Cavaliers' arena to be nicknamed 'The Q'

**spurschick** · 08-02-2005

Cavaliers' arena to be nicknamed 'The Q' :vomit
JOE MILICIA
Associated Press

CLEVELAND - Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has put his mark on the team. Now, he's about to do the same to the team's arena.

Gund Arena will become Quicken Loans Arena, named after the online mortgage giant that Gilbert founded, a team spokesman confirmed Tuesday. The Cavaliers did not disclose the cost of the naming rights.

The team plans to emphasize the nickname "The Q" and is currently developing logos and signs for the downtown venue.

The Cavaliers did not have a date on when the name change would become official.

Cavaliers officials will go before the city planning commission this week to get approval for new exterior signs on the 20,000-seat arena.

Gilbert bought the naming rights to Gund Arena when he purchased it and the Cavaliers for $375 million from former owner Gordon Gund earlier this year.

The arena, which opened in 1994, becomes the first of Cleveland's three stadiums to have its name purchased by a corporate sponsor. Jacobs Field is named for the family that formerly owned the Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Browns Stadium took on the name of the team when it opened in 1999.

Quicken Loans, based in Livonia, Mich., is the nation's largest online mortgage company.