Bud Walton Arena

Last updated
Nolan Richardson Court at Bud Walton Arena
Basketball Palace of Mid-America
BudWaltonArena1.jpg
Bud Walton Arena
Location1270 Nolan Richardson Drive
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701-5570
Coordinates 36°03′41″N94°10′41″W / 36.061518°N 94.178188°W / 36.061518; -94.178188
Owner University of Arkansas
OperatorUniversity of Arkansas
Capacity 19,368 (2009–present)
19,200 (1993–2009)
Record attendance20,344 (November 29, 2023 vs. Duke)
SurfaceHardwood Floor
Construction
Broke groundMarch 28, 1992 [1]
OpenedNovember 29, 1993
Construction cost$30 Million
($63.3 million in 2023 dollars [2] )
Architect Rosser International [1]
Mott, Mobley, McGowan & Griffin [1]
General contractor Huber, Hunt & Nichiols [1]
Tenants
Arkansas Razorbacks men's and women's basketball teams (1993-present)
Interior of Bud Walton Arena during a men's basketball game vs Kentucky in 2023 Kentucky at Arkansas Men's basketball 2023.jpg
Interior of Bud Walton Arena during a men's basketball game vs Kentucky in 2023

Bud Walton Arena (also known as the Basketball Palace of Mid-America) is the home to the men's and women's basketball teams of the University of Arkansas, known as the Razorbacks. It is located on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and has a seating capacity of 19,368, which is the fifth largest for an on-campus arena in the United States.

Contents

The arena features Bud Walton Arena Razorback Sports Museum on the ground level, which houses a history of Razorback basketball, track and field, baseball, tennis and golf.

Construction

The arena is named after James "Bud" Walton, co-founder of Walmart, who donated a large portion of the funds needed to build the arena. Walton purportedly gave $15 million, or around half of the construction cost. [3] Construction of the arena took only 18 months, a short time considering the size of the undertaking.

When it was built, it was touted as a larger version of Barnhill Arena, the team's former home. In hopes of recreating the formidable home-court advantage the Razorbacks enjoyed at Barnhill, architect Rosser International built an arena that, as the company put it, had "more seats in less space than in any other facility of the same type anywhere in the world." [4]

Early years

The arena has been the home to the Razorbacks since November 1993; the men's team won the national championship [5] in the arena's first season of operation. The basketball team's former home, Barnhill Arena was renovated into a volleyball-specific facility and now houses the Razorback volleyball and gymnastics teams, along with hosting high school graduations. [6]

In its early years, Nolan Richardson's teams frequently attracted standing-room-only crowds of over 20,000.

Improvements

Since its opening, there have been a number of enhancements and improvements to the arena. In 2004, a new custom scoreboard debuted, which is 24 feet 3 inches (7.39 m) wide by 22 feet (6.7 m) tall, features four video screens, each 12 feet 6 inches (3.81 m) wide by 8 feet 10 inches (2.69 m) tall. (There is also a LED ring at the top that is used to display game statistics.) In 2005, the locker rooms were remodeled, and a lounge and meeting area were added. Prior to the 2008–09 season, eight luxury suites were added, raising the total to 47. In addition, courtside seating was added, the student section was reconfigured, and press seating was moved to the east side of the arena behind the basket. In 2008, LED ribbon boards were installed around the ring between the upper and lower decks. [7] The addition of these improvements expanded seating to 19,368. Prior to the 2013-14 season, the press seating was moved to the southeast corner of the bottom bowl, with its prior location being used for an expanded student section.

Nolan Richardson Court

On February 6, 2018, the University of Arkansas’s Associated Student Government Senate passed a resolution by Senator Clay Smith to encourage the University of Arkansas Athletic Department to name the court at the arena in honor of former Arkansas head coach Nolan Richardson. [8]

On March 28, 2019, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name the court in honor of former coach Richardson. [9]

Statistics of Bud Walton Arena

Attendance Record: 20,361 vs. Auburn, February 8, 2022.

Attendance Chart (men) for every year Bud Walton Arena has been in operation [7]

SeasonOverall RecordSEC RecordOverall AttendanceAverage AttendanceRank Nationally
1993–9416–0 (1.000)

(NCAA National Champions)

8–0 (1.000)322,14620,1344th
1994–9514–1 (.933)

(NCAA Runner-Up)

7–1 (.875)301,21220,0814th
1995–9614–4 (.778)6–2 (.750)346,69819,2615th
1996–9715–3 (.833)6–2 (.750)329,54018,3085th
1997–9815–0 (1.000)8–0 (1.000)291,08919,4064th
1998–9914–2 (.875)6–2 (.750)292,70418,2945th
1999–009–5 (.643)5–3 (.625)249,30017,8076th
2000–0116–2 (.889)7–1 (.875)292,05716,2259th
2001–0211–5 (.688)5–3 (.625)241,03315,06513th
2002–038–8 (.500)3–5 (.375)236,63814,79014th
2003–0410–6 (.625)4–4 (.500)236,67614,79213th
2004–0513–3 (.813)5–3 (.625)252,60815,7889th
2005–0615–1 (.938)7–1 (.875)239,33614,95812th
2006–0713–3 (.813)5–3 (.625)267,52016,7209th
2007–0815–1 (.938)7–1 (.875)274,36017,1488th
2008–0912–6 (.667)2–6 (.250)288,78116,04311th
2009–1011–8 (.579)5–3 (.625)256,66713,50917th
2010–1115–3 (.833)5–3 (.625)216,99912,05529th
2011–1217–3 (.850)5–3 (.625)262,32913,11623rd
2012–1317–1 (.944)9–0 (1.000)252,85714,04717th
2013–1417–2 (.895)7–2 (.778)280,46514,02310th
2014–1516–2 (.889)7–2 (.778)283,48515,74911th
2015–1613–4 (.765)6–3 (.667)258,70515,21712th
2016–1715–3 (.833)6–3 (.667)xxx,xxxxx,xxxnth
2017–1815–2 (.882)7–2 (.778)xxx,xxxxx,xxxnth
2018–1912–6 (.667)5–4 (.555)xxx,xxxxx,xxxnth
2019–2014–4 (.778)5–4 (.555)xxx,xxxxx,xxxnth
2020-2116-1 (.941)8-1 (.888)xxx,xxxxxx,xxxnth
Totals332–74 (.817)143–54 (.726)6,273,70516,197Avg. Rank: 11th

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Waldon, George (March 29, 1993). "Everybody Wants a Seat in Bud's Building". Arkansas Business. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  2. ↑ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Old Model, New Money". Scout.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-20. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Bud Walton Arena". University of Arkansas Athletic Department. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
  5. ↑ Berkowitz, Steve (April 5, 1994). "Arkansas hits Hog Heaven With NCAA Title". The Washington Post . Retrieved January 13, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Barnhill Arena: Home of the Lady Razorbacks". University of Arkansas Athletic Department. Archived from the original on April 20, 2006. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
  7. 1 2 "Basketball at Bud Walton Arena". University of Arkansas Athletic Department. September 17, 2013. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  8. ↑ "UA students push Nolan Richardson Court". Arkansas Online. 2018-02-13. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  9. ↑ "Nolan Richardson Court: Home To Razorback Basketball" . Retrieved March 29, 2019.
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