Alumni Coliseum is a multi-use sports arena located on the campus of

Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University (Eastern or EKU) is a public university in Richmond, Kentucky. As a regional comprehensive institution, EKU also maintains branch campuses in Corbin, Hazard, Lancaster, and Manchester and offers over 40 online un ...

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

History

Built in 1963, the Paul S. McBrayer Arena located inside Alumni Coliseum, is capable of seating around 6,500 people in both chairback seats and on wooden benches (8,000 for concerts) arranged in a horseshoe shape, facing a wall at the right side of the arena where staging is usually set up for events. The arena's ceiling is made completely of wooden beams and is believed to be the largest of its kind in existence. It was named for the former EKU Men's Basketball Coach Paul McBrayer who compiled a record of 219-144. The floor graphics were updated for the 2005-06 seasons and the banners were redone to be more unified. The building replaced Weaver Gymnasium, which had been home to the Colonels since 1930.

Usage

The arena is home to the

Eastern Kentucky Colonels The Eastern Kentucky Colonels are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Eastern Kentucky University (EKU), located in Richmond, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the ASUN Confere ...

men's and women's basketball team, and the women's volleyball team. In addition to university sponsored athletics Alumni Coliseum has also played host to a variety of other sporting events, including the All "A" Classic High School basketball tournament,

KHSAA The Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) has been the governing body of the U.S. state of Kentucky high-school athletics since 1917. It is located in Lexington. Sports The organization sanctions competition in the following sports ...

Region 5 Swimming and Diving Championships, and continues to host the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 1 ...

Kentucky Summer Games. The arena has also hosted numerous musical performers over the years, more recently including 3 Doors Down, O.A.R. (

Of A Revolution O.A.R. (short for Of A Revolution) is an American rock band, founded in 1996 in Rockville, Maryland. The band consists of lead vocalist/guitarist Marc Roberge, drummer Chris Culos, guitarist Richard On, bassist Benj Gershman, saxophonist/guitar ...

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Nappy Roots Nappy Roots is an American alternative Southern rap group. The group met in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1995 while attending Western Kentucky University. They are best known for their hit singles " Po' Folks", "Awnaw", " Roun' The Globe" and "Go ...

and

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. It also hosted the

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It participates in NCAA Divisi ...

men's basketball tournament in 1979. The Donald Combs Natatorium, located behind the basketball arena, is the former home of the university's swimming and diving team and is now used predominantly for EKU recreation and the

Model Laboratory School Model Laboratory School is the only remaining laboratory school in the state of Kentucky. It is located on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University, in Richmond, Kentucky, United States. Model Laboratory School is home to around 720 students i ...

Swim team. The natatorium houses a 6 lane 25 yard swimming pool as well as one and three meter diving boards. The Alumni Coliseum also houses four other basketball courts in an auxiliary gymnasium, an outdoor swimming pool, eight classrooms, the

Chad Bratzke Chad Alan Bratzke (born September 15, 1971) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). College career Bratzke played college football at Eastern Kentucky University. As a freshman, he totaled 47 solo tac ...

Student Academic Athletic Success Center, and 20 additional offices.

References

{{Kentucky college basketball venues College basketball venues in the United States Eastern Kentucky Colonels Basketball venues in Kentucky Buildings and structures in Madison County, Kentucky 1963 establishments in Kentucky Sports venues completed in 1963

History

Usage

See also

References