Stegeman Coliseum, formerly known as Georgia Coliseum, is a 10,523-seat multi-purpose arena in Athens, Georgia, United States. The arena opened in 1964, and named in honor of Herman Stegeman.
- Venue
- Stegeman Coliseum
- Town
- Athens, US
- Capacity
- 11,200
Stegeman Coliseum, formerly known as Georgia Coliseum, is a 10,523-seat multi-purpose arena in Athens, Georgia, United States. The arena opened in 1964, and named in honor of Herman Stegeman. It is home to the University of Georgia Bulldogs basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics teams. It was also the venue of the rhythmic gymnastics and preliminary indoor volleyball matches during the 1996 Summer Olympics, as well as the 1989, 1995, and 2008 NCAA gymnastics championships. As a multi-purpose facility, the Coliseum also hosted a variety of other kinds of events, including many large indoor rock concerts during its early history, as well as the university's Graduate School commencement exercises. At its opening it replaced Woodruff Hall, a 3,000-seat field house built in 1923. The ceiling is barrel-shaped, with the Sanford Drive side being curved as well. The resulting inside seating is in a "U" shape, with the flat end, which includes the scoreboard, not having the upper levels of seating. The Sanford Drive side was decorated with the Olympic insignia and other markings for the 1996 Summer Olympics. The roof is a separate structure from the coliseum itself, connected by an aluminum bellows which allows the roof to rise and fall with the temperature. The roof has four outward supports in an arc style. The former Georgia Coliseum received its current name on March 2, 1996, in honor of Herman Stegeman, a longtime basketball coach at UGA who was a pioneer in the development of the original Southern Conference basketball tournament in 1921. The university has undertaken several renovations. Originally, Stegeman Coliseum had a stage at one end. Today, a scoreboard, a new section for student seating and banners commemorating the accomplishments of the teams that call Stegeman Coliseum home occupy that space. In anticipation of the 1996 Olympic Games, Stegeman Coliseum received new scoreboard systems, including the first video replay board in an SEC basketball venue. In 2000