Bud Walton Arena facts for kids
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Basketball Palace of Mid-America
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| Location | 1270 Nolan Richardson Drive Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701-5570 |
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| Coordinates | 36°03′41″N 94°10′41″W / 36.061518°N 94.178188°W |
| Owner | University of Arkansas |
| Operator | University of Arkansas |
| Capacity | 19,368 (2009–present) 19,200 (1993–2009) |
| Record attendance | 20,344 (November 29, 2023 vs. Duke) |
| Surface | Hardwood Floor |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | March 28, 1992 |
| Opened | November 29, 1993 |
| Construction cost | $30 Million ($60.8 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect | Rosser International Mott, Mobley, McGowan & Griffin |
| General contractor | Huber, Hunt & Nichiols |
| Tenants | |
| Arkansas Razorbacks men's and women's basketball teams (1993-present) | |
Bud Walton Arena is a large sports building. It is also known as the Basketball Palace of Mid-America. This arena is the home court for the Arkansas Razorbacks basketball teams. Both the men's and women's teams from the University of Arkansas play their games here.
The arena is located on the university campus in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It can hold 19,368 people. This makes it one of the biggest on-campus arenas in the United States. Inside, on the ground floor, there is the Bud Walton Arena Razorback Sports Museum. It shows the history of many Razorback sports, like basketball, track and field, baseball, tennis, and golf.
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Building the Arena
The arena is named after James "Bud" Walton. He was one of the people who started the famous store Walmart. Bud Walton gave a lot of money to help build the arena. He reportedly donated about $15 million. This was around half of the total cost to build the arena.
Building the arena was a very fast process. It took only 18 months to finish. This was a short time for such a big project. The architects, Rosser International, designed it to fit many seats into a smaller space. They wanted to create a strong home-court advantage for the Razorbacks.
First Years of Play
The Razorbacks basketball teams have played in Bud Walton Arena since November 1993. In the arena's very first season, the men's team won the national championship. Before Bud Walton Arena, the teams played at Barnhill Arena. Barnhill Arena was later updated to be a special place for volleyball and gymnastics. It also hosts high school graduations now.
In the early years, coach Nolan Richardson's teams were very popular. They often had more than 20,000 fans at their games. Sometimes, people even had to stand because all the seats were full.
Arena Upgrades and Changes
Since it first opened, Bud Walton Arena has received many cool updates. In 2004, a new, big scoreboard was added. It is 24 feet wide and 22 feet tall. This scoreboard has four video screens. Each screen is 12 feet 6 inches wide and 8 feet 10 inches tall. There is also a special light-up ring at the top that shows game statistics.
In 2005, the locker rooms were made new and modern. A comfortable lounge and a meeting area were also added for the teams. Before the 2008–09 season, eight new luxury suites were built. This brought the total number of suites to 47. More seats were added right next to the court. The student section was also changed, and seats for the press were moved. These updates helped the arena hold 19,368 people.
Nolan Richardson Court
On February 6, 2018, students at the University of Arkansas made a special request. They asked the university to name the basketball court after former coach Nolan Richardson. He was a very important coach for the Razorbacks.
On March 28, 2019, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees agreed. They voted to officially name the court in honor of Coach Nolan Richardson. So now, the court where the Razorbacks play is called Nolan Richardson Court.
Arena Records
Bud Walton Arena has seen some amazing crowds. The record for the most people at a game was 20,361 fans. This happened on February 8, 2022, during a game against Auburn.
See also
- List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas
