and further warmed as it subsides in its approach to Richmond. The open waters of

1540-465: A three-year commitment. The white and gray sidewalls were painted black for the 2022-23 season. In 2023, VCU replaced the baseline scoreboards and video boards with new, larger video boards, and surrounded the entire interior of the seating bowl with a video board stripe. The Baseline scoreboards show a combination of advertisements, individual stats, and team stats, while the stripe shows predominantly sponsor ads, with game score and clock being located in

1650-450: A trolley pole to connect to the current and electric motors on the car's trucks. The success led to electric streetcar lines rapidly spreading to other cities. A post-World War II transition to buses from streetcars began in May 1947 and was completed on November 25, 1949. By the beginning of the 20th century, the city's population had reached 85,050 in 5 sq mi (13 km ), making it

1760-498: Is 11 °F (−12 °C), set on February 11 and 12, 1899 . The record warm minimum is 81 °F (27 °C), set on July 12, 2011. The warmest months recorded were July 2020 and August 1900, both averaging 82.9°F (28.3 °C). The coldest, January 1940, averaged 24.2 °F (-4.3 °C). Precipitation is rather uniformly distributed throughout the year. Dry periods lasting several weeks sometimes occur, especially in autumn, when long periods of pleasant, mild weather are most common. There

1870-571: Is 13–19. Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( / ˈ r ɪ tʃ m ə n d / RITCH -mənd ) is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city since 1871. The city's population in the 2020 census was 226,610, up from 204,214 in 2010, making it Virginia's fourth-most populous city . The Richmond metropolitan area , with over 1.3 million residents,

1980-697: Is considerable variability in total monthly precipitation amounts from year to year, so no one month can be depended to be normal. Snow has been recorded during seven of the 12 months. Falls of 4 in (10 cm) or more within 24 hours occur once a year on average. Annual snowfall is usually moderate, averaging 10.5 in (27 cm) per season. Snow typically remains on the ground for only one or two days, but it remained for 16 days in 2010 (January 30 to February 14). Ice storms (freezing rain or glaze) are not uncommon, but they are seldom severe enough to cause considerable damage. The James River reaches tidewater at Richmond, where flooding may occur in any month of

2090-656: Is home to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit and a Federal Reserve Bank (one of 13 such courts and one of 12 such banks ). After the first permanent English-speaking settlement was established at Jamestown, Virginia , in April 1607, Captain Christopher Newport led explorers northwest up the James River to an inhabited area in the Powhatan Nation. Richmond was Arrohattoc territory where Arrohateck village

2200-477: Is known for its Final Four run in the 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament . While the team had made nine NCAA tournament appearances beforehand, never had the Rams made it beyond the second round of the tournament. In 2011, the Rams' journey to the Final Four began in one of the four opening round games, commonly called "play-in" games, intended to narrow the field from 68 to 64 teams. Thus, VCU became

2310-613: Is the Commonwealth's third-most populous . Richmond is located at the James River's fall line , 44 mi (71 km) west of Williamsburg , 66 mi (106 km) east of Charlottesville , 91 mi (146 km) east of Lynchburg and 92 mi (148 km) south of Washington, D.C. Surrounded by Henrico and Chesterfield counties, Richmond is at the intersection of Interstate 95 and Interstate 64 and encircled by Interstate 295 , Virginia State Route 150 and Virginia State Route 288 . Major suburbs include Midlothian to

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2420-728: Is the city's traditional hub of African American commerce and culture, once known as the "Black Wall Street of America" and the "Harlem of the South." At the beginning of the 20th century, Richmond had one of the world's first successful electric streetcar systems. Law, finance, and government primarily drive Richmond's economy. The downtown area is home to federal, state, and local governmental agencies as well as notable legal and banking firms. The greater metropolitan area includes several Fortune 500 companies: Performance Food Group , Altria , CarMax , Dominion Energy , Markel , Owens and Minor , Genworth Financial , and ARKO Corp . The city

2530-533: Is the intercollegiate men's basketball team that represents Virginia Commonwealth University . The Rams joined the Atlantic 10 Conference in the 2012–13 season after previously competing in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). In 2017, VCU was ranked the 40th most valuable men's basketball program in the country by The Wall Street Journal . With a valuation of $ 56.9 million, VCU ranked second in

2640-588: The 2006 NCAA champions , the University of Florida Gators . In his first year as head coach, Anthony Grant led the Rams to a school-record 28 wins. The Rams finished the season 28–7, also setting a school and CAA conference record with 16 wins in conference play. Grant, who also set a school record for most wins by a first-year head coach, was named the CAA Coach of the Year. The Rams were 16–2 in conference play and captured

2750-626: The 2010 CBI tournament and have ten conference tournaments; three being in the Sun Belt Conference , five being in the Colonial Athletic Association , and two in the Atlantic 10 Conference . The Rams have also won twelve regular season championships; four from the Sun Belt, five from the CAA, and three in the Atlantic 10. The official student supporter group is known as the Rowdy Rams. The team

2860-482: The 2011 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament to start off the newly created 68-team field. VCU found itself as one of the last teams in the tournament and was scheduled to play in the newly formed "First Four" against USC on March 16 for a spot as the 11th seed in the tournament. The inclusion of VCU in the tournament was widely criticized by pundits and the ESPN network, in particular Jay Bilas and Dick Vitale . In

2970-593: The Atlantic 10 Conference . The VCU Rams men's basketball team currently holds the 11th-highest home-court winning percentage in Division I basketball with a winning percentage of 85.79 The student section, dubbed the "Rowdy Rams" is extremely passionate. In 2012–13, the Rowdy Rams received the Naismith Student Section of the Year Award, recognizing the best student section in college basketball. Until interrupted by

3080-695: The Blue Ridge Mountains . Significant bodies of water in the region include the James River , the Appomattox River , and the Chickahominy River . The Richmond-Petersburg Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the 44th largest in the United States, includes the independent cities of Richmond, Colonial Heights , Hopewell , and Petersburg , and the counties of Charles City , Chesterfield , Dinwiddie , Goochland , Hanover , Henrico , New Kent , Powhatan , and Prince George . On July 1, 2009,

3190-591: The Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean contribute to the humid summers and cool winters. The coldest weather normally occurs from late December to early February, and the January daily mean temperature is 37.9 °F (3.3 °C), with an average of 6.0 days with highs at or below the freezing mark. Richmond's Downtown and areas south and east of downtown are in USDA Hardiness zones 7b. Surrounding suburbs and areas to

3300-748: The Colony and Dominion of Virginia in 1780. During the Revolutionary War period, several notable events occurred in the city, including Patrick Henry 's " Give me liberty, or give me death! " speech in 1775 at St. John's Church and the passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom written by Thomas Jefferson . During the American Civil War , Richmond was the capital of the Confederate States of America . The Jackson Ward neighborhood

3410-617: The Commonwealth of Virginia , and second in the A-10 Conference. The team is coached by Ryan Odom . Since 1999, the team has played home basketball games at the E.J. Wade Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center in Richmond, Virginia on the university's Monroe Park campus. Virginia Commonwealth has made it to the NCAA Final Four once in its program's history, in 2011. Additionally, the Rams won

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3520-652: The River Thames . In 1742, the settlement was incorporated as a town. In 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his famous " Give me liberty, or give me death " speech in Richmond's St. John's Church , greatly influencing Virginia's participation in the First Continental Congress and the course of the American Revolution . On April 18, 1780, the state capital was moved from Williamsburg to Richmond, providing

3630-600: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 62 sq mi (160 km ), of which 60 sq mi (160 km ) is land and 2.7 sq mi (7.0 km ) (4.3%) is water. The city is in the Piedmont region of Virginia , at the James River's highest navigable point. The Piedmont region is characterized by relatively low, rolling hills, and lies between the low, flat Tidewater region and

3740-620: The Virginia General Assembly . The Confederacy's executive mansion, known as the " White House of the Confederacy ," was two blocks away on Clay Street. Located about 100 mi (160 km) from the national capital in Washington, D.C. , Richmond was at the end of a long supply line and difficult to defend. For four years, its defense required the bulk of the Army of Northern Virginia and

3850-761: The Virginia Historical Society and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts . South of the Downtown Expressway are Byrd Park , Maymont , Hollywood Cemetery , the predominantly black working-class Randolph neighborhood, and white working-class Oregon Hill . Cary Street between Interstate 195 and the Boulevard is a popular commercial area called Carytown . Richmond's Northside is home to numerous listed historic districts. Neighborhoods such as Chestnut Hill-Plateau and Barton Heights began to be developed at

3960-563: The 1979–1980 season with an 18–12 overall record and Sun Belt Conference tournament championship led by then first-year VCU Head Coach J.D. Barnett in VCU's first season in the Sun Belt . They entered the tournament as a No. 12 seed in the East Region and were eliminated in the first round by No. 5 Iowa. It would not be long before the Rams returned to the tournament. The following year the Rams posted

4070-527: The 1999–00 season, the venue has been the home arena for the Rams, as well as the women's basketball team and volleyball team. Prior to the opening of the Siegel Center, the Rams spent a majority of their history playing their home basketball games in the Richmond Coliseum , which housed the team from 1971 until 1999. Prior to the Rams' long-term occupation of the Coliseum, the team played their home games in

4180-537: The 2012 tournament. By comparison, the CAA had only four at-large bids in the same period (one of them being VCU's 2011 Final Four team). On Sunday, March 15, 2015, VCU won its first Atlantic 10 conference tournament championship. On April 2, 2015, Smart left VCU to go to the University of Texas . After two seasons at Chattanooga, Will Wade returned to VCU to take the open head coaching position vacated by Shaka Smart. In his first season returning to VCU, Wade guided

4290-491: The 25th Corps of the United States Colored Troops , accepted Richmond's surrender from the mayor and a group of leading citizens who did not evacuate. Union troops eventually contained the fires, but about 25% of the city's buildings were destroyed. On April 3, President Abraham Lincoln visited Grant at Petersburg and took a launch up the James River to Richmond on April 4. While Davis attempted to organize

4400-583: The CAA Regular season Championship before capturing the CAA Conference tournament Championship in thrilling fashion as Eric Maynor burst onto the national scene by scoring 9 points in the final 1:55 to bury the George Mason Patriots , finishing with 14 of his 20 points in the second half. Maynor also had 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in the victory. The Rams entered the 2007 NCAA tournament as

4510-458: The CAA regular season and conference tournament championships. In the 2004 NCAA tournament, the Rams were awarded the No. 13 seed in the East region and faced No. 4 Wake Forest in the first round. VCU led for much of the second half and had a chance to win towards the end despite the Wake Forest comeback, but ultimately fell 79–78. Jeff Capel originally joined VCU as an assistant in 2001 and at

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4620-682: The Carver and Newtowne West neighborhoods are demographically similar to neighboring Jackson Ward .Carver has seen some gentrification due to its proximity to VCU. The affluent area between the Boulevard , Main Street, Broad Street, and VCU, known as the Fan , is home to Monument Avenue , an outstanding collection of Victorian architecture , and many students. West of the Boulevard is the Museum District, which contains

4730-597: The Confederacy's best troops and commanders. The Union army made Richmond a main target in the campaigns of 1862 and 1864–65. In late June and early July 1862, Union General-in-Chief George B. McClellan threatened but failed to take Richmond in the Seven Days Battles of the Peninsula campaign . Three years later, Richmond became indefensible in March 1865 after nearby Petersburg fell and several remaining rail supply lines to

4840-506: The Confederate attack on Fort Sumter , the Virginia legislature voted to secede from the United States and join the newly created Confederate States of America on April 17, 1861. The action became official in May, after the Confederacy promised to move its national capital to Richmond from Montgomery, Alabama . Richmond held local, state and national Confederate government offices, hospitals,

4950-681: The Confederate government in Danville , Lincoln met Confederate Assistant Secretary of War John A. Campbell , handing him a note inviting Virginia's state legislature to end their rebellion. After Campbell spun the note to Confederate legislators as a possible end to the Emancipation Proclamation , Lincoln rescinded his offer and ordered General Weitzel to prevent the state legislature from meeting. On April 6, Union forces killed, wounded, or captured 8,000 Confederate troops at Sayler's Creek , southwest of Petersburg. The Confederate Army continued

5060-628: The Franklin Street Gym. A $ 25 million practice facility located on the north side of Marshall Street adjacent to the Siegel Center was completed in November 2015. Replacing the decades-old Franklin Street Gym, it houses the Men's and Women's basketball teams. The building's size is about 62,000 square feet (5,800 m ) and features courts, players' lounges, dining areas, coaches' offices, retail spaces, and

5170-416: The Metro and Great Midwest Conference that created Conference USA . They instead joined the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) for the 1995–1996 season. In their first season as members of the CAA, the Rams posted a 24–9 overall record, going 14–2 in conference play en route to the CAA regular season and conference tournament championships. The Rams earned the right to go dancing in the NCAA tournament for

5280-477: The No. 11 seed in the West region and upset the No. 6 seed Duke Blue Devils 79–77 on a game-winning bucket from just beyond the free-throw line by Eric Maynor in the final seconds of the game. The Rams good fortune did not continue into the next round, however, where they were eliminated by the No. 3 seed Pittsburgh Panthers . The Rams squad showed outstanding poise in the second-half by forcing overtime after trailing 26–41 at halftime. They would go on to lose by

5390-433: The North. Nonetheless, the James Falls area saw more White settlement in the late 1600s and early 1700s. In early 1737, planter William Byrd II commissioned Major William Mayo to lay out the original town grid, completed in April. Byrd named the city after the English town of Richmond near (and now part of) London, because the view of the James River's bend at the fall line reminded him of his home at Richmond Hill on

5500-405: The Rams appeared in a postseason tournament, earning a berth into the 1978 National Invitation tournament being eliminated in the first round by the University of Detroit . Under the coaching of J.D. Barnett , the Rams earned fourth berths into the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship , each being their first four berths, the first coming in 1980 . During Barnett's six years coaching

5610-426: The Rams made it to the semi-finals of the 2010 CAA men's basketball tournament before falling to their conference rivals , Old Dominion , who would go on to win the CAA Championship. Despite reaching the semifinals of the CAA Tournament, the Rams did not earn a berth into either the NCAA or NIT tournaments. However, the Rams earned a berth into the 2010 College Basketball Invitational , where they would finish as

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5720-637: The Rams with 20 rebounds and 7 blocks in the victory. So once again, the Rams headed to the NCAA tournament as a No. 11 seed in the East region. The Rams were eliminated by the No. 6 seed UCLA Bruins in a hard-fought game 65–64. Anthony Grant posted an impressive 76–25 record in his three seasons as the head men's basketball coach at VCU. He was an outright dominating 52–10 versus CAA opponents, including conference tournaments, capturing three straight CAA Regular season Conference Championships and two CAA Conference tournament championships. He led VCU to two NCAA tournament berths and one NIT berth before departing

5830-441: The Rams' new head basketball coach. He was formerly the head coach at Rice University in Houston . He is the 12th coach in program history. On March 29, 2023, Mike Rhoades announced he was accepting an offer to coach at Penn State following 6 seasons at VCU and 0 NCAA tournament wins. Hours after his announced departure all key VCU players declared for the transfer portal leaving VCU with just 5 active roster players. In

5940-442: The Richmond area. Downtown Richmond averages 84 days of nighttime frost annually. Nighttime frost is more common in areas north and west of Downtown and less common south and east of downtown. From 1981 to 2010, the average first temperature at or below freezing was on October 30 and the average last one on April 10. See or edit raw graph data . Richmond's population is approximately 226,000. As an independent city, Richmond

6050-476: The Richmond—Petersburg MSA 's population was 1,258,251. Richmond is located 21.69 mi (34.91 km) north of Petersburg, Virginia , 66.1 mi (106.4 km) southeast of Charlottesville, Virginia , 79.24 mi (127.52 km) northwest of Norfolk, Virginia , 96.87 mi (155.90 km) south of Washington, D.C. , and 138.72 mi (223.25 km) northeast of Raleigh, North Carolina . Richmond's original street grid, laid out in 1737, included

6160-462: The South and the country. By 1850, Richmond was connected by the Richmond and Petersburg Railroad to Port Walthall , where ships carrying over 200 tons of cargo could connect to Baltimore or Philadelphia . Passenger liners could reach Norfolk, Virginia , through the Hampton Roads harbor. In the 19th century, Richmond was connected to the North by the Richmond, Fredericksburg, and Potomac Railroad , later replaced by CSXT . The railroad also

6270-442: The affluent and middle-class suburban Westover Hills, Forest Hill, Southampton, Stratford Hills, Oxford, Huguenot Hills, Hobby Hill, and Woodland Heights to the impoverished Manchester and Blackwell areas, the Hillside Court housing projects, and the ailing Jefferson Davis Highway commercial corridor. Other Southside neighborhoods include Fawnbrook, Broad Rock, Cherry Gardens, Cullenwood, and Beaufont Hills. Much of Southside developed

6380-402: The area between what are now Broad, 17th, and 25th Streets and the James River. Modern Downtown Richmond is slightly farther west, on the slopes of Shockoe Hill. Nearby neighborhoods include Shockoe Bottom , the historically significant and low-lying area between Shockoe Hill and Church Hill , and Monroe Ward, which contains the Jefferson Hotel . Richmond's East End includes neighborhoods like

6490-418: The areas around the Regency Mall. More affluent areas include Glen Allen, Short Pump, and the areas of Tuckahoe away from Regency Mall, all north and northwest of the city. The University of Richmond and the Country Club of Virginia are located on this side of town near the Richmond-Henrico border. The portion of the city south of the James River is known as the Southside. Southside neighborhoods range from

6600-476: The city itself had declined to less than 200,000. On November 2, 2004, former Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder was elected as the city's first directly elected mayor in over 60 years. Most of the statues honoring Confederate leaders such as the Robert E. Lee monument on Monument Avenue were removed during or after the George Floyd protests on June 2020 following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek M. Chauvin . The city removed

6710-416: The city that night by train. Confederate officials burned documents and troops burned tobacco and other warehouses to deny the Union any spoils. In the early morning of April 3, Confederate troops exploded the city's gunpowder magazine, killing several paupers in a temporary Almshouse and a man on 2nd St. The concussion shattered windows all over the city. Later that day, General Godfrey Weitzel , commander of

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6820-492: The corners. Plans were at one time in the works to upgrade the Siegel Center's capacity to 10,000 seats with a total cost of $ 12 million. However, while the Rams once held a sellout streak of 166 consecutive games and a wait list for tickets of over 1,000, a combination of decrease in demand for tickets from the fanbase combined with the coronavirus pandemic brought the sellout streak to an end in 2021. VCU Rams men%27s basketball The VCU Rams men's basketball team

6930-419: The country to do so. VCU made it to the round of 32 where they fell to Oklahoma 85–81. Wade finished second in voting for A10 coach of the year. Wade announced that he was leaving VCU after two years to accept the head coaching position at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge . On March 21, 2017, VCU announced that the school had hired former associate head coach under Shaka Smart, Mike Rhoades , as

7040-431: The downtown area suffered extensive flood damage after the remnants of Hurricane Gaston dumped up to 12 in (300 mm) of rain. Damaging storms occur mainly from snow and freezing rain in winter, and from hurricanes, tornadoes, and severe thunderstorms in other seasons. Damage can come from wind, flooding, rain, or a combination of the three. Tornadoes are infrequent, but some notable ones have been observed in

7150-436: The early 2010s eventually gave VCU the opportunity for a major basketball upgrade. After A10 mainstay Temple announced its departure for the Big East Conference and Charlotte announced it would return to Conference USA , the A10 reloaded by adding Butler and VCU. The move placed VCU in a conference that regularly collected NCAA at-large bids—the A10 had 20 teams earn at-large bids from 2000 through 2012, including three in

7260-418: The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were 166 consecutive sold out home games at the Siegel Center between January 2011 and November 2021. The arena also routinely hosts local and state high school basketball tournaments, in addition to hosting the annual Virginia Regional (formerly VCU/ NASA ) FIRST Robotics Competition . Before the 2016–17 basketball season, the arena was renamed the E.J. Wade Arena;

7370-475: The end of the 19th century when the new streetcar system made it possible for people to live on the city's outskirts and commute downtown. Other prominent Northside neighborhoods include Azalea, Barton Heights, Bellevue, Chamberlayne, Ginter Park, Highland Park, and Rosedale. Farther west is the affluent, suburban West End . Windsor Farms is among its best-known sections. The West End also includes middle- to low-income neighborhoods, such as Laurel, Farmington, and

7480-406: The eventual champions, defeating Saint Louis 2–0 in the series final. Their sweep of Saint Louis made it the first time in CBI history a team won the best two-out-of-three championship series in two games. Additionally, it was VCU's first postseason tournament, other than the Sun Belt and CAA tournaments, that the program won. On Selection Sunday 2011, the VCU Rams received an at-large bid to

7590-408: The fall line to the ocean-faring ships below. The canal boatmen legacy is represented by the figure in the center of the city flag. Because of the canal and the hydropower the falls generated, Richmond emerged as an important industrial center after the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). It became home to some of the largest manufacturing facilities, including iron works and flour mills, in

7700-439: The first European settlement in Central Virginia was established at Henricus , where the Falling Creek empties into the James River. In 1619, early Virginia Company settlers established the Falling Creek Ironworks there. Decades of conflicts between the Powhatan and the settlers followed, including the Battle of Bloody Run , fought near Richmond in 1656, after tensions arose from an influx of Manahoacs and Nahyssans from

7810-404: The first in Rams history. During his four years, Pollio managed to get the team into the NIT quarterfinals. The Rams play at the E.J. Wade Arena, formerly Verizon Wireless Arena, the Stuart C. Siegel Center , located in the northwest corridor of the Monroe Park campus . University-owned, the Siegel Center broke ground for construction April 1996, and opened three years later, in May 1999. Since

7920-491: The first round and were eliminated in the second round by No. 4 seed Georgia 54–56. The Rams lost their second-round game by the same margin to No. 4 Tennessee in 1981. The 1984 tournament held similar results for the Rams squad. They entered the tournament as a No. 6 seed in the East Region and defeated No. 11 Northeastern before being eliminated by No. 3 Syracuse. The second-round losses in the NCAA tournament by VCU in 1981, 1983, and 1984 were to teams with first-round byes before

8030-460: The first round by old-time Sun Belt Conference rival, the UAB Blazers 80–77 as a late comeback fell just short. The 2008–2009 season was another successful one for the VCU program. The Rams finished the season with a mark of 24–10 overall, going 14–4 in a hotly contested CAA and sealing the deal on a three-peat as CAA regular season champions for only the second time in CAA conference history and

8140-537: The first round of the NCAA tournament, dubbed by many as "The First Four", The Rams succeeded in knocking off USC by the score of 59–46. The Rams blew out Georgetown 74–56 in Chicago to reach the Round of 32 and followed this win up with a 94–76 rout of third-seeded Purdue to advance to VCU's first-ever Sweet Sixteen appearance. VCU then beat Florida State 72–71 in overtime on a last second shot by Bradford Burgess to advance to

8250-428: The first round, the success of the program Kirk built continued into the following season. Kirk's success with the Rams resulted in him being hired as the head coach at Memphis State (now Memphis) in 1979. Subsequently, the Rams earned an invitation to play in the Sun Belt Conference and hired J. D. Barnett as their head coach. Barnett, who coached the team from 1979 through 1985, immediately brought NCAA success to

8360-453: The first team to advance from the "First Four" to the Final Four. In another NCAA tournament-first, VCU became the first team ever to forfeit a game in the NCAA tournament when their First Round game in the 2021 NCAA tournament was declared a no-contest due to several positive COVID-19 tests in the VCU program. VCU reached the NCAA tournament a state record seven consecutive times from 2011 to 2017. The VCU Rams men's basketball program

8470-458: The first time since 1985, but fell in the first round as the No. 12 seed in the Southeast region to No. 5 Mississippi State. The VCU men's basketball team would return to prominence in the 2003–2004 season under then second-year Head Coach Jeff Capel . Following a 2nd place conference finish in his debut season, Capel led the Rams to a 23–8 overall record, going 14–4 in conference play and capturing

8580-770: The former city of Manchester consolidated with Richmond, and in 1914 the city annexed Barton Heights, Ginter Park, and Highland Park in Henrico County . In May 1914, Richmond became the headquarters of the Fifth District of the Federal Reserve Bank . Several major performing arts venues were constructed during the 1920s, including what are now the Landmark Theatre, Byrd Theatre, and Carpenter Theatre. The city's first radio station, WRVA , began broadcasting in 1925. WTVR-TV (CBS 6), Richmond's first television station,

8690-480: The highest ranking in VCU's history and the highest ranking of any team from the CAA . The 2011 NCAA tournament run by VCU is regarded as one of the best Cinderella runs of all time. Their First Four appearance, combined with their run to the Final Four, gave VCU the distinction of being the first team to win five games in the men's NCAA tournament without reaching the championship game. The major conference realignment of

8800-532: The last Confederate statue, honoring Confederate General General A. P. Hill , on December 12, 2022. The only statue remaining on Monument Avenue is of Arthur Ashe, the pioneering Black tennis player. The Bill "Bojangles" Robinson monument in Jackson Ward was untouched during the protests and remained in place. Richmond is located at 37°32′N 77°28′W  /  37.533°N 77.467°W  / 37.533; -77.467 (37.538, −77.462). According to

8910-528: The most densely populated city in the Southern United States . In the 1900 Census, Richmond's population was 62.1% white and 37.9% black. Freed slaves and their descendants created a thriving African-American business community, and the city's historic Jackson Ward became known as the "Wall Street of Black America." In 1903, African-American businesswoman and financier Maggie L. Walker chartered St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, served as its president, and

9020-465: The most major renovation since the Tommy J. West club was completed. Four corporate corner suites were installed in one end of the arena. A new Daktronics HD center-hung scoreboard was installed at center court, it features four 11.5-feet-by-15.5-feet panels, and the lower ring is two feet high by 15.5 feet wide. The Tommy J. West club was also outfitted with a large HD ribbon board that measures 2.5 feet high by 136 feet wide. The old center-hung audio system

9130-685: The north and west of Downtown are in Hardiness Zone 7a. Temperatures seldom fall below 0 °F (−18 °C), with the most recent subzero reading on January 7, 2018, when the temperature reached −3 °F (−19 °C). The July daily mean temperature is 79.3 °F (26.3 °C), and high temperatures reach or exceed 90 °F (32 °C) approximately 43 days a year; 100 °F (38 °C) temperatures are not uncommon but do not occur every year. Extremes in temperature have ranged from −12 °F (−24 °C) on January 19, 1940, to 107 °F (42 °C) on August 6, 1918. The record cold maximum

9240-463: The post-season came under Head Coach Mike Pollio in the 1988 NIT Tournament where they would reach the quarter-finals before ultimately falling to UConn 60–69. The Rams posted wins over Marshall and Southern Mississippi in the first and second rounds, respectively. The Rams remained in the Sun Belt Conference until 1991 when they joined the Metro Conference . VCU was left out of the 1995 merger of

9350-521: The program to take over the head coaching position at the University of Alabama. Eric Maynor would go on to be drafted No. 20 in the 2009 NBA draft by the Utah Jazz . From 2009 to 2015, the Rams were led by Shaka Smart , who had been previously an assistant coach for the Florida Gators men's basketball team. Prior to Florida, Smart served as an assistant coach at Clemson, Akron and California (Pa.) and

9460-461: The rapidly gentrifying Church Hill , home to St. John's Church , poorer areas like Fulton , Union Hill, and Fairmont, and public housing projects like Mosby Court , Whitcomb Court, Fairfield Court, and Creighton Court closer to Interstate 64 . The area between Belvidere Street, Interstate 195 , Interstate 95 , and the river, which includes Virginia Commonwealth University , is socioeconomically and architecturally diverse. North of Broad Street,

9570-705: The school's first ever Elite Eight appearance. The Rams upset the number one seeded Kansas Jayhawks 71–61 to reach the Final Four for the first time ever. VCU, the Southwest Regional champions played in the National Semifinal against the Southeast Region champion Butler Bulldogs , losing 70–62. The VCU Rams finished sixth in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll at the end of the season. This was

9680-540: The second time in school history, the first coming during the Rams time in the Sun Belt Conference. The Rams would not fall short again and captured the CAA Conference tournament championship for the fourth time since joining the conference capped by a 71–50 rout of rival George Mason in the final. The 21-point margin is the largest margin of victory in a CAA Conference tournament Championship Game. Larry Sanders set CAA Conference tournament Championship Game records for

9790-475: The second-round and they were upset by No. 7 Alabama 63–59. During his tenure, Head Coach J.D Barnett (1979–1985) led VCU and the Rams to five NCAA tournament appearances (1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985) while capturing four Sun Belt regular season conference championships (1981, 1983, 1984, 1985) and three Sun Belt Conference tournament championships (1980, 1981, 1985). He was 132–48 overall and 59–19 in conference play during his time at VCU. The Rams next stint in

9900-572: The south and southwest were broken. On March 25, Confederate General John B. Gordon 's desperate attack on Fort Stedman , east of Petersburg, failed. On April 1, Union Cavalry General Philip Sheridan , assigned to interdict the Southside Railroad, met brigades commanded by Southern General George Pickett at the Five Forks Junction, defeated them, took thousands of prisoners, and advised Union General-in-Chief Ulysses S. Grant to order

10010-466: The southwest, Chesterfield to the south, Varina to the southeast, Sandston to the east, Glen Allen to the north and west, Short Pump to the west, and Mechanicsville to the northeast. Richmond was an important village in the Powhatan Confederacy and was briefly settled by English colonists from Jamestown from 1609 to 1611. Founded in 1737, it replaced Williamsburg as the capital of

10120-409: The statue of African American Richmond native and tennis star Arthur Ashe to the series of statues of Confederate figures on Monument Avenue . After several months of controversy, Ashe's bronze statue was finally completed on July 10, 1996. By the beginning of the 21st century, the population of the greater Richmond metropolitan area had reached approximately 1,100,000, although the population of

10230-463: The team to their first ever A10 Conference regular season championship and a 25–11 overall record. VCU made it to the championship game of the A10 conference tournament for the 4th straight season, falling to St. Joseph's. The team won at least 24 games, VCU and Kansas are the only NCAA schools to reach that feat the last 10 seasons. The Rams also made their 6th straight NCAA tournament, one of only 8 teams in

10340-457: The team's existence, the Rams have had 12 different head coaches. Benny Dees coached the team for the first two seasons of existence. During Dees' tenure, the team achieved winning records both seasons, but barely pulled ahead of .500, resulting in Dees being fired. The second coach, Chuck Noe , led the team for the next six seasons. Following Noe's departure as head coach in 1976, Dana Kirk became

10450-492: The team, earning berths into the NCAA tournament five of the six seasons in his tenure, as well as being the four-time Sun Belt champions. Barnet's success eventually led to him being offered a contract to coach at Tulsa . Mike Pollio became the fifth coach in Rams history. The head coach from 1985 until 1989, Pollio had a rather lackluster record with the team. During his four years as coach, Pollio had two seasons with losing records,

10560-450: The team, only twice did the Rams not win the Sun Belt Conference . The Rams became the first team to sweep the best of 3 championship series in the CBI post-season tournament on their way to becoming the 2010 CBI Champions. It is the first post-season tournament championship, excluding conference tournaments, in the history of the program. VCU received their first bid to the NCAA tournament in

10670-464: The third head coach in Rams basketball history. Kirk, formerly assistant to Denny Crum , was part of the University of Louisville team that reached the Final Four in 1976. In Kirk's second season with the team, he led them to a 24–5 record, and a berth into the National Invitational tournament , making it the first time the team reached any major tournament. Although the team was eliminated in

10780-459: The time of his promotion to the head coaching position in 2002 was the youngest head coach in Division I NCAA basketball at 27 years old. During his time as the head coach with VCU, Capel compiled a 79–41 record. In April 2006, Capel resigned as head coach to accept the same position with the University of Oklahoma Sooners . He was replaced by Anthony Grant , formerly an assistant and associate head coach for several years to Billy Donovan , including

10890-466: The tournament expanded to 64 teams for the 1984–1985 season and byes were eliminated. In the 1984–85 season the Rams once again made it to the newly expanded 1985 NCAA tournament. The Rams entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed in the West region, the highest seeding they have ever received in the tournament. The Rams defeated No. 15 Marshall in the first round, but unfortunately their luck had not changed in

11000-682: The upper James River and provide a water route across the Appalachian Mountains to the Kanawha River , which flows westward into the Ohio River and converges with the Mississippi River , George Washington helped design the James River and Kanawha Canal . The canal started in Westham and cut east to Richmond, facilitating the transfer of cargo from flat-bottomed James River bateaux above

11110-545: The war, thriving within a year of its burning. In 1786, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom , drafted by Thomas Jefferson, was enacted, separating church and state and advancing the legal principle for freedom of religion in the United States. In 1788, the Virginia State Capitol , designed by Jefferson and Charles-Louis Clérisseau in the Greek Revival style , was completed. To bypass Richmond's rapids on

11220-459: The year, most frequently in March and least in July. Hurricanes and tropical storms have been responsible for most flooding during the summer and early fall months. Hurricanes passing near Richmond have produced record rainfalls. In 1955, three hurricanes, including Hurricane Connie and Hurricane Diane , which brought heavy rains five days apart, produced record rainfall in a six-week period. In 2004,

11330-998: Was highlighted in the 2011 NCAA tournament , as Richmond and VCU respectively reached the Sweet Sixteen and Final Four. VCU has honored six players by retiring their jerseys, although the numbers remained active: Source: [1] Source Most recent:        National champion          Postseason invitational champion          Conference regular season champion          Conference regular season and conference tournament champion        Division regular season champion        Division regular season and conference tournament champion        Conference tournament champion The Rams have appeared in 19 NCAA tournaments . VCU's combined record

11440-450: Was also replaced. Now, speakers are peppered throughout the arena's roof to further immense the audience in the action. The total cost of the renovation was $ 1.9 million. In 2016, the arena added four more corporate corner suites opposite the arena side that was completed in 2014. All four corners of the Siegel Center now have suites. There are four smaller ones which cost $ 45,000, and four larger ones which cost $ 60,000. Each suite requires

11550-690: Was also the first TV station south of Washington, D.C. Between 1963 and 1965, there was a "downtown boom" that led to the construction of more than 700 buildings. In 1968, Virginia Commonwealth University was created by the merger of the Medical College of Virginia and the Richmond Professional Institute . On January 1, 1970, Richmond's borders expanded south by 27 sq mi (70 km ) and its population increased by 47,000 after several years of court cases in which Chesterfield County unsuccessfully fought annexation. In 1995,

11660-473: Was captured on May 10 near Irwinville, Georgia and taken back to Virginia, where he was imprisoned two years at Fort Monroe until freed on bail. A decade after the Civil War, Richmond resumed its position as a major urban center of economic productivity with iron front buildings and massive brick factories. Canal traffic peaked in the 1860s, with railroads becoming the dominant shipping method. Richmond became

11770-441: Was founded in 1968, at the same time as the merger of the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia . In the 1968–69 season as an independent team, the program played its first ever season. Coached by Benny Dees and assisted by Landy Watson and Vann Brackin for their first two seasons, Dees led the team to two winning records, before being replaced by Chuck Noe. It would take 10 more seasons before

11880-484: Was located. However, as time progressed relations between the Arrohattocs and English colonists declined, and by 1609 the tribe was unwilling to trade with the settlers. As the population began to dwindle, the tribe declined and was last mentioned in a 1610 report by the visiting William Strachey. By 1611 the tribe's Henrico town was found to be deserted when Sir Thomas Dale went to use the land to found Henricus. In 1611,

11990-499: Was the first black female bank president in the United States. Charles Thaddeus Russell was Richmond's first black architect, and he designed the bank's office. Today, the bank is called the Consolidated Bank and Trust Company and is the country's oldest surviving African-American bank. Another prominent African-American from this time was John Mitchell Jr. , a newspaper editor, civil rights activist, and politician. In 1910,

12100-545: Was used by some to escape slavery in the mid-19th century. In 1849, Henry "Box" Brown had himself nailed into a small box and shipped from Richmond to abolitionists in Philadelphia through Baltimore 's President Street Station on the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad , often used by the Underground Railroad to assist escaping disguised slaves reach the free state of Pennsylvania . Five days after

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