WVU Coliseum

Last updated
West Virginia University Coliseum
WVU Coliseum.jpg
WVU Coliseum
LocationMonongahela Boulevard
Morgantown, WV 26505
Coordinates 39°38′57″N79°58′52″W / 39.64917°N 79.98111°W / 39.64917; -79.98111
Owner West Virginia University
Operator West Virginia University
Capacity 14,000
SurfaceHardwood
Construction
Broke groundDecember 21, 1968
OpenedDecember 1, 1970
Construction cost$10.4 million
($78.4 million in 2022 dollars [1] )
Structural engineerOsborn Engineering https://www.osborn-eng.com/
General contractor McDevitt & Street Co.
Tenants
West Virginia Mountaineers (NCAA)
Men's basketball (1970–present)
Women's basketball (1973–present)
Women's volleyball (1973–present)
Women's gymnastics (1973–present)
Wrestling (1970–present)
WVU's Evansdale campus around 1970 just after the construction of the coliseum. WVU Evansdale Campus.jpg
WVU's Evansdale campus around 1970 just after the construction of the coliseum.

The WVU Coliseum is a 14,000-seat multi-purpose arena located on the Evansdale campus of West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The circular arena features a poured concrete roof. It was built with state funds and replaced the WVU Fieldhouse, which seated 6,000.

Contents

History

The Coliseum, which opened in 1970, has more than 10.5 million cubic feet (300,000 m3) of space. It is home to West Virginia University Mountaineers sports teams, including the men's and women's basketball teams, men's wrestling, and women's volleyball and gymnastics. There is also a 3,000-square-foot (280 m2) weight room located in the lower level of the Coliseum. The arena has nearly 100 offices, 13 lecture and seminar rooms, a dance studio, safety lab, racquetball and squash courts, and the Jerry West Mountaineer Room, which holds nearly 150 people for meetings. The arena also has more than 1,000 individual locker units in various dressing rooms available for students and staff.

The Coliseum has been used for music concerts but the concrete roof has poor sound distribution properties, so other venues in town are more appropriate for this purpose. The arena was actually designed with poor acoustics; the designers cupped the ceiling so that crowd noise generated at basketball games would be directed back to the floor. The seating at the venue was also designed for optimized viewing during sporting events, making the setup for concerts to be not as optimal as other large arenas.

The first event held at the Coliseum was a Grand Funk Railroad concert in 1970, [2] with the first game then taking place on 1 December 1970. [3] The Coliseum was one of the sites for games of the 1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Other National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's Division I college basketball events it has hosted include the ECAC South Region tournament organized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) in 1975 and 1976 [4] [5] and the Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball tournament in 1984 and 1988.

During the 1998-99 season, the Jerry West Lounge, named for WVU and NBA Hall-of-Famer Jerry West, was formally dedicated. A display showcasing the highlights of the Mountaineer great flanks the entrance to the lounge. In November 2005, the University announced that a life size bronze statue of West would adorn the Blue Gate entrance of the Coliseum, and the statue has since been installed there. West's number is retired and a sign hangs over the seating section formerly designated Section 44 (now Section 236, after renovation) with "Jerry West 44" written on it. Hot Rod Hundley 's number 33 also is retired and hangs from the walls. On February 29, 2020, the number 44 was retired again in honor of Rod Thorn, who had worn the number immediately after West; Thorn's sign hangs over Section 226.

In 1999-2000, the school was forced to play a year of games split between Wheeling and Charleston, and the gymnasium at nearby Fairmont State University while asbestos was removed from the Coliseum.

In 2004, the Coliseum underwent an upgrade which included renovations to the men's and women's locker rooms, construction of a player's lounge and team video theater, expansion of the equipment and athletic training rooms, refurbishment of the Coliseum roof, and construction of a club seating area in the main arena complete with a private space for concessions, hospitality area, and rest rooms under the lower level seats.

In 2008, the Coliseum received a new video scoreboard, a new public address system, a new lighting system, two LED ribbon boards, and a new floor design. WVU Athletic Director Ed Pastilong also announced the construction of a new $20–$22 million practice facility to be built adjacent to the Coliseum.

In 2016, the concourse area of the Coliseum underwent major renovation to enhance the fan experience, widening the concourse for better traffic flow, adding new concession areas (including self-serve options), and more than doubling the building's restroom capacity. During the summer of 2020, the arena's original 1970-era seats were replaced. The re-seating project did not change the Coliseum's seating capacity. The arena also received a new video scoreboard, with a larger display area and higher resolution than the previous scoreboard.

WVU Coliseum interior 2022 WVU Coliseum interior 2022.jpg
WVU Coliseum interior 2022

In 2019, the playing surface was refinished and repainted. The look is the sixth court design in the Coliseum since opening in 1970. [6] The previous court design was installed in 2009, but was repainted in 2012 when West Virginia University changed conferences from the Big East to the Big 12 in 2012. [7] The new court returns to the theme of West Virginia's historic courts with a primarily blue color scheme, and the design coincides with WVU's school-wide Nike rebranding efforts. [6]

Top crowds

Interior, 2017 during game vs Texas A&M WVU Coliseum 2017.jpg
Interior, 2017 during game vs Texas A&M
Highest attendance at WVU Coliseum [8]
RankAttendanceDateGame Result
116,704Feb. 24, 1982#6 West Virginia 82, Pittsburgh 77
215,835Jan. 27, 2018#7 West Virginia 76, Kentucky 83
315,638Feb. 27, 1983West Virginia 87, #1 UNLV 78
415,593Feb. 8, 2010#5 West Virginia 75, #4 Villanova 82
515,419Feb. 3, 2010#6 West Virginia 77, #21 Pittsburgh 51
615,409Dec. 4, 1982West Virginia 95, Marshall 82
715,299Jan. 31, 1981West Virginia 76, Pittsburgh 63
815,289Feb. 20, 2016#10 West Virginia 61, #3 Oklahoma 50
915,271Jan. 16, 2010#9 West Virginia 71, #5 Syracuse 72
1015,193Dec. 2, 1995West Virginia 83, #6 Georgetown 86 (OT)
1115,167Feb. 11, 1998#16 West Virginia 80, #6 UConn 62
1215,118Feb. 17 1979West Virginia 54, #3 Notre Dame 70
1315,106Jan. 6, 2018#6 West Virginia 89, #7 Oklahoma 76
1415,033Jan. 23, 2010#11 West Virginia 71, #21 Ohio State 65
1515,032Mar. 5, 2011West Virginia 72, #11 Louisville 70

Year by year results

WVU Coliseum Coliseummorgantown.jpg
WVU Coliseum
YearRecordWin Percentage
1970-719-4.692
1971-7211-4.733
1972-738-6.571
1973-748-4.667
1974-758-6.571
1975-7612-4.750
1976-7711-1.917
1977-788-4.667
1978-7914-4.778
1979-808-7.554
1980-8119-1.950
1981-8215-01.000
1982-8313-1.929
1983-8415-2.882
1984-8513-3.813
1985-8614-2.875
1986-8710-6.625
1988-8912-2.857
1989-9012-1.923
1990-9113-2.867
1991-9210-3.769
1992-9314-1.933
1993-9413-3.813
1994-959-4.692
1995-969-5.643
1996-9712-4.750
1997-9813-1.929
1998-996-7.462
1999-00Closed for Asbestos Removal
2000-0112-4.750
2001-025-8.385
2002-039-5.643
2003-0410-4.714
2004-0511-3.786
2005-0613-2.867
2006-0717-1.944
2007-08 14-2.875
2008-09 11-2.846
2009-10 12-2.857
2010-11 12-2.857
2011-12 11-5.688
2012-13 8-6.571
2013-14 11-5.688
2014-15 12-3.800
2015-16 13-2.867
2016-17 16-2.889
2017-18 14-3.823
2018-19 10-6.625

OVERALL: 549–159 (.776)

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rupp Arena</span> Indoor arena in Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.

Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center is an arena located in downtown Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Since its opening in 1976, it has been the centerpiece of Central Bank Center, a convention and shopping facility owned by an arm of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, which is located next to the Lexington Hyatt and Hilton hotels. Rupp Arena also serves as home court to the University of Kentucky men's basketball program, and is named after legendary former Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp with an official capacity of 20,500. In 2014 and 2015, in Rupp Arena, the Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team was second in the nation in college basketball home attendance. Rupp Arena also regularly hosts concerts, conventions and shows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">XL Center</span> Arena and convention center in Hartford, Connecticut

The XL Center is a multi-purpose arena and convention center located in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Owned by the City of Hartford, it is managed by the quasi-public Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) under a lease with the city and operated by Spectra. In December 2007, the center was renamed when the arena's naming rights were sold to XL Group insurance company in a six-year agreement. The arena is ranked the 28th largest among college basketball arenas. It opened in 1975 as the Hartford Civic Center and was originally located adjacent to Civic Center Mall, which was demolished in 2004. It consists of two facilities: the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the Exhibition Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welsh–Ryan Arena</span> Basketball venue of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois

Welsh–Ryan Arena is a 7,039-seat multi-purpose arena in Evanston, Illinois, United States, near the campus of Northwestern University. It is home to four Northwestern Wildcats athletic teams: men's basketball, women's basketball, women's volleyball, and wrestling. It is located inside McGaw Memorial Hall, to the north of Ryan Field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmond Coliseum</span> Arena in Richmond, Virginia

Richmond Coliseum is a defunct arena located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, with a capacity of 13,500 that was most often used for various large concerts. The arena opened in 1971 and the region is looking to replace the aging facility with a larger one. The arena was quietly shuttered in February 2019 while new proposed replacements are in development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MassMutual Center</span> Multi-purpose arena and convention center

The MassMutual Center is a multi-purpose arena and convention center complex located in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, in the city's Metro Center. The arena opened in 1972 and the convention center opened in 2005. It serves as a venue for meetings, conventions, exhibitions, sporting and entertainment events.

Charles Koch Arena is a 10,506-seat multi-purpose arena in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is located on the southeast corner of 21st and Hillside on the campus of Wichita State University in northeast Wichita. The arena is home of the Wichita State Shockers men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dale F. Halton Arena</span> Sports venue in Charlotte, North Carolina, US

Dale F. Halton Arena at the James H. Barnhardt Student Activity Center is an indoor sports venue located on the main campus of UNC Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the home venue of the Charlotte 49ers men's and women's basketball teams and volleyball team. Halton Arena was named for the former president and CEO of Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of Charlotte. She was a benefactress to the university and served on the university's board of trustees. The building was funded entirely through private donations and student fees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montagne Center</span>

The Montagne Center, built in 1984, is a mixed-use Auxiliary/E&G event center that houses a 10,746-seat a multi-purpose arena and a variety of event spaces in Beaumont, Texas. The Montagne Center was designed especially for the basketball program with a wing designated for instructional purposes. The Montagne Center is currently home to the Lamar University Cardinals, the Lady Cardinals basketball teams, and the Lamar University Pathway Program, Lamar University's language program. The arena was previously the home of the Lady Cardinals volleyball team until renovations to McDonald Gym were completed in 2006-07. The Montagne's instructional area has been home to Lamar's language program since 2010 when the Lamar Language Institute (LLI) first moved there, then transitioned to TIEP at Lamar in 2011, and became the Lamar University Language Program (LUPP) in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">E. A. Diddle Arena</span> Sports venue in Bowling Green, Kentucky

E. A. Diddle Arena is a 7,326-seat multi-purpose arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. The arena, built in 1963, is home to the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers men's basketball team and Lady Toppers basketball and volleyball teams. It is also known as Academic-Athletic Building #1. It also holds Military Science and Physical Education & Recreation classes and offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moody Coliseum</span> Arena at Southern Methodist University

Moody Coliseum is a 7,000-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Texas. The arena opened in 1956. It is home to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs basketball teams and volleyball team. It was also home to the Dallas Chaparrals and Texas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association before they moved to San Antonio, Texas, as the San Antonio Spurs. It was also later the home for the Dallas Diamonds of the Women's Professional Basketball League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse</span> Indoor arena in Pittsburgh

UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse, originally known as A.J. Palumbo Center, is a 3,500-seat multi-purpose arena in the Uptown area of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania served by exits on both Interstate 376 and Interstate 579. The arena originally opened in 1988, and is part of Duquesne University. It is home to both the Duquesne Dukes basketball and volleyball programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robins Center</span> Building in Virginia, United States

The Robins Center is a 7,201-seat multi-purpose arena in Richmond, Virginia. Opened in 1972, the arena is home to the University of Richmond Spiders basketball. It hosted the ECAC South men's basketball tournament in 1983. It is named for E. Claiborne Robins Sr, class of 1931, who, along with his family, have been leading benefactors for the school. The opening of the Robins Center returning Spider basketball to an on-campus facility for the first time since the mid-1940s when it outgrew Millhiser Gymnasium. In the intervening decades, the Spiders played home games in numerous locations around the Richmond area, including the Richmond Coliseum (1971–1972), the Richmond Arena (1954–1971), the Benedictine High School gymnasium (1951–1954), Grays' Armory (1950–1951) and Blues' Armory (1947–1950). The Robins Center arena serves as the location of the University of Richmond's commencement exercises and hosted a 1992 Presidential debate involving Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, and Ross Perot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UNF Arena</span>

UNF Arena is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. It is home to the North Florida Ospreys men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball teams. It is also used for other events, such as concerts and graduation ceremonies, and has served as the site of the Orlando Magic franchise's training camp. It opened in 1993 and has a capacity of up to 6,300.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walsh Gymnasium</span>

Walsh Gymnasium is a multi-purpose arena in South Orange, New Jersey on the campus of Seton Hall University. The arena opened in 1941 and can seat 1,316 people. It was home to the Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball team before they moved to the Meadowlands in 1985 and then Prudential Center in 2007. Currently, the arena hosts the women's basketball and volleyball teams, but continues to host men's basketball for preseason exhibitions, postseason invitational games such as early rounds of the NIT, and occasionally a regular season non-conference game if there is a conflict with Prudential Center's event schedule. The building is part of the Richie Regan Recreation & Athletic Center, and, like the school's main library, is named for Rev. Thomas J. Walsh, fifth bishop of Newark and former President of the Board of Trustees.

G. B. Hodge Center is an 878-seat multi-purpose arena in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is home to the USC Upstate Spartans' basketball and volleyball teams. It was opened in 1973 and is named for one of the university's founders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stansbury Hall (West Virginia University)</span> Building on the Downtown Campus of West Virginia University

Stansbury Hall was a building on the Downtown Campus of West Virginia University. It was named after Harry Stansbury, a former WVU Athletic Director. Opened in 1929 as the WVU Field House, just to the southwest of "Old" Mountaineer Field, this was the home of WVU basketball until 1970, when the WVU Coliseum was opened. This was the home floor during the days of Hot Rod Hundley and Jerry West. It hosted the Southern Conference men's basketball tournament in 1953. While the home venue of WVU basketball, the team compiled a record of 370–81 (.820) when playing there. In October 1973, it was renamed to honor Stansbury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016–17 West Virginia Mountaineers women's basketball team</span>

The 2016–17 West Virginia Mountaineers women's basketball team will represent West Virginia University during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Mountaineers are coached by sixteenth year head coach Mike Carey and play their home games at WVU Coliseum and are members of the Big 12 Conference. The team finished sixth in the regular season but won the 2017 Big 12 Tournament. They finished with a record of 24–11, 8–10 in Big 12 play to finish in sixth place. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA women's tournament where they defeated Elon in the first round before losing to Maryland in the second round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017–18 West Virginia Mountaineers women's basketball team</span>

The 2017–18 West Virginia Mountaineers women's basketball team represented West Virginia University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Mountaineers were coached by seventeenth year head coach Mike Carey, played their home games at WVU Coliseum and were members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 25–12, 8–10 in Big 12 play to finish in sixth place. They advanced to the semifinals of the Big 12 women's tournament where they lost to Texas. They received an automatic bid to the Women's National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Bucknell, Saint Joseph's and James Madison in the first, second and third rounds, St. John's in the quarterfinals before losing to Virginia Tech in the semifinals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021–22 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team</span>

The 2021–22 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represented West Virginia University during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mountaineers were coached by Bob Huggins, in his 15th season as WVU's head coach, and played their home games at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia as members of the Big 12 Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022–23 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team</span>

The 2022–23 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represented West Virginia University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mountaineers were coached by Bob Huggins, in his 16th and final season as WVU's head coach, and they played their home games at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia as members of the Big 12 Conference. They finished the season 19–15, 7–11 in Big 12 Play to finish in eighth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament to Kansas. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed in the South region, where they were defeated by Maryland in the First Round.

References

  1. 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 May 28, 2023.
  2. "WVU Coliseum Tickets". Coliseummorgantown.com. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  3. "WVU Coliseum". Wvusports.com. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
  4. "1975 ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments - Varsity Pride". Jonfmorse.com. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  5. "1976 ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments - Varsity Pride". Jonfmorse.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  6. 1 2 Antonik, John. "WVU Coliseum Floor to Get a New Look This Summer". West Virginia University Athletics. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  7. Pentol, John (22 July 2019). "The evolution of the WVU Coliseum floor designs". Sports Illustrated West Virginia Mountaineers News, Analysis and More. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  8. "West Virginia Mountaineers Index". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 13 November 2021.