ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — With a multi-facility naming rights agreement on the table, the athletics administration at The University of New Mexico has approached and formally asked WisePies Pizza & Salad to relinquish the current naming rights agreement for WisePies Arena, pending the fruition of a new agreement. The recommendation by athletics is pending approval from the Board of Regents.
That new agreement will allow for multiple facilities to be named under one umbrella. It is anticipated that the new agreement will be announced in the near future.
“I want to thank Steve Chavez and WisePies Pizza & Salad for stepping up in 2014 and showing the state of New Mexico that naming athletic facilities is a viable and valuable asset for businesses in our community,” said vice president for athletics Paul Krebs. “It really helped pave the way for Santa Ana Star Field for our baseball team and our upcoming agreement.”
Krebs added, “Steve Chavez is a passionate supporter of not just athletics, but The University of New Mexico. This will allow him to reallocate his support elsewhere at UNM where it is needed.”
Steve Chavez, who recently acquired 100% ownership of WisePies Pizza & Salad, was on board with the naming rights change to help facilitate a new agreement provided it is a better opportunity for the university. University Arena was renamed WisePies Arena on December 1, 2014 in a ceremony at the facility. The original naming rights agreement was a $5 million commitment over 10 years. WisePies Pizza & Salad has paid through the first three years of the agreement, with all payments current and received.
“We have enjoyed our partnership with UNM Athletics, and would expect it to continue in a different capacity in the future,” said Chavez. “Being associated with a building that is considered the crown jewel of New Mexico has been great for both ourselves and UNM. We were happy to continue as the naming rights partner for WisePies Arena, but when we were approached by UNM about this, knowing how much it would help the university, we were happy to step aside.”
WisePies Arena has ranked in the top 25 in attendance for men’s basketball for 50 of 51 seasons. The building has a capacity of 15,411 for basketball and nearly 14,000 for concerts. There are 40 luxury suites and 365 seats in the U.S. Bank Club & Suite Level. Among the highlights for the building was the 1983 Final Four, famously won by N.C. State. The Pit has frequently been a venue for NCAA men’s basketball tournaments, hosting games in 1968, 1978, 1985, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2012. It also hosted the Western Athletic Conference men’s tournaments in 1987, 1995, and 1996. The Pit has hosted NCAA women’s tournament games in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2011.
WisePies Pizza & Salad currently has 11 locations in New Mexico and Arizona, with future restaurants planned for Nevada, Texas, Louisiana and Iowa.
Athletics Approaches WisePies RE: Naming Rights
