Cassell Coliseum

Cassell Coliseum
Former names	VPI Coliseum (1962–1977)
Location	675 Washington Street, SW; Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.
Coordinates	37°13′20″N 80°25′8″W / 37.22222°N 80.41889°W
Operator	Virginia Tech
Capacity	8,925 (2020–present); 9,275 (2018-2020); 9,847 (2004-2018); 10,052 (1995–2004); 9,971 (1988–1995); 10,000 (1962–1988)
Surface	Hardwood
Construction
Broke ground	1961
Opened	January 3, 1962
Construction cost	$2.7 million; ($27.2 million in 2023 dollars)
Architect	Carneal and Johnston
General contractor	T.C. Brittain and Company
Tenants
	Virginia Tech Hokies; (Men's & Women's Basketball, Volleyball, & Wrestling)

Cassell Coliseum is a 10,052-seat^[4] multi-purpose arena in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States, that opened in 1962. It is home to the Virginia Tech Hokies men's and women's basketball teams, wrestling team, and volleyball team.

History

Built as a replacement for the much smaller War Memorial Gymnasium, the Coliseum's construction began in 1961. It was fully completed in December 1964 at a cost of $2.7 million.^[5] It was designed by Carneal and Johnston (now Ballou Justice Upton Architects, Richmond, Va) and built by T.C. Brittain and Company of Decatur, Georgia. Originally just referred to as "the Coliseum," it was dedicated on September 17, 1977 to the late Stuart K. Cassell, former school business manager, first Vice President of Administration, and major supporter of the building of the arena.

The first game was on January 3, 1962, when the Hokies played Alabama. The Hokies won 91-67. Unfortunately, the crowd sat on the bare concrete risers to watch the game because the seats had not arrived.

In the early years of the Coliseum, the Hokies frequently saw capacity crowds pack the venue. However, student and alumni interest in basketball decreased in the 1990s due to the Hokies' lack of a stable basketball conference home (the Hokies were in three different conferences in nine seasons) and due to the success of the football team. Fan support began to gain momentum under coach Seth Greenberg and the school's recent move to the ACC. A raucous student section, nicknamed the "Cassell Guard," has helped transform the Coliseum into a difficult venue for opposing teams in an athletic conference ripe with intimidating basketball arenas.

On June 27, 1996, a 27 year old construction worker fell 90 feet (27 m) to his death on the coliseum floor. Dewey Wayne Duncan, of Pulaski, VA, who was working outside the coliseum for a contractor making repairs to the roof, stepped on a section of the roof that was covered only by a ceiling tile. The tile collapsed, and Duncan fell through the roof.^[6]

On April 17, 2007, a memorial convocation was held there in response to the shootings of 32 students and faculty on the Virginia Tech campus the previous day. President George W. Bush and his wife Laura attended the event.

Over the years, Cassell has undergone various updates, most recently those being a new sound system, new lights inside building over the court, as well as a refinished court.

On August 5, 2015, it was reported that Carilion Clinic has bought naming rights to the arena's court for $500,000 a year for the next 10 years. The Virginia Tech Carilion Court at Cassell Coliseum was dedicated in December 2015.^[7]

Prior to the 2017–18 season, half of the old wooden seats were replaced with larger plastic seats, reducing the capacity.^[8]

Major games

On January 10, 1983, the Virginia Tech men's basketball team defeated the number one ranked Memphis State Tigers 69-56 in front of 10,000 fans. It was the first time a number one team had played in Cassell Coliseum and the Hokies first win over a number one ranked team.^[9]

On February 17, 2005, during Virginia Tech's first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Blue Devils were ranked 7th nationally. By the end of the night, the Blue Devils were handed a 67-65 loss by the Hokies in front of 9,847 fans. It was the first time that Virginia Tech had beaten Duke since 1966.^[10]

On January 13, 2007, Virginia Tech defeated the number one ranked North Carolina Tar Heels 94-88. At one point in the game, the Hokies led by 29 points. They were able to hold off a strong surge by the Tar Heels to seal the victory.

On March 22, 2010, Virginia Tech beat UConn in Cassell on national television in the second round of the NIT tournament. Trailing 63-62, the Hokies' defense pressured Connecticut into a backcourt violation. With 14.1 seconds remaining, the Hokies took the lead with a Dorenzo Hudson jump shot. The Hokies' defense was able to stop Connecticut from scoring for a 65-62 victory.

On February 26, 2011, Duke fell to Virginia Tech 64-60. At the time Duke was the number one ranked team in the country. It was Virginia Tech's fourth upset of a number one ranked team under Seth Greenberg. New York Giant, David Wilson was seen doing back flips on the court with classmate and track & field star, Nick McLaughlin following a halftime award ceremony recognizing the 2011 ACC Indoor Track and Field Champions.

The largest crowd ever at the Cassell was 11,500 for a game against Purdue on December 3, 1966.

References

^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
^ "Cassell Coliseum".
^ "Cassell Coliseum". vt.edu.
^ "Cassell Coliseum". vt.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
^ "Men's Basketball:Cassell Coliseum". hokiesports.com.
^ "WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 06/28/96". June 1996.
^ "Dedication of Virginia Tech Carilion Court at Cassell Coliseum". Carilion Clinic. 4 December 2015. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
^ Release, Virginia Tech Press. "New Seats Coming to Cassell Coliseum". TechSideline.com. Retrieved 2020-09-10.
^ Anderson, Mike (January 11, 1983). "Tech stuns MSU". Collegiate Times: A1.
^ "Hokies Surprise The Blue Devils". washingtonpost.com.

External links

[inflation-US-1] 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.

[2] "Cassell Coliseum".

[3] "Cassell Coliseum". vt.edu.

[4] "Cassell Coliseum". vt.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-24.

[:0-5] "Men's Basketball:Cassell Coliseum". hokiesports.com.

[6] "WDBJ 7 morning news AM cutins for 06/28/96". June 1996.

[7] "Dedication of Virginia Tech Carilion Court at Cassell Coliseum". Carilion Clinic. 4 December 2015. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2016.

[8] Release, Virginia Tech Press. "New Seats Coming to Cassell Coliseum". TechSideline.com. Retrieved 2020-09-10.

[9] Anderson, Mike (January 11, 1983). "Tech stuns MSU". Collegiate Times: A1.

[10] "Hokies Surprise The Blue Devils". washingtonpost.com.

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v t e Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball
Venues	War Memorial Gymnasium (1926–1961) Cassell Coliseum (1962–present)
Rivalries	Virginia
Culture & lore	HokieBird "Tech Triumph"
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 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 2024–25

v t e Virginia Tech Hokies women's basketball
Venues	Cassell Coliseum (1976–present)
Rivalries	Virginia
Culture & lore	HokieBird "Tech Triumph"
People	Head coaches
Seasons	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 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

v t e NCAA Division I college basketball venues in Virginia
ACC	John Paul Jones Arena (Virginia) Cassell Coliseum (Virginia Tech)
A-10	EagleBank Arena (George Mason) Robins Center (Richmond) Siegel Center (VCU)
Big South	Joan Perry Brock Center (Longwood) Dedmon Center (Radford)
CAA	Hampton Convocation Center (Hampton) Kaplan Arena (William & Mary)
CUSA	Liberty Arena (Liberty) Vines Center (Liberty alternate)
MEAC	Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall (Norfolk State)
SoCon	Cameron Hall (VMI)
Sun Belt	Atlantic Union Bank Center (James Madison) Chartway Arena (Old Dominion)

v t e Music venues of Virginia
Outdoor venues	Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion Blue Ridge Music Center Brown's Island Jiffy Lube Live Meadow Event Park Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
Theaters and clubs	Altria Theater The Birchmere Byrd Theatre Carter Family Fold The Coffee Pot Harrison Opera House Jammin' Java JV's Restaurant Little Grill Collective National Theater The NorVa Palace Theatre State Theatre
Arenas	Atlantic Union Bank Center Berglund Center Cassell Coliseum Chartway Arena EagleBank Arena Hampton Coliseum Hampton Convocation Center John Paul Jones Arena Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall Kaplan Arena Norfolk Scope Salem Civic Center Siegel Center Vines Center
Festival sites	FloydFest Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival Something in the Water
Historical venues	Richmond Coliseum Trax

History

Major games

See also

References

External links