Reynolds Coliseum - History

History

NC State Alumnus David Clark originally petitioned for the construction of the arena in 1940 after rain had ruined a North Carolina Farmers' Week meeting held in an outdoor facility. The North Carolina General Assembly approved plans for the coliseum. A steel shortage threatened to delay the construction of the coliseum. However, because the proposed coliseum was also to be used as an armory, the "steel for the structure received a defense priority." Construction began in 1942. The foundation work and structural steel support system was completed by 1943 but construction was stopped due to the United States' involvement in World War II. After the war the university was preoccupied with the building of housing and classroom facilities and the unfinished coliseum was left untouched until construction resumed in 1948. The arena was completed the following year and named in honor of William Neal Reynolds of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The arena was originally intended to seat 10,000 people, but basketball coach Everett Case urged the administration to add an additional 2,400 seats. It was the largest arena in the Southeast for many years.

The first men's basketball game was played on December 2, 1949, against Washington & Lee University. NC State defeated Washington and Lee 67 to 47. Not all the seats had been installed at that time and many fans had to sit on the "cement tiers." The first women's basketball game was played on December 7, 1974. In 1999 men's basketball moved to the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena. The Wolfpack men have played a December regular-season "heritage" game at Reynolds Coliseum in recent years, and the arena hosted an NIT second-round game against Marist on March 16, 2007.

Reynolds Coliseum was the original site of the ACC men's basketball tournament from 1954–1966, the Dixie Classic tournament from 1949–1960, and the Southern Conference men's basketball tournament (1951–1953). It has hosted the NCAA men's basketball tournament as a Regional site eight times, and as a sub-regional (first and second round games) four times. It has also hosted the women's basketball tournament eleven times, but only one of which as a regional site. The ACC Women's Basketball Tournament was held there twice, in 1979 and 1982 (March 1982, in fact, was a very busy month for the arena - it hosted the ACC women's tournament, NCAA men's sub regional and NCAA women's regional all in succession).

In May 2005, Reynolds Coliseum was damaged by a small fire which left the entire structure smelling like smoke. Fortunately, fire damage was minimal, and crews quickly repaired the structure.

Renovations were completed in 2005 that added new lighting, a new sound system, and new separate floors for basketball and volleyball. (Because of the unusually long floor area in Reynolds, the volleyball floor is able to fit in the north end of the coliseum perpendicular to the basketball floor. The basketball area of the coliseum is curtained off or blocked off with temporary bleachers during volleyball matches. During basketball games temporary bleachers are rolled out over the volleyball floor, as well as over the open area on the south end of the court.) The new sound system proved to be inadequate, and was reworked in 2008.

Interestingly, the main arena is not air-conditioned (although some areas of the building do have it). The latest renovations did not include any plans for such a system. As North Carolina summer temperatures in the 90s and 100s are common, the arena can become quite warm and sticky during those months. This is especially notable during the volleyball team's early-season home tournaments, usually held in late August or early September.

Reynolds Coliseum was also considered to be one of the toughest places to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference. When ESPN asked contributors who played college basketball to identify the toughest arena they ever played in, Jay Bilas and Hubert Davis chose Reynolds.

Jay Bilas: "To me, the toughest places to play had more to do with the quality of the opposing team than anything else, but Reynolds Coliseum at NC State was the toughest place I played while in college. Reynolds was configured much the same way as Cameron Indoor Stadium, but the end zones were much deeper and the sides were right on top of you. Reynolds was loud, edgy and intense. The Wolfpack under Jim Valvano were a tough out and the games were always fistfights, but the thing I remember most is coming back to a huddle and seeing lips move, but not being able to hear what was said. It was so hot and loud that your head would spin. Of course, having to guard guys like Thurl Bailey, Lorenzo Charles, Cozell McQueen and Chris Washburn probably had something to do with my head spinning."

Hubert Davis: "The toughest place I ever played was Reynolds Coliseum, former home of the NC State Wolfpack. Cameron Indoor Stadium and Cole Field House don't even come close. I remember the long walk from the locker room to the floor. You had to enter under the bleachers and then had to sprint to the floor so that the fans wouldn't throw soda on us. The end zone seating went back as far as I've ever seen – the sea of red just never seemed to end. In the four years I played there as a Tar Heel, I never scored on the opposite basket away from our bench in the first half. I eventually calmed down, but was always flustered in those first 20 minutes. It was that intimidating."