A two-year renovation project has transformed Humphrey Coliseum, the home of Bulldog Basketball for its 49th season, into one of the nation’s state-of-the-art venues in 2023-24.
MISSISSIPPI STATE ATHLETICS INTRODUCES RENOVATIONS TO HUMPHREY COLISEUM IN 2023-24
Since it first hosted basketball action, Humphrey Coliseum has undergone many modifications during recent years to rank as one of the finest multi-purpose facilities in the Southeastern Conference.
The comprehensive renovation completed in 2023 by Dale Partners Architects and AECOM Sports which revamped Humphrey Coliseum with modern amenities.
Highlighted among the renovation’s premium amenities is the Legends Club that offers suite ticket holders a dedicated entrance and lobby that leads down to a 6,000-square foot sideline club. The premium area offers nearly 580 club seats and 80 loge seats. The renovation also included the addition of nearly 160 terrace seats on the concourse level.
Along with the premium seating area, the renovation featured the addition of two grand lobbies at the entrances on the east and west sides that feature direct views into the seating bowl. The entrances open up into an expanded and updated concourse which has an all-encompassing graphics package that spotlights both programs celebrated histories. Not only was the concourse level widened to offer sightlines to the floor, the renovation also included updated concessions and restrooms among additional amenities. A portion of the student section was moved courtside to create one of the most dynamic environments in the country.
The newly redesigned Humphrey Coliseum playing surface is named Adkerson Court which honors prominent State alumnus Richard C. Adkerson.
In the rafters, banners honoring both programs SEC championships and postseason tournament appearances are displayed. Banners also acknowledging the achievements of All-Americans Bailey Howell and LaToya Thomas along with coach Babe McCarthy and the former legendary voice of the Bulldogs, Jack Cristil.
Named in honor of George Duke Humphrey, a former Mississippi State president (1934-45), the Coliseum opened in 1975. The venue was originally constructed from 450,000 red Mississippi-made bricks and stands the equivalent of a seven-story building (84 feet) and is 318 feet long and 268 feet wide.
Opened in 1975, Humphrey Coliseum, which was originally constructed from 450,000 red Mississippi-made bricks, stands the equivalent of a seven-story building (84 feet) and is 318 feet long and 268 feet wide.
MEN’S BASKETBALL RESULTS AND RECORDS
Since Humphrey Coliseum opened in December 1975, Mississippi State has won more than 70 percent of its games inside Humphrey Coliseum.
After ushering the venue in with an 85-82 victory against Indiana State on Dec. 1, 1975, the Bulldogs have compiled an impressive 510-192 home ledger entering 2023-24. State won its 500th men’s game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff during Chris Jans’ first season in 2022-23.
Humphrey Coliseum has welcomed over 100,000 fans through its gates during 16 of the last 20 seasons dating back to 2003-04 when the Bulldogs won the program’s sixth SEC regular season championship.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL RESULTS AND RECORDS
The Bulldogs made their Humphrey Coliseum debut against Jackson State in December 1975. State has complied over 400 victories since the arena opened highlighted by an unblemished 18-0 mark during the program’s 2017-18 NCAA Final Four run.
State has ranked inside the nation’s top 20 in attendance numerous times over the last decade headed by a single-season mark of 143,378 fans and a No. 4 national ranking in 2018-19. The season culminated in the program’s first SEC regular-season championship and a second-straight Final Four appearance. A single-game mark of 10,794 fans watched the Bulldogs defeat South Carolina on Feb. 5, 2018.
State hosted the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in four consecutive seasons from 2015-16 to 2018-19 where the Bulldogs were undefeated advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16. The NCAA Starkville Regional was one of the highest-attended sites on all four occasions.
The 2017-18 campaign, which culminated in the program’s first SEC regular-season championship and a second-straight Final Four appearance, saw the Bulldogs claim seven of the Top 10 single-game attendance marks, including a crowd of 10,794 for the Feb. 5, 2018, win against South Carolina that ranks as the largest men’s or women’s basketball crowd in Coliseum history.
MORE RECORDS SHATTERED
The Hump also played host to a record crowd for volleyball, as the Bulldogs defeated No. 25 Kentucky on Oct. 14, 2011 in front of 4,525 people. The crowd set the attendance record for a volleyball match in the state of Mississippi.
In addition to numerous sporting events, the Coliseum has also attracted nationally-recognized musical acts including the likes of Bon Jovi, Tina Turner, Garth Brooks, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, George Strait, Bob Dylan, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Jimmy Buffett and James Taylor.