Humphrey Coliseum is a 9,100-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 ...

located on the campus of

Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...

, just outside

Starkville, Mississippi Starkville is a city in and the county seat of Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, Starkville's population is 24,360, making it the 16th-most populated city in Mississippi. Starkville is the largest ...

, that opened for the 1975-76 basketball season. Nicknamed The Hump, it is home to the Mississippi State Bulldogs 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 ...

teams A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson (academic), Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interd ...

. The building is the equivalent of seven stories high and is in the shape of an oval 318' long by 268' wide. The outside is marked by regular concrete columns and Mississippi red brick siding, and the school seal adorns the front of the building. In 2004, a center hung scoreboard was provided by the Henry Mize Foundation. The scoreboard featured four sides, each with a video screen. It was replaced in 2015 by a similar but updated scoreboard that includes two ring displays along with four main video displays. The current court design was announced in 2016, with the court itself installed in 2017. It features many design details highlighting the school's local ties. The playing area is surrounded by lettering that lists all 82 counties in the state, all appearing in gray except for the school's home of Oktibbeha County, which is in white lettering at midcourt between the team benches. Directly above the Oktibbeha County name is a white outline of the state with an "X" marking Starkville's location, which is also the point at which substitutes report to enter the game. Also, the city nickname of "Starkvegas" appears in large all-caps lettering at the baseline in front of the student section. In February 2022, renovation work began as part of the ongoing project in the university athletic district. The phase one renovations include adding more vendors, restrooms, a premium club level, as well as updating the building infrastructure. Phase one is projected to be completed by Fall 2023. In addition to basketball, the arena is a popular venue for concerts, graduation ceremonies, and other events. It was named for George Duke Humphrey, president of Mississippi State from 1934 to 1945. It replaced Mississippi State Gymnasium (now known as McCarthy Gymnasium), which was built in 1950 and has since been converted to an indoor tennis center and then was demolished in 2023 to make way for the Jim and Thomas Duff Center.

References

External links

Arena page at the school website

Arena page at HailState.com (official Mississippi State athletics site)
{{Authority control College basketball venues in Mississippi Mississippi State Bulldogs basketball Buildings and structures in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi 1975 establishments in Mississippi Sports venues completed in 1975

See also

References

External links