Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum is a 10,500-seat multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...

on the campus of

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 26,800 undergraduate students, over 6,100 post-graduate students, and a tota ...

Auburn, Alabama Auburn is a city in Lee County, Alabama, United States. It is the largest city in eastern Alabama. The population was 76,143 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Auburn metropolitan area, Alabama, Aubu ...

. The arena, which opened in 1969, is best known as the former home of the Auburn men's and women's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

, women's gymnastics, and

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

teams. The teams finished their stays at the facility at the end of the 2009–10 season, with all of its tenants moving into the new

Auburn Arena Neville Arena, formerly Auburn Arena also known as The Jungle, is a 9,121-seat multi-purpose arena in Auburn, Alabama, on the campus of Auburn University. Built in 2010 to replace Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum, the $86 million facility is t ...

opening in time for the 2010–11 season. In addition to sports, numerous concerts were held in the facility. The coliseum continues to house athletics offices as well as classrooms and office space for Auburn's Department of Geosciences. The building's exterior is primarily nondescript concrete, but its entry plaza was recognizable for the large " War Eagle" statue which faced not only the rest of the university, but also nearby

Jordan–Hare Stadium Pat Dye Field at Jordan–Hare Stadium (properly pronounced as ) is an American football stadium in Auburn, Alabama on the campus of Auburn University. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Auburn Tigers football, Auburn Tigers football ...

. The architect of the building was Sherlock, Smith & Adams of Montgomery, who also designed Garrett Coliseum. The contractor was Jones and Hardy, Contractors of Montevallo.

Naming history

The building was approved by the state legislature in 1965 to replace the

Auburn Sports Arena Auburn Sports Arena was a 2,500 seat multi-purpose arena in Auburn, Alabama. Nicknamed "The Barn," it opened in 1946. It was home to the Auburn University Tigers basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of ...

, a small on-campus building in use from 1946 until the building of the Coliseum. The state supplied the majority of the funds, with the federal government, the university and an athletics department pledge drive making up the rest of the $6,033,597 needed. It was originally named the Memorial Coliseum, in memory of the Auburn soldiers that passed in the Mexican Border wars,

WWI World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting took place mainly in Europe and th ...

and

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1987, it was renamed for Joel H. Eaves, a former basketball player and coach who guided the Tigers to their first

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...

title in 1960 and was the school's all-time winningest coach. It received its current name six years later, adding the name of Jeff Beard, athletic director from 1951 to 1972 during some of Auburn's best years athletically. Originally, the arena seated 12,500 people. It was downsized to 10,108 in 1994 when offices were created by removing several rows at the top of the end seating areas. Since 1998, it has seated 10,500.

Uses

Past and current uses

Memorial Coliseum opened January 11, 1969, for a basketball game against

LSU Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

where Auburn upset the Pistol

Pete Maravich Peter Press Maravich ( ; June 22, 1947 – January 5, 1988), known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player. He starred in college at Louisiana State University's Tigers basketball team; his father, Press Mar ...

-led LSU team. Auburn men's and women's basketball and gymnastics used the Coliseum until 2010 when

opened. Auburn's men's wrestling team competed at Memorial Coliseum until the program ended in 1981. When the arena became vacant, Auburn University put it to different uses. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the university used the Coliseum as a COVID testing facility. Students were required to receive COVID testing before their first day of school on August 17, 2020. The third floor of the Coliseum was a vaccination destination for the Auburn area. Auburn University also used the Coliseum to distribute a booster vaccination in 2021 to those who couldn't get an appointment at pharmacies. Students continue to use the Coliseum for club sport practices and Greek life events. As of early 2024, the university is studying plans regarding the future use of the Coliseum. Options include a major renovation of the interior or eventual demolition. A renovation would include new and expanded space for

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. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

and

Wheelchair basketball Wheelchair basketball is a style of basketball played using a sports wheelchair. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as ...

among other athletic and multipurpose uses. The Coliseum was originally planned for demolition after the completion of the 2009-2010 basketball season. At the time there were plans to replace the facility with a parking deck but they never materialized.

Notable events

Music

Sources:

Concerts

= Music videos

= In 1988, American funk-metal band,

Living Colour Living Colour is an American rock music, rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. The band consists of guitarist Vernon Reid, lead vocalist Corey Glover, drummer Will Calhoun and bassist Doug Wimbish who replaced Muzz Skillings in 1992. T ...

released their single

Cult of Personality A cult of personality, or a cult of the leader,Cas Mudde, Mudde, Cas and Kaltwasser, Cristóbal Rovira (2017) ''Populism: A Very Short Introduction''. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 63. is the result of an effort which is made to create ...

. The single charted at 13 on the US Billboard and is ranked at 69 on VH1's top 100 rock song list. Within the video, there are clips of political speeches, from

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

, and

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

. The video has clips of Living Colour performing the song on the Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum stage.

Sports

On March 25–27, 1971, the Memorial Coliseum hosted the 41st Annual NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Other Notable Events

In May 1973,

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

gave a speech at the Coliseum in which he said "It is refreshing to see so many people of all nationalities and races all here in unity in a place like Alabama." Comedian and actor

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

performed a show on October 25, 1974. The Coliseum hosted the university's spring and fall Commencement ceremony until 2010. Then sitting

Vice President of the United States The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the Executive branch of the United States government, executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks f ...

Dick Cheney Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American former politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He has been called vice presidency o ...

gave the Spring 2004 address, former Auburn football player

Bo Jackson Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson (born November 30, 1962) is an American former professional baseball and American football, football player. He is the only professional athlete in history to be named an All-star#Sports, All-Star in Major professio ...

gave the Spring 2009 address, and

Tim Cook Timothy Donald Cook (born November 1, 1960) is an American business executive who is the current chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Cook had previously been the company's chief operating officer under its co-founder Steve Jobs. Cook joined ...

, Auburn graduate and then

chief operating officer A chief operating officer (COO), also called chief operations officer, is an executive in charge of the daily operations of an organization (i.e. personnel, resources, and logistics). COOs are usually second-in-command immediately after the C ...

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, in Silicon Valley. It is best known for its consumer electronics, software, and services. Founded in 1976 as Apple Comput ...

, gave the address at the last ceremony held in the Coliseum in spring 2010.

References

* Auburn University Athletic Department (2001)
''Beard–Eaves–Memorial Coliseum''
Retrieved June 6, 2005.

External links

at AuburnTigers.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum Auburn Tigers basketball venues Basketball venues in Alabama Defunct college basketball venues in the United States College wrestling venues in the United States Handball venues in the United States Sports venues completed in 1969 1969 establishments in Alabama