Gill Coliseum facts for kids
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Ralph Miller Court
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Civil War against Oregon in 2016
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 Gill Coliseum
Location in Oregon
Gill Coliseum
Location in the United States
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| Former names | Oregon State Coliseum (1949–66) |
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| Location | 660 Southwest 26th Street Corvallis, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 44°33′41″N 123°16′50″W / 44.5613°N 123.2805°W |
| 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 |
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Gill Coliseum is a large sports building, also known as an arena, located in Corvallis, Oregon. It is part of the Oregon State University campus. This arena opened in late 1949 and can hold 9,604 people.
It is the home court for the Oregon State Beavers' basketball teams. Other sports like wrestling, volleyball, and gymnastics also use the coliseum. The building is named after a famous basketball coach, Slats Gill, who coached for 36 years. The court inside is named Ralph Miller Court after another great coach, Ralph Miller. He coached many famous players like Gary Payton and Brent Barry.
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History of Gill Coliseum
Before Gill Coliseum was built, basketball games were played in the Oregon Agricultural College Gymnasium. This older gym was built in 1914 and is now called Langton Hall.
Gill Coliseum first opened its doors in December 1949. For many years, it also housed the Horner Museum in its basement. The museum stayed there until it closed in 1995.
Hosting NCAA Basketball Tournaments
Gill Coliseum has been a special place for college basketball. It has hosted games for the NCAA Tournament 11 times! These big games happened between 1952 and 1983.
One memorable tournament was in 1983. A team called North Carolina State played a very exciting game there. They were losing by a lot of points with less than a minute left. But they made an amazing comeback and won in double overtime! This shows how thrilling games at Gill Coliseum can be.
Cool Features and Updates
Gill Coliseum is more than just a sports arena. It has a special sports medicine center on its lower level. This center helps athletes prevent injuries and get better if they do get hurt. It has modern equipment for training and recovery.
In 2009, the arena got a big update that cost about $7 million. This renovation made the building more accessible for everyone, following the Americans with Disabilities Act. They also cleaned and repainted the outside of the building. New windows were put in on the east and west sides.
The basketball court itself has been updated many times. Before the 2013–14 season, the court got a fresh new look. This matched the new designs and colors of the Oregon State athletic department.
Sports Performance Center
Near Gill Coliseum, there's another important building called the Sports Performance Center (SPC). Work on this building started in 2007 and finished in 2008. It's located between Gill Coliseum and the Tommy Prothro Football Complex.
The SPC is a training hub for athletes. It has a practice area for wrestling and offices for the weight training staff. This 20,000 square foot building has over $500,000 worth of training equipment. It even has a four-lane, 60-yard sprint track! In June 2013, two full-size basketball courts and basketball offices were also added to the facility.
Gallery
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The outside of Gill Coliseum in 1956
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The front of Gill Coliseum in May 2008
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A basketball game inside Gill Coliseum around 1956
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The basketball court at Gill Coliseum in 2007
