Ralph O. Ward Memorial Arena

Ralph O. Ward Memorial Arena at McNeese State Recreational Sports Complex
Former names	McNeese Arena (1939–1989); Ralph O. Ward Memorial Arena (1990–2000)
Location	Lake Charles, Louisiana
Coordinates	30°10′54″N 93°12′55″W / 30.181805°N 93.215368°W
Owner	McNeese State University
Operator	McNeese State University
Capacity	5,000
Construction
Opened	1939
Renovated	1982
Expanded	2001
Tenants
	Men's indoor track and field; Women's indoor track and field; McNeese State Cowboys basketball (1956–1971)

Ralph O. Ward Memorial Arena formerly McNeese Arena is a 5,000 seat multi-purpose arena located in the McNeese State Recreational Sports Complex in Lake Charles, Louisiana.^[1] It is named after Ralph O. Ward, who was head coach of the men's basketball team from 1952 to 1971. The arena is currently home of the men's and women's indoor track and field teams.^[2]^[3] The Department of Health & Human Performance and administration offices are also located in the building along with athletic facilities for students.

Arena history[edit]

The building opened in 1939 as an open-air arena for rodeos and livestock shows. A roof was later added and became the home venue for the McNeese State Cowboys basketball team from 1956 to 1971.^[4] The facility also held tennis matches and physical education classes.

The Intramural Recreation Complex opened in 1982.^[1] In 1990, the arena was renamed the Ralph O. Ward Memorial Arena in honor of the former McNeese State basketball head coach.

McNeese State Recreational Sports Complex[edit]

In 2001, the recreational sports complex was built. An addition was constructed and attached to the arena. The facility became known as the McNeese State Recreational Sports Complex and the arena became a part of the facility.^[1]

The complex offers basketball, volleyball, racquetball and indoor track.^[5] The complex has an Olympic size indoor and outdoor swimming pool, a 200-meter indoor track, eight outdoor tennis courts, intramural playing fields, wellness center, and locker rooms.^[1]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Recreation Center". library.mcneese.edu. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
^ "McNeese Indoor I (University) Meet" (PDF). mcneesesports.com. Retrieved 2017-08-22.
^ "Colonels impress in season opener at McNeese Indoor I". geauxcolonels.com. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
^ ESPN, Editors (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia [The Complete History of the Men's Game]. Bristol, Connecticut: ESPN. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2. Retrieved December 26, 2014. {{cite book}}: |first1= has generic name (help)
^ "Recreational Complex". mcneese.edu. Retrieved 2017-08-22.

External links[edit]

Arena information

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[McNeese_Rec_Sports_Complex-1] "Recreation Center". library.mcneese.edu. Retrieved 2017-08-22.

[2] "McNeese Indoor I (University) Meet" (PDF). mcneesesports.com. Retrieved 2017-08-22.

[3] "Colonels impress in season opener at McNeese Indoor I". geauxcolonels.com. Retrieved 2018-01-12.

[4] ESPN, Editors (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia [The Complete History of the Men's Game]. Bristol, Connecticut: ESPN. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2. Retrieved December 26, 2014. {{cite book}}: |first1= has generic name (help)

[5] "Recreational Complex". mcneese.edu. Retrieved 2017-08-22.

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v t e McNeese State University
Campus	Cowboy Stadium The Legacy Center Joe Miller Ballpark Joe Miller Field at Cowgirl Diamond Ralph O. Ward Memorial Arena
Athletics	McNeese Cowboys and Cowgirls Baseball Men's basketball Women's basketball Football Softball
Student life	Recreational Sports Complex

v t e McNeese Cowboys basketball
Venues	Memorial Gymnasium (1945–1956) McNeese Arena (1956–1972) Lake Charles Civic Center (1972–1986) Burton Coliseum (1986–2018) The Legacy Center (2018–present)
Rivalries	Lamar
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
NAIA national championship in bold