Littlejohn Coliseum

Littlejohn Coliseum
Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, before the first official game in the renovated arena, vs Georgia
Location Centennial Boulevard
Clemson, South Carolina, USA 29631
Coordinates 34°40′49″N 82°50′47″W / 34.68028°N 82.84639°W / 34.68028; -82.84639Coordinates: 34°40′49″N 82°50′47″W / 34.68028°N 82.84639°W / 34.68028; -82.84639
Owner Clemson University
Operator Clemson University
Capacity 10,325 (basketball)
8,400 (End Stage 360)
7,559 (End Stage 270)
6,584 (End Stage 230)
5,771 (End Stage 180)
4,375 (Side Stage)
Surface Hardwood
Construction
Broke ground December 13, 1966
Opened November 30, 1968
Renovated

January 5, 2003,

October 14, 2016
Construction cost $8,000,000
($56.3 million in 2017 dollars[1])
Architect J.E. Sirrine Company[2]
HOK Sport (renovation)
Structural engineer Geiger Engineers (new roof for renovation)
General contractor Cecil's Inc.[2]
Tenants
Clemson Tigers
(men's and women's Basketball)

The Littlejohn Coliseum, is a 10,325-seat multi-purpose arena in Clemson, South Carolina, United States. It is home to the Clemson University Tigers men's and women's basketball teams. It is also the site of Clemson graduations and the Clemson Career Fair. It is owned and operated by Clemson University and hosts more than 150 events per year including concerts, trade shows, galas, and sporting events.

History

Littlejohn Coliseum was first opened in 1968.[3] It was named for James Corcoran Littlejohn, class of 1908, the school's first business manager, who was instrumental in many of the school's early building projects, including the building it replaced, Clemson Field House, and Memorial Stadium. He was an avid supporter of Clemson athletics.

Littlejohn Coliseum from the inside (2003-2015 configuration)
Littlejohn Coliseum from the outside

The Tigers played their home games in the coliseum, at times giving the ACC powers Duke and North Carolina close games. The record for attendance was 13,863 when Clemson won over first place Duke in overtime on January 9, 1980. Until the 1998 completion of the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, South Carolina, it was the largest arena in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson market.

Littlejohn Coliseum has been the scene of 43 Clemson wins over ranked teams, including a victory over #1 Duke in 1980, a 75-65 victory over #1 North Carolina in 2001, and a 74-47 victory over #3 Duke in 2009.

Both the men's and women's basketball teams have won roughly 75% of their games played in Littlejohn. In January 2010, it hosted ESPN's College Gameday for a game against Duke.

Littlejohn Coliseum was renovated and reopened on January 5, 2003. The overall building square footage was increased from 95,000 to 167,500. The square footage for both the training room and weight room was increased eightfold, while the media facility was increased by 3.5 times. Over 2 million square inches of curtain wall as well as a new 700-ton roof were added. Fan amenities were also renovated, as restrooms were tripled and concessions areas were doubled. The renovations included all new purple cushion seats with orange tiger paws and a new playing floor. The cost of the renovation – $31 million – was approximately ten times that of the original building cost.

As well as sports, in its 50 year history, Littlejohn Coliseum has hosted many concerts by musical groups, including Allman Brothers Band in '71, Chicago, R.E.M. in '87, Def Leppard, Huey Lewis and the News, Fleetwood Mac, David Lee Roth, Rod Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice in Chains in '92, 311 in '03, Fall Out Boy with Plain White T's and Young Wild Things Tour in '07, Evanescence on tour in 2012, Kesha Warrior Tour in 2015. It annually hosted FM 93.3 The Planet's "Birthday Bash."

In 2011, Clemson announced a $50 million athletic building plan. As a part of this plan, Littlejohn Coliseum was renovated. An additional practice facility was built at the southwest corner of Littlejohn Coliseum. Cost for the project was estimated at $5 million.[4] The renovation was completed with an opening ceremony on October 14, 2016. The construction project cost a total of $63.5 million.[5] The renovated studio included the new Swann Pavilion, which includes a 13,000 square foot practice gym, team suites, a film room, weight room and lounges. The renovation also upgraded the stadium entrance, exterior, and added two new LED boards. To fit in the new facilities, the basketball floor was rotated 90 degrees, and the stadium capacity was reduced to 9,000 seats.[6][7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Littlejohn Coliseum Closed for Roof Repairs". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. September 15, 1989. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Coliseum to be new, improved and ready to go". By Dan Hope, Anderson Independent Mail, July 03, 2016
  4. ↑ "Clemson Unveils $50M Athletic Building Plan". WSPA. Spartanburg. January 14, 2011. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Top-seeded Kansas to face upstart Clemson in Midwest". Montreal Gazette, March 22, 2018
  6. ↑ "Renovations of Clemson's Littlejohn Coliseum complete". Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Clemson arena makes turn for the better". Sports Business Daily, By Don Muret, October 24, 2016.
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