O'Reilly Family Event Center

The O'Reilly Family Event Center, or The O', is a sports arena on the campus of Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. O'Reilly is home to the Drury Panthers men's basketball, women's basketball, and volleyball teams. In addition to Drury athletics, O’Reilly has also hosted concerts along with boxing and MMA matches. The arena can seat 2,850 for basketball and volleyball games and up to 3,592 for concerts. The facility is named after the O'Reilly family of O'Reilly Auto Parts.

Construction and opening

On December 19, 2007, Drury University officials announced that their new basketball arena was going to be named after the O'Reilly family of Springfield after they donated $6 million towards the arena which was then budgeted at $12 million. Drury University basketball and volleyball had previously called Weiser Gym home since 1948, which is currently home to Men's Wrestling. The arena was originally expected to be completed by fall 2009 and seat 4,000 spectators. After fundraising delays, O'Reilly's groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 15, 2009, as its budget increased to $13.5 million. In January 2010, the arena reached LEED Gold status—the first sports arena in the United States to receive the award. O'Reilly's funding gap was filled with a $500,000 donation on May 12, 2010.
O'Reilly Family Event Center celebrated its grand opening on October 1, 2010. The grand opening included a concert by Springfield-based The M-Dock Band. October 8, 2010 marked the first intercollegiate matchup at O'Reilly as the Drury volleyball team played Missouri S&T; the Panthers lost 3–1. Aretha Franklin was to perform a concert at O'Reilly on October 30, but canceled due to health concerns. November 13, 2010 marked the first regular season basketball games at the arena for both Drury women's and men's basketball as the women fell to Northeastern State and the men defeated Upper Iowa.

Regional tournaments

As of 2024, O'Reilly has hosted six NCAA Division II regionals for men's basketball, women's basketball, and volleyball, five of which have been won by Drury University. Drury Women's Basketball, who went undefeated at 32–0 for the 2019–20 season, was set to host the 2020 Midwest Regional, but the tournament for that season was canceled as it coincided with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Special events

Concerts and speakers

Throughout its history, O'Reilly has hosted many concerts ranging from small, local bands to world-renowned groups and singers. Some well-known bands and singers who have performed at O'Reilly include: Sheryl Crow, Chicago, REO Speedwagon, Kelly Clarkson, Incubus, and The Steve Miller Band. 3 Doors Down and Asking Alexandria have performed opening acts for O'Reilly concerts. While O'Reilly has not seen many speakers, animal scientist Temple Grandin notably spoke there in front of around 2,500 spectators on March 3, 2011.

Boxing and MMA

Multiple combat sporting events have taken place at the O'Reilly Family Event Center, particularly during its first years of operation. Missouri native BJ Flores fought at O'Reilly twice during his career.
Winner in bold

Date	Sport	Main event	Outcome	Source
July 23, 2011	Boxing	BJ Flores vs. Nicholas Ianuzzi	TKO
October 15, 2011	Boxing	BJ Flores vs. Paul Jennette	Unanimous
February 11, 2012	MMA	Zak Cummings vs. Lamont Stafford	Submission
March 24, 2012	Boxing	Kimbo Slice vs. Brian Green	Knockout
June 16, 2012	MMA	John Gunderson vs. Karo Parisyan ShoFight 20	Submission