Stegeman Coliseum
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Stegeman Coliseum, formerly known as Georgia Coliseum, is a 10,523-seat multi-purpose arena in Athens, Georgia, United States. The arena opened in 1964 in honor of Herman Stegeman. It is home to the University of Georgia Bulldogs basketball and gymnastics teams. It was also the venue of the rhythmic gymnastics and preliminary indoor volleyball matches during the 1996 Summer Olympics, as well as the 1989, 1995, and 2008 NCAA gymnastics championships. As a multi-purpose facility, the Coliseum also hosted a variety of other kinds of events, including many large indoor rock concerts during its early history,[1] as well as the university's Graduate School commencement exercises. At its opening it replaced Woodruff Hall, a 3,000-seat field house built in 1923.
Design
Script error: No such module "Unsubst".The ceiling is barrel-shaped, with the Sanford Drive side being curved as well. The resulting inside seating is in a "U" shape, with the flat end, which includes the scoreboard, not having the upper levels of seating. The Sanford Drive side was decorated with the Olympic insignia and other markings for the 1996 Olympics. Also, the roof is a separate structure from the coliseum itself, and is connected by an aluminum bellows which allows the roof to rise and fall with the temperature. The roof has four outward supports in an arc style, which were often used in fraternity initiations until gated off.
The former Georgia Coliseum received its current name on March 2, 1996, in honor of Herman Stegeman, a longtime basketball coach at UGA who was a pioneer in the development of the original Southern Conference basketball tournament in 1921.
Renovations
The university has undertaken several renovations. Originally, Stegeman Coliseum had a stage at one end. Today, a scoreboard, a new section for student seating and banners commemorating the accomplishments of the teams that call Stegeman Coliseum home occupy that space. In anticipation of the 1996 Olympic Games, Stegeman Coliseum received new scoreboard systems, including the first video replay board in an SEC basketball venue. In 2000, all of the old, wooden seats in the lower level were removed, the concrete was resealed, and new cushioned seats were installed. More recently, new LED "ribbon" boards have been installed around the upper ring of the Coliseum (not a 360-degree ribbon but three segments of ribbon on each of the non-video-board sides). The building has also undergone several cosmetic changes to the exterior in the past few years.Template:When Currently,Template:When the university has preliminary plans to undertake a drastic overhaul of the building, including dropping the event level down several feet to increase capacity.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". In October 2006, an adjoining practice facility for men's and women's basketball and gymnastics was finished.
The Coliseum underwent a $13 million expansion and renovation after the 2009–10 season. The main concourse level of approximately Template:Convert was fully renovated, including modernization and addition of restrooms, upgrades to concession area, a new merchandising area, a first aid room, a new ticket sales area, and new graphics and way finding signage. Also included were Template:Convert of expanded lobby space (including both sides) and Template:Convert of renovated concourse, restrooms, and concessions. Renovations began on May 12, 2010, and were functionally complete in time for the 2010–11 basketball season. The expansion was officially dedicated on January 18, 2011.[2]
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Notable events
Georgia upset arch-rival Georgia Tech in the Coliseum's first game on February 22, 1964, 81–68, under the leadership of head coach Harbin "Red" Lawson. The inaugural game set an attendance record of 13,200 that has never been surpassed. The original design afforded the Coliseum 11,200 seats, but in the excitement of the opening of "The Jewel of North Georgia", officials let anyone come inside that showed up. This would be the first and the last time that this was done.
The Coliseum also hosted the Mideast Regional of the 1971 NCAA men's basketball tournament. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers won the regional with an 81–78 win in overtime over the Ohio State Buckeyes. At the close of the 2014-2015 season, Georgia's men's basketball teams had amassed a home record of 484 wins and 221 losses (.686). Template:Update inline
On April 13–16,Template:When the arena hosted the inaugural FIRST Robotics Competition Peachtree District State Championship. 41 teams from the state of Georgia attended the championship, with Global Dynamics, East Cobb Robotics and Walton Robotics winning the event. In addition, Kell Robotics won the District Championship Chairman's Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the FIRST Robotics Competition.[3] They, along with 8 other teams, qualified for the FIRST Championship.[4]
Jake Scott, a member of the 1968 Georgia Bulldogs football team once rode a motorcycle over the arches of the stadium. Later renovations added special railings to make sure the event didn't occur again.[5]
See also
References
Sources
- 1996 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 1. p. 544.
- 1996 Summer Olympics official report. Volume 3. p. 457.
External links
Template:University of Georgia Template:Georgia Bulldogs basketball navbox Template:Georgia Lady Bulldogs basketball navbox Script error: No such module "Navbox". Template:Georgia NCAA Division I college basketball venue navbox Template:1996 Summer Olympic venues Template:Olympic venues gymnastics Template:Olympic venues volleyball Template:Authority control
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ 2016 Peachtree District Rankings: http://frc-districtrankings.firstinspires.org/2016/PCH/GACMP
- ↑ 2016 Peachtree District State Championship Results: http://frc-districtrankings.firstinspires.org/2016/PCH
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- Pages with script errors
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- Georgia Bulldogs sports venues
- Georgia Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs basketball
- Georgia GymDogs
- College basketball venues in Georgia (U.S. state)
- College gymnastics venues in the United States
- Venues of the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gymnastics venues
- Olympic volleyball venues
- Sports venues in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Sports in Athens, Georgia
- 1964 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
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