| C.M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum | |
|---|---|
| "The Tad Pad" | |
| Former names | Rebel Coliseum (1966–1972) |
| Location | Confederate Dr University, MS 38677 |
| Opened | 1966 |
| Owner | University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) |
| Operator | University of Mississippi |
| Capacity | 9,061 |
| Tenants | |
| Ole Miss Rebels (Men's and Women's Basketball) |
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C. M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum is an 9,061-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Mississippi. It is home to the University of Mississippi Rebels and Lady Rebels basketball teams. It has also hosted many concerts, one of which was The Allman Brothers w/ Gov't Mule in November 1995.
The circular building, similar to many arenas constructed at the time, has a 272'-diameter white steel-framed, Neoprene-covered roof which tops out at 89' above the court. From its exterior, it looks like a giant hub cap. The floor, 130' from end to end with its Rebel red and blue trim, is located twelve feet below the surrounding ground level. The seats were replaced in 2001 with navy blue upholstered seats. The center-court scoreboard includes four new Pro Star video boards and a state-of-the-art sound system. The outside of the building includes red Mississippi brick and blue vinyl-covered steel siding. It is located to the southwest of the center of campus, west of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. A Confederate cemetery lies behind the building.
The building opened during the 1965-1966 as Rebel Coliseum. It was renamed on March 25, 1972 to honor C.M. "Tad" Smith, former three-sport letterman, coach and athletic director at the university. The largest crowd ever at the building was on February 10, 2007, when 9,452 fans watched the Rebels defeat the No. 18 Alabama Crimson Tide.
Prior to the building of the Coliseum, the team played in Old Gym (now the Martindale Student Services Center), a 2,500-seat gym built in 1929.[1] It is worth noting, however, that the arena never once hosted a game against Kentucky in the building, not even scheduling a "home" contest until 1949. They elected to play at neutral sites, including Owensboro, Kentucky (Memorial Auditorium); Memphis, Tennessee (the old Ellis Auditorium); and Jackson, Mississippi (Jackson Municipal Auditorium), the site of the last three off-campus games against the Wildcats.[2]
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