Manley Field House. Dedications In 2002, the basketball court was dedicated to Jim Boeheim, the longtime head coach of the men's basketball team. In 2009, the field turf was dedicated to Ernie Davis, the first African American Heisman Trophy winner in 1961. The field now reads "Ernie Davis Legends Field" between the 45-yard lines on the home side. Davis's number 44 was also placed along that yard line. The dedication took place during the game against West Virginia on October 10. Financing The Carrier Dome was constructed between April 1979 and September 1980. The total construction cost was $26.85 million, including a $2.75 million naming gift from the Carrier Corporation. It was speculated at the time that political considerations helped this project advance. The State of New York provided a $15 million grant in 1978 for the Carrier Dome's construction. Democratic incumbent Governor Hugh Carey was thought to have trouble in his re-election campaign with upstate voters. He visited the site of the old Archbold stadium and was convinced by local officials and SU administrators on the utility of a Dome. Carey won re-election to a second term following the approval of state funds, although the extent to which it helped him is unknown. Design Constructions Huber, Hunt and Nichols, Inc. was the general contractor and Birdair Structure Inc. was in charge of construction of the inflatable roof. The original 220-ton roof was supported by sixteen five-foot diameter fans, each capable of generating 95,000 cubic feet of air movement per minute, located in mechanical rooms on the north and south sides of the building. The fans directed over one million cubic feet of air per minute upward through the Dome's 36 main columns and under the roof. To avoid the accumulation of snow, air heated to 160 degrees was pumped into the dead air space between the two layers of its roof to melt the snow before it could accumulate. The project involved more than 80 companies and transformed 30,000 cubic yards of concrete and 880 tons of steel into the fifth largest domed stadium in the United States at the time of completion. Renovations The Dome has been upgraded several times throughout the past 25 years. The inflatable roof was replaced in 1999 at a cost of $14 million; university officials sought to replace the inflatable roof with a cable-supported roof similar to the Georgia Dome but was ruled