Mizzou Arena is an indoor arena located on the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. Home to the school's men's and women's basketball teams, the facility opened in November 2004 and replaced the Hearnes Center as the school's flagship indoor sports facility. The arena also serves as the Columbia-Jefferson City market's venue for well-known 'arena' acts such as Rascal Flatts, Luke Bryan and the Eagles. The arched-roof building seats 15,061, and is located just south of Hearnes and Memorial Stadium. The arena is host to Missouri State High School Activities Association championships for basketball and wrestling. The arena was originally known as Paige Sports Arena.[7]
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| Former names | Paige Sports Arena (October–November 2004; three regular season games[1]) |
|---|---|
| Location | One Champions Drive Columbia, Missouri 65211 |
| Coordinates | 38°55′57″N 92°19′59″W / 38.93237°N 92.33303°W |
| Public transit |  Go COMO |
| Owner | University of Missouri |
| Operator | University of Missouri |
| Capacity | 15,061 (2004–present) |
| Surface | Hardwood |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | September 21, 2002 |
| Opened | October 13, 2004[6] |
| Construction cost | $75 million ($121 million in 2023 dollars[2]) |
| Architect | CDFM2 HOK Sport (now Populous) |
| Structural engineer | Walter P Moore[3] |
| Services engineer | M-E Engineers, Inc.[4] |
| General contractor | J.E. Dunn Construction Group[5] |
| Tenants | |
| Missouri Tigers (Men's & Women's Basketball) | |
About the arena
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Mizzou Arena also includes offices for the Men's and Women's basketball programs, the Athletic Administration and Mizzou Arena's Building Operations. For the basketball programs the arena also offers locker rooms, a 24-hour practice gym,[8] weight and training facilities including a hydrotherapy pool, video classrooms with audio and video editing capabilities, and an academic study center.
Missouri basketball coach from 1967 to 1999, Norm Stewart, is the namesake of the arena's playing court.[9]
History
editAfter protracted negotiations,[10] a third of the venue's $75 million cost was donated by Walmart heiress Nancy Walton Laurie and her husband Bill. It was initially named Paige Sports Arena after their daughter (who attended the University of Southern California rather than Mizzou, to much alumni and student criticism regarding the name), but the Lauries gave up their naming rights due to a term paper scandal involving that daughter shortly after the arena's dedication.[11][12][13][14] The name of the arena's playing surface, Norm Stewart Court (in honor of Mizzou's longtime men's coach), was carried over from the basketball team's previous home at the Hearnes Center with the arena's opening in 2004.[9]
In September 2014, the university announced renovations to the arena including new scoreboard infrastructure, improvements to the facility's entryway and upgrades to the team's locker room coming from a $1.5 million donation.[15]
In June 2017, a former Mizzou athletics staffer was arrested on two felony charges after he allegedly drove a Volkswagen Passat through Mizzou Arena and onto Norm Stewart Court early that morning, causing an estimated $100,000 in damages.[16]
Prior to the 2023-2024 basketball season, the gold seats inside the arena were removed and replaced with black seats. [17]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "2004-05 Missouri Tigers Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Mizzou Arena". Walter P Moore. Archived from the original on March 11, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
- ^ "College Arenas". M-E Engineers, Inc. Archived from the original on January 13, 2008. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
- ^ Broughton, David (November 22, 2004). "Show Me Money: Missouri Arena Delivers Revenue". SportsBusiness Journal. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
- ^ "Mizzou Athletics to Hold Series of Open Houses at Paige Sports Arena". Missouri Athletics. October 8, 2004. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
- ^ Jenna Isaacson (24 November 2004). "College removes name of Wal-Mart heiress on arena". USA Today. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ Dellenger, Ross (July 24, 2012). "$200 Million Questions: MU Officials Weigh Options for Facilities". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved July 24, 2014.
There are other ideas floating about, too. A second basketball practice gym is a possibility. Mizzou Arena has just one practice court.
- ^ a b "New Arena Floor Named for Norm Stewart". University of Missouri Department of Athletics. March 7, 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
- ^ Sherbo, Marisa (16 September 1997). "Arena plans move forward without Lauries" donation". The Maneater. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
MU administrators say they still are committed to building a new basketball arena, even though they will have to do it without the $10 million donation from Bill and Nancy Laurie.
- ^ "Lauries Transfer Arena Naming Rights Back to Missouri U." St. Louis Business Journal. November 23, 2004. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
- ^ Simon, Stephanie (November 25, 2004). "Benefactors Find Scandal Gave New Arena a Bad Name". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
- ^ "Univ. of Missouri Board Approves New Arena Name". St. Louis Business Journal. November 26, 2004. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
- ^ Martin, Sheena (December 10, 2004). "Paige Sports Arena Signs Removed from eBay". The Maneater. University of Missouri–Columbia. Retrieved December 17, 2013.
- ^ Walentik, Steve (September 19, 2014). "Mizzou Arena Getting Upgrades After 10 Years". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
- ^ Matter, Dave (26 June 2017). "MU grad drives onto court at Mizzou Arena, causes $100K in damage". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
- ^ Hudnell, Bryan (21 July 2023). "Seating at Mizzou Arena is changing from gold to black". KRCG. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
External links
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