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Gill Coliseum
Ralph Miller Court
Gill Coliseum 2016 CivilWar.jpg
Civil War against Oregon in 2016
Gill Coliseum is located in Oregon
Gill Coliseum
Gill Coliseum
Location in Oregon
Gill Coliseum is located in the United States
Gill Coliseum
Gill Coliseum
Location in the United States
Former names Oregon State Coliseum
(1949–66)
Location 660 Southwest 26th Street
Corvallis, Oregon
Coordinates 44°33′41″N 123°16′50″W / 44.5613°N 123.2805°W / 44.5613; -123.2805
Owner Oregon State University
Operator Oregon State University
Capacity 9,604 (2011–present)
10,400 (1984–2011)
10,000 (1949–1984)
Construction
Broke ground June 5, 1947
Opened December 16, 1949
Construction cost $1.842 million
($22.7 million in 2022
Architect Jones and Marsh
General contractor J. C. Watts Construction Company
Tenants
Oregon State Beavers (NCAA)
OSAA Class 5A State Basketball Championships (1999–2006, 2007–2014) partial schedule

Gill Coliseum is a multi-purpose arena in the northwest United States, located on the campus of Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Opened 75 years ago in late 1949, the arena has a seating capacity of 9,604 and is home to the Oregon State Beavers' basketball, wrestling, volleyball, and gymnastics teams. It is named after basketball coach Amory T. "Slats" Gill, who compiled a 599–392 (.604) record in 36 seasons—from 1928 to 1964.

The court is named for another OSU head coach, Ralph Miller, who led the players, including Gary Payton, Brent Barry, AC Green, Lester Conner, and Steve Johnson.

The elevation at street level is approximately 230 feet (70 m) above sea level.

History

Prior to the construction of Gill Coliseum, intercollegiate basketball games were hosted in the Oregon Agricultural College Gymnasium, constructed in 1914. which continues to stand as the current Langton Hall.

Gill Coliseum opened in December 1949, and housed the Horner Museum in the basement until the museum's closure in 1995.

NCAA Tournament

Gill Coliseum has hosted Western region games in the NCAA Tournament 11 times (1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1983). The most recent in 1983 was the West sub-regional of the 52-team tournament. It included eventual champion North Carolina State; in their opener on Friday night, the sixth-seeded Wolfpack (20–10) was down six points to #11 Pepperdine with less than a minute to go in the first overtime, then rallied and won in double overtime. It was the late game and finished after 2 am EST.

Other features

The facility has a sports medicine center, located on the lower level of the coliseum, that provides injury prevention and rehabilitation services. The center includes cardiovascular equipment and improved training facilities. Part of a $7 million renovation of the arena in 2009 included making Gill compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The renovation also included sandblasting the exterior and applying new paint. New windows were installed on the east and west sides of the coliseum. The court has gone numerous remodels as Oregon State has updated their branding. Prior to the 2013–14 season, the court was updated to reflect the athletic department's re-branding along with some graphics surrounding the lower seating.

Construction of the Sports Performance Center (SPC) began in early 2007, and work was completed in spring 2008. The building is located between Gill Coliseum and the Tommy Prothro Football Complex. The SPC houses a practice facility for wrestling and offices for the weight training staff. The 20,000-square-foot (1,900 m2) building is the home to over $500,000 in training equipment and a four-lane 60-yard (55 m) sprint track. The four-story facility includes two full-size regulation courts and basketball offices which opened in June 2013.

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