Boxing. College basketball. Graduation ceremonies. High school sports. Kids’ shows. Tennis. And concerts aplenty.

For the past 35 years, the Erwin Center has hosted many of Austin’s biggest, buzziest events.

The venue, located on the University of Texas campus, debuted in 1977 and has, over the years, welcomed more than 27.4 million visitors. The state of Texas, by comparison, had an estimated 25.7 million residents as of 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“It’s unusual for a college to have a venue that has the wide range of events that we do here,” said John Graham, who has served as Erwin Center’s director since 1990. “We filled a need. There was no other venue of our size in the city.”

While the Erwin Center continues to be the big dog, many new, smaller venues have popped up in recent years, including Cedar Park Center, which has attracted its fair share of concerts by big-name performers. UT has worked hard to stay competitive, spending millions to renovate the facility on a few different occasions.

“There’s always pressure from new kinds of venues,” Graham said. “The maintenance is expensive, but it’s definitely been worth it. Erwin Center may be 35 years old, but it certainly doesn’t look 35 years old.”

Suites have been added, restrooms and concession stands were relocated and a fire sprinkler system was installed, among other things — all done with little to no impact on day-to-day operations, according to Graham.

“It’s kind of like changing the tires on your car while you’re driving,” he said.

Erwin Center’s first event was a UT men’s basketball game on Nov. 29, 1977 — and the venue still, to this day, is home court for the team. The University Interscholastic League is a regular user, hosting high school championship matches. And touring acts such as the Harlem Globetrotters, “Sesame Street” Live and Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey circus are repeat visitors.

But the venue, known as “the Drum” by many Central Texans because of its shape, is perhaps best known for the many concerts it hosts each year.

Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton and Taylor Swift are set to perform in the coming months. Past acts have included Elton John, John Denver, Cyndi Lauper, Fleetwood Mac and the Beach Boys. Without a venue the size of Erwin Center, many of them would have skipped Austin, Graham said.

“When it first opened, Erwin Center was the Madison Square Garden of Texas — and we’re working to keep it that way,” he said.