Beasley Coliseum
| Full name | Beasley Coliseum |
|---|---|
| Former names | Washington State University Performing Arts Coliseum (1973–1981) |
| Location |
Washington State University 225 N. Grand Ave. Pullman, Washington |
| Owner | Washington State University |
| Operator | Washington State University |
| Capacity | 11,671 (2006–present) 11,566 (2004–2006) 12,058 (1973–2004) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | February 8, 1971 |
| Opened | June 3, 1973 44 years ago |
| Construction cost | $8.5 million ($45.9 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | John Graham & Company |
| Tenants | |
|
Washington State Cougars - NCAA (1973–present) |
|
Beasley Coliseum is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. Opened 44 years ago in June 1973, its current seating capacity is 11,671 for basketball. It is the home venue for both the Cougars men's and women's basketball teams of the Pac-12 Conference.
The arena was renamed in 1981 for Wallis Beasley (1915–2008), a long-time sociology professor and executive vice president, shortly before his retirement from the university. Beasley was WSU's faculty representative for athletics in the 1960s and also served as interim university president. For its first eight years, the venue was known as "Washington State University Performing Arts Coliseum."
The building used "space frame" construction, relatively novel at the time. The elevation of the court is approximately 2,550 feet (780 m) above sea level.
Its first sporting event was an NBA exhibition game between Seattle and Portland on September 25, 1973. The first collegiate sporting event was a men's varsity basketball game against LSU on December 1, immediately preceded by a freshman game. Intercollegiate basketball was formerly played in Bohler Gymnasium, which opened in 1928 and is now home to Cougar volleyball.
The building's inaugural event was the university's commencement exercises on June 3, 1973.
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