The MAC Center is a regular site for the Mid-American Conference championship meets for both wrestling and women's gymnastics and a past host of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) events.

Plans for the MAC Center were drawn up in the late 1940s as Kent State saw a rapid enrollment increase in men following World War II.

[6][7] It was built on what was then the southern edge of campus on a hill overlooking Memorial Stadium, which was expanded with a new grandstand and press box dedicated in October 1950.

[11] In its original configuration, building included the main gym and a pool, connected by a removable wall, as well as offices and other rooms to house the Physical Education department.

The building replaced Wills Gymnasium, built in 1925, as the home of the Golden Flashes men's basketball, swimming, and wrestling teams.

In 1956, the Men's Physical Education building was rededicated as Memorial Gym in honor of Kent State students who died in both world wars.

[2] Most of the Annex addition, which opened in 1979, was built as a separate building behind the MAC Center which is connected by a second floor bridge.

The Annex originally included a large central gym with four adjacent basketball courts as well as auxiliary gyms, courts, a weight room, classrooms, and offices for the School of Dance and the School of Exercise, Leisure, and Sport and would serve as the Kent State Recreation Center until 1999.

For many years, up until 2016, the Annex housed graduate student studios from the KSU College of Architecture in space taken from two of the original four basketball courts.

This renovation removed the swimming pool in the front of the building and replaced it with a new three-story entrance lobby, ticket office, and the Blue and Gold Club Loge on the third level.

The name of the facility was changed to Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center on November 20, 1991, as a result of a survey of students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

[15] The athletic department announced updated plans for the MAC Center in 2013 as part of the larger "Building Champions" fundraising drive to upgrade facilities across the university.

[23] The MAC Center is also a regular site for Mid-American Conference events such as the women's gymnastics and men's wrestling championships.

Some of the musical acts to perform at the MAC Center over the years include Duke Ellington in 1957,[26] Paul Simon and Pink Floyd in 1973, Jethro Tull in 1975, Peter Gabriel in 1978,[27] the Outlaws in 1976, Phish in 1994,[28] Peter, Paul, and Mary in 1995, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in 1997, Smashing Pumpkins in 2000, Bob Dylan in 2002, Bruno Mars in 2011, Kendrick Lamar in 2013, and Wiz Khalifa in 2016.

On the first floor are located the main and auxiliary lobbies, restrooms, gymnastics training area, and athletic department offices.

It includes an elevator, concession stands, the Steve Milkovich Family Ticket Office, team shop, the Laing and Saundra Kennedy Blue and Gold Trophy Room, and the Scolin MacLean Donor's Lounge (nick-named "The Scolly Bear Lair") which houses the offices of The Golden Flashes Club.

The four auxiliary lobbies are located at each corner of the arena and provide access to restrooms, drinking fountains, and stairs to the balcony sections.