Stegeman Coliseum
| The Stegesaurus | |
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| Former names | Georgia Coliseum (1964–1996) |
|---|---|
| Location | 100 Smith Street Athens, GA 30605 |
| Owner | University of Georgia |
| Operator | University of Georgia |
| Capacity | 10,523 (1994–present) 10,400 (1988–1994) 11,200 (1964–1988) |
| Surface | Hardwood |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 1962 |
| Opened | February 22, 1964 |
| Construction cost | $4.2 million ($32.4 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | Cooper, Barrett, Skinner, Woodbury & Cooper, Inc. |
| Structural engineer | Chastain & Tindel |
| General contractor | Thompson & Street |
| Tenants | |
| Georgia Bulldogs (Men's and women's basketball, gymnastics) |
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Stegeman Coliseum is a 10,523-seat multi-purpose arena in Athens, Georgia, United States. The arena opened in 1964. 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. It replaced Woodruff Hall, a 3,000-seat field house built in 1923.
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.
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. Currently, the university has preliminary plans to undertake a drastic overhaul of the building, including dropping the event level down several feet to increase capacity. In October 2006, an adjoining practice facility for men's and women's basketball and gymnastics was finished and is considered one of the finest such facilities in the country.
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