Humphrey Coliseum
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| Humphrey Coliseum | |
|---|---|
| "The Hump" | |
| Location | 55 Coliseum Boulevard Starkville, MS 39762 |
| Coordinates | 33°27′42″N 88°47′38″W / 33.461760°N 88.794020°W |
| Broke ground | 1973 |
| Opened | December 1, 1975 |
| Owner | Mississippi State University |
| Operator | Mississippi State University |
| Surface | Northern Hard Maple |
| Construction cost | $6 million ($25.9 million in 2012 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Brewer, Godbold and Associates, Ltd.[2] |
| General Contractor | Gresham, Williams & Johnson Co.[2] |
| Capacity | 10,575 (2011-present) 10,500 (1998-2011) 10,000 (1975-1998) |
| Tenants | |
| Mississippi State Bulldogs (Men's & women's basketball) |
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Humphrey Coliseum is a 10,575-seat multi-purpose arena in Starkville, Mississippi, that opened for the 1975-76 basketball season. Nicknamed The Hump, it is home to the Mississippi State University Bulldogs men's and women's basketball teams. It is the largest on-campus basketball arena in the state of Mississippi. 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 features four sides, each with a video screen. In addition to basketball, the arena is a popular venue for concerts, graduation ceremonies, and other events.
"The Hump" features a large "Mississippi State" wordmark adorning the middle of the court. The court is rimmed in maroon with "The Hump" written at each corner. The lanes under the goals have the letters "SEC" spelled out in maroon. The building contains two tiers. Though the seating at Humphrey Coliseum is 10,500, the crowd has surpassed capacity 3 times (10,735 vs Mississippi 2/7/04, 10,645 vs Mississippi 2-23-02, 10,541 vs Florida 1/7/03). In 2000, a catwalk was completed which connects Humphrey Coliseum to Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium, the Bulldogs' baseball stadium.
It was named for George Duke Humphrey, former president of Mississippi State. It replaced McCarthy Gymnasium, which was built in 1950 and has since been converted to an indoor tennis center.
[edit] Quotes
The Hump is one of the hardest places for an opponent to play in the Southeastern Conference as well as the nation. A quote from an article on Gainsville.com expresses this thought.
"(Florida basketball players Joakim) Noah, Al Horford and (Corey) Brewer had all named Humphrey Coliseum as the most difficult road arena they played in when they filled out questionnaires as top 50 preseason finalists for the John R. Wooden Award.
'It gets loud,' Brewer said. 'I don't know why. It's a different kind of loud. So loud that you can't think.'"
[edit] References
- ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ a b "Engineering News-Record, Volume 197, Issues 1-14". Engineering News-Record (McGraw-Hill) 197 (1-14). 1976. doi:1976.
[edit] External links
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Coordinates: 33°27′42″N 88°47′40″W / 33.461717°N 88.794401°W
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