WVU Coliseum
Encyclopedia
The WVU Coliseum is a 14,000-seat multi-purpose arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
which is located in the Evansdale campus of West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
in Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown, West Virginia
Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia. It is the county seat of Monongalia County. Placed along the banks of the Monongahela River, Morgantown is the largest city in North-Central West Virginia, and the base of the Morgantown metropolitan area...
. The circular arena features a poured concrete roof.
The arena, which opened in 1970, is home to the WVU Mountaineers men's and women's basketball
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, men's wrestling, as well as WVU's women's teams in 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...
and gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting . The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique , which designs the Code of Points and regulates all aspects of international elite...
. The arena has nearly 100 offices, 13 lecture and seminar rooms, a dance studio, safety lab, racquetball and squash courts, Jerry West Mountaineer Room (holds nearly 150 people for meetings). Comprises more than 10.5 Mcuft of space. The arena also has more than 1,000 individual locker units in various dressing rooms available for students and staff. There is also a 3000 square feet (278.7 m²) weight room located in the lower level of the Coliseum. The arena has been used for concerts but the concrete roof has poor sound distribution properties, so other venues in town are more appropriate for this purpose. The poor sound quality was purposeful, as it was the intention of the designers to cup the ceiling so that crowd noise generated at basketball games would be directed back to the floor. The first event held at the Coliseum in 1970 was a Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad
Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. Grand Funk Railroad toured constantly to packed arenas worldwide. A popular take on the band during its heyday was that, although the critics hated them, audiences loved them...
concert. The arena hosted the 1984 and 1988 Atlantic Ten Conference
Atlantic Ten Conference
The Atlantic 10 Conference is a college athletic conference which operates mostly on the United States' eastern seaboard. It also has two member schools in Ohio: Dayton and Xavier, located in Dayton and Cincinnati, respectively. Another member, Saint Louis is located in St. Louis, Missouri...
men's basketball tournaments.
The arena was built with state funds and replaced the WVU Fieldhouse
Stansbury Hall (West Virginia University)
Stansbury Hall, named after Harry Stansbury , former WVU Athletic Director , is a building on the Downtown Campus of West Virginia University. 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...
, which seated 6,000.
During the 1998-99 season, the Jerry West Lounge was formally dedicated, flanking the entrance to lounge is a display showcasing the highlights of the Mountaineer great. In November 2005, the University announced that a life size bronzed statue of West would adorn the Blue Gate entrance of the Coliseum.
In 1999 the school was forced to play a year of games split between Wheeling
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Charleston
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
, and the gym at nearby Fairmont State University
Fairmont State University
Fairmont State University is a public university located in Fairmont, West Virginia, USA. Enrollment of the university is about 7,700 and offers masters degrees in business, education, teaching, criminal justice and nursing in addition to 90 baccalaureate and 50 associate degrees...
due to asbestos
Asbestos
Asbestos is a set of six naturally occurring silicate minerals used commercially for their desirable physical properties. They all have in common their eponymous, asbestiform habit: long, thin fibrous crystals...
removal.
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 training rooms, refurbishment of the Coliseum roof, 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.
WVU and NBA Hall-of-Famer, Jerry West
Jerry West
Jerry Alan West is a retired American basketball player who played his entire professional career for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . His nicknames include "Mr...
, has his number retired and a sign hangs over Seating Section 44 with "Jerry West 44" written on it. Also, standing outside of the main entrance of the Coliseum is a large bronze statue dedicated to Jerry West. Hot Rod Hundley also has his number 33 retired and hanging from the walls.
According to WVU Department of Athletics, in 2008, the Coliseum received a new NBA Style Video Scoreboard, a new Public Address System, as well as a new lighting system, two LED ribbon boards, and a new floor design. Also, WVU Athletic Director Ed Pastilong announced that construction on a new $20–$22 million dollar practice facility to be built adjacent to the Coliseum.
Top Crowds at the Coliseum
- 16,704 - Pittsburgh @ #6 West Virginia - February 24, 1982
- 15,638 - #1 UNLV @ West Virginia - February 27, 1983 on CBS
- 15,593 - #5 Villanova @ #4 West Virginia - February 8, 2010 on ESPN
- 15,419 - #21 Pittsburgh @ #6 West Virginia - February 3, 2010
- 15,409 - Marshall @ West Virginia - December 4, 1982
- 15,299 - Pittsburgh @ West Virginia - January 31, 1981
- 15,271 - #5 Syracuse @ #9 West Virginia - January 16, 2010 on ESPN
- 15,193 - #6 Georgetown @ West Virginia - December 2, 1996
- 15,167 - #6 UCONN @ #16 West Virginia - February 11, 1998 on ESPN
- 15,118 - #3 Notre Dame @ West Virginia- February 17, 1979
- 15,033 - #21 Ohio State @ #11 West Virginia - January 23, 2010 on CBS
- 15,032 - #11 Louisville @ West Virginia - March 5, 2011 on ESPN
Year by Year Results
- West Virginia Men's Basketball
Year Record Win Percentage 1970-71 9-4 .692 1971-72 11-4 .733 1972-73 8-6 .571 1973-74 8-4 .667 1974-75 8-6 .571 1975-76 12-4 .750 1976-77 11-1 .917 1977-78 8-4 .667 1978-79 14-4 .778 1979-80 8-7 .554 1980-81 19-1 .950 1981-82 15-0 1.000 1982-83 13-1 .929 1983-84 15-2 .882 1984-85 13-3 .813 1985-86 14-2 .875 1986-87 10-6 .625 1988-89 12-2 .857 1989-90 12-1 .923 1990-91 13-2 .867 1991-92 10-3 .769 1992-93 14-1 .933 1993-94 13-3 .813 1994-95 9-4 .692 1995-96 9-5 .643 1996-97 12-4 .750 1997-98 13-1 .929 1998-99 6-7 .462 1999-00 Coliseum Closed for Asbestos Removal N/A 2000-01 12-4 .750 2001-02 5-8 .385 2002-03 9-5 .643 2003-04 10-4 .714 2004-05 11-3 .786 2005-06 13-2 .867 2006-07 17-1 .944 2007-08 14-2 .875 2008-09 11-2 .846 2009-10 12-2 .857 2010-11 12-2 .857