Campus Alert Archive
SDSU

A Four-by-Six-Inch Condiment Container: NCAA Tournament Arena Cleared Two Hours Before Tipoff

CAsuspicious packageemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On the morning of March 16, 2006, bomb-sniffing dogs detected a suspicious package inside a 4-by-6-inch condiment container in a vendor cart outside Cox Arena at San Diego State University, the host venue for first-round games of the 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Authorities were alerted at 9:18 a.m. PST, before the 10:00 a.m. scheduled arena opening for the Alabama vs. Marquette game. A handful of vendors inside were evacuated, a bomb robot was deployed, and fans waiting outside were directed across the street. The all-clear came roughly two hours before tipoff and the game began at 12:50 p.m. PST — an 80-minute delay.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
San Diego State University
Public R2 · CA
~36,000 studentsSDSU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTPA System
Approximate reconstruction235 chars
Attention. Due to a security investigation, the arena is closed at this time. Please move away from the building and follow the directions of arena staff. Fans are being directed to the area across the street. Updates will be provided.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed PA / external loudspeaker announcement consistent with post-9/11 NCAA Tournament venue security choreography
Authorities were alerted at 9:18 a.m. PST when a bomb-sniffing dog flagged a 4-by-6-inch condiment container in a vendor cart outside the arena, before the 10:00 a.m. scheduled arena opening
[FBI spokeswoman Jan Caldwell](https://www.csoonline.com/article/2119742/ncaa-tournament-arena-evacuated-after-bomb-scare.html) confirmed a bomb robot was sent to inspect the package
A 'handful' of vendors were inside the arena and were evacuated; fans waiting in line outside were moved to a parking area across the street
ALL CLEARPA System+1h 45m
Approximate reconstruction179 chars
The all clear has been given. The package has been determined to be non-hazardous. Fans may now begin entering the arena. Tipoff will be at 12:50 p.m. Thank you for your patience.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed all-clear announcement; CBS News reported there was an 'all clear' at the arena less than two hours before tipoff
Fans began filing in 40 minutes before the rescheduled 12:50 p.m. PST tipoff
The original 10:00 a.m. arena opening was delayed by approximately 80 minutes; tipoff was delayed from 11:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. PST
Alabama beat Marquette 90-85 in overtime in the rescheduled game
Context

Background

Cox Arena — renamed Viejas Arena in 2008 — is San Diego State University's 12,414-seat indoor venue and hosted first-round games of the 2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The March 16, 2006 bomb scare is one of the earliest well-documented examples of post-9/11 security choreography at a major college sports event: bomb-sniffing dogs deployed before the arena opened, FBI coordination, and a bomb robot dispatched to inspect a 4-by-6-inch condiment container in a vendor cart. The find caused an 80-minute delay before the Alabama vs. Marquette game, with the rescheduled 12:50 p.m. PST tipoff coming after fans were directed across the street and then re-admitted. No device was found. Alabama won 90-85 in overtime. The case matters in this archive less as a singular event than as documentation of an inflection point: by 2006, NCAA Tournament host venues operated as soft-target screening environments, with explicit detection-evacuation-clearance procedures built into the pre-event timeline. The 2006 Cox Arena scare is frequently cited in stadium-security literature as a model of how a credible but ultimately false detection should be handled.
Analysis

Key Findings

Detection occurred before the arena opened to fans — the 4-by-6-inch condiment container was flagged at 9:18 a.m. PST by a bomb-sniffing dog at the perimeter, not by an alert from inside
The 80-minute delay was absorbed by a 10:00 a.m. PST scheduled opening pushed to roughly 12:10 p.m., with tipoff at 12:50 p.m. PST — fans were inconvenienced but the game was played the same day
Bomb robot deployment and FBI coordination at a college basketball venue in 2006 reflect post-9/11 NCAA Tournament security practice — the choreography is now standard at every host site
Pre-event detection with rapid clearance is the desired outcome of NCAA Tournament screening; the 2006 incident is widely cited in stadium-security literature as a successful execution
Outcome
No device was found. Alabama defeated Marquette 90-85 in overtime. The incident demonstrated post-9/11 security choreography at NCAA Tournament venues — including bomb-sniffing dogs, FBI coordination, and rapid robot response.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Bomb Scare Empties NCAA Arena (CBS News / AP)
    cbsnews.com
  2. Source
    NCAA Tournament Arena Evacuated After Bomb Scare (CSO Online)
    csoonline.com
  3. Official
    Alabama vs Marquette (03-16-06 at Cox Arena (San Diego, CA)) (Alabama Athletics)
    rolltide.com
  4. Source
    2006 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament (Wikipedia)
    en.wikipedia.org
  5. Source
    Enemy at the Gates (Athletic Business)
    athleticbusiness.com
Tags
suspicious-packagebomb-scarearena-evacuationcox-arenaviejas-arenabasketballncaa-tournamentsan-diego-statek-9-detectionfbimarch-madnessunfoundedhistoricalpublic-r2Unfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion