Bud Walton Arena
Encyclopedia
Bud Walton Arena 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
.
, 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. 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 the arena's first season of operation. The previous arena in which both teams played, Barnhill Arena, was renovated into a volleyball
-specific facility and now houses the Razorback women volleyball team. Bud Walton Arena has more seats in less space than in any other facility of the same type anywhere in the world
.
In its early years, Nolan Richardson
's teams frequently attracted standing-room-only crowds of over 20,000.
The past few years have brought a number of enhancements and improvements to the arena. In 2004, a new custom scoreboard
was debuted which is 24 feet, three inches wide by 22 feet tall, features four video screens, each 12 feet, six inches wide by eight feet, 10 inches tall. (Also, there is an 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, the University of Arkansas
expanded the arena by eight luxury suites, 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. LED ribbon boards were also installed around the ring between the upper and lower decks and were first used during Arkansas's upset of #4 Oklahoma on December 30, 2008. The addition of these improvements expanded seating to 19,368.
Attendance Record: 20,320 vs. Kentucky
January 26, 1997
Attendance Chart (men) for every year Bud Walton Arena has been in operation
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
teams of the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
, known as the Razorbacks
Arkansas Razorbacks
The Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the names of college sports teams at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The term Arkansas Razorbacks properly applies to any of the sports teams at the university. The Razorbacks take their name from the feral pig of the same name...
. It is located on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...
and has a seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 19,368, which is the fifth largest for an on-campus arena in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Construction
The arena is named after James "Bud" Walton, co-founder of Wal-MartWal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, 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. 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
Barnhill Arena
Barnhill Arena is a 10,000-seat multipurpose arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas, now used primarily for volleyball. The arena opened in 1954 and was home to the University of Arkansas Razorbacks and Ladybacks basketball teams before they moved to Bud Walton Arena in 1993...
, the team's former home.
Early years
The arena has been the home to the Razorbacks since November of 1993; the men's team won the national championshipNCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
in the arena's first season of operation. The previous arena in which both teams played, Barnhill Arena, was renovated into a volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
-specific facility and now houses the Razorback women volleyball team. Bud Walton Arena has more seats in less space than in any other facility of the same type anywhere in the world
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
In its early years, Nolan Richardson
Nolan Richardson
Nolan Richardson is an American basketball head coach, who was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He has coached teams to winning a NCAA Men's Division I Basketball National Championship, a NIT, and a Junior College National Championship, the only coach to do so. Most...
's teams frequently attracted standing-room-only crowds of over 20,000.
Improvements
Scoreboard
A scoreboard is a large board for publicly displaying the score in a game or match. Most levels of sport from high school and above use at least one scoreboard for keeping score, measuring time, and displaying statistics. Scoreboards in the past used a mechanical clock and numeral cards to...
was debuted which is 24 feet, three inches wide by 22 feet tall, features four video screens, each 12 feet, six inches wide by eight feet, 10 inches tall. (Also, there is an LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
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, the University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
expanded the arena by eight luxury suites, 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. LED ribbon boards were also installed around the ring between the upper and lower decks and were first used during Arkansas's upset of #4 Oklahoma on December 30, 2008. The addition of these improvements expanded seating to 19,368.
Statistics of Bud Walton Arena
Average attendance (16 seasons ranked in the top 15 in the country): 17,160Attendance Record: 20,320 vs. Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats
The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky , a founding member of the Southeastern Conference...
January 26, 1997
Attendance Chart (men) for every year Bud Walton Arena has been in operation
| Season | Overall Record | SEC Record | Overall Attendance | Average Attendance | Rank Nationally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | 16–0 (1.000) (NCAA National Champions 1994 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1994 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 17, 1994, and ended with the championship game on April 4 in Charlotte, North Carolina... ) |
8–0 (1.000) | 322,146 | 20,134 | 4th |
| 1994–95 | 14–1 (.933) (NCAA Runner-Up 1995 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 1995 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 1995, and ended with the championship game on April 3 at the Kingdome in Seattle,... ) |
7–1 (.875) | 301,212 | 20,081 | 4th |
| 1995–96 | 14–4 (.778) | 6–2 (.750) | 346,698 | 19,261 | 5th |
| 1996–97 | 15–3 (.833) | 6–2 (.750) | 329,540 | 18,308 | 5th |
| 1997–98 | 15–0 (1.000) | 8–0 (1.000) | 291,089 | 19,406 | 4th |
| 1998–99 | 14–2 (.875) | 6–2 (.750) | 292,704 | 18,294 | 5th |
| 1999–00 | 9–5 (.643) | 5–3 (.625) | 249,300 | 17,807 | 6th |
| 2000–01 | 16–2 (.889) | 7–1 (.875) | 292,057 | 16,225 | 9th |
| 2001–02 | 11–5 (.688) | 5–3 (.625) | 241,033 | 15,065 | 13th |
| 2002–03 | 8–8 (.500) | 3–5 (.375) | 236,638 | 14,790 | 14th |
| 2003–04 | 10–6 (.625) | 4–4 (.500) | 236,676 | 14,792 | 13th |
| 2004–05 | 13–3 (.813) | 5–3 (.625) | 252,608 | 15,788 | 9th |
| 2005–06 | 15–1 (.938) | 7–1 (.875) | 239,336 | 14,958 | 12th |
| 2006–07 | 13–3 (.813) | 5–3 (.625) | 267,520 | 16,720 | 9th |
| 2007–08 | 15–1 (.938) | 7–1 (.875) | 274,360 | 17,148 | 8th |
| 2008–09 | 12–6 (.667) | 2–6 (.250) | 288,781 | 16,043 | 11th |
| 2009–10 | 11-8 (.579) | 5-3 (.625) | 256,667 | 13,509 | 17th |
| Totals | 221–58 (.792) | 96–40 (.706) | 4,656,789 | 16,691 | Avg. Rank: 8th |
External links
- Bud Walton Arena overview by RazorbackFacilities.com (official facilities site of Arkansas men's athletics)
- Google Maps Satellite/Map of Bud Walton Arena
- Bud Walton Arena overview at LadyBacks.com (official site of Arkansas women's athletics)
- FayettevilleTourism.com information on Bud Walton Arena
- RateItAll.com Rating of Bud Walton Arena