Gill Coliseum

{{Short description|Building on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.}}

{{Infobox venue

| name = Gill Coliseum

| nickname = Ralph Miller Court

| fullname =

| former names = Oregon State Coliseum
(1949–66)

| logo_image =

| logo_caption =

| image = Gill Coliseum 2016 CivilWar.jpg

| image_size = 240

| image_alt =

| caption = Civil War against Oregon in January 2016

| coordinates = {{Coord|44.5613|N|123.2805|W|display=inline,title}}

| address = 660 Southwest 26th Street

| location = Oregon State University
Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.

| image_map = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=250|zoom=15|type=point}}

| pushpin_map = USA#Oregon

| pushpin_relief = 1

| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States##Location in Oregon

| pushpin_label = Corvallis

| broke_ground = June 5, 1947{{cite web |title=The Daily Barometer Index|url=http://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/1957/3746/Subject_Index_pg_1-191_ocr.pdf.txt?sequence=5|publisher=Social Science Humanities Department Oregon State University Library|access-date=November 13, 2013}}

| opened = {{start date and age|1949|12|16|br=yes}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bSdQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=twsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6259%2C2271524 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |title=OSC plays first contest in new cage coliseum |date=December 16, 1949 |page=18A}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bydQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=twsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6792%2C2373926 |work=Eugene Register Guard |location=(Oregon) |last=Strite |first=Dick |title=OSC wins first game on new floor, trip Utes |date=December 17, 1949 |page=10}}{{cite web |title=Coliseum Dedication Program|url=http://oregondigital.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/archives&CISOPTR=661&CISOBOX=1&REC=3|publisher=University of Oregon|date=January 12, 1951|access-date=November 13, 2013}}

| owner = Oregon State University

| operator = Oregon State University

| construction_cost = $1.842 million
(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|1842000|1949}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}){{inflation-fn|US}}

| 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

| seating_capacity = {{spaces|2}}9,301 (current){{cite web|title=Oregon State (12–7, 2–5) vs. USC 5–14, 0–6)|url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/orst/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/release/release_20120120aaa.pdf|publisher=Oregon State Athletics|date=January 20, 2012|access-date=November 13, 2013|archive-date=November 13, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113222357/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/orst/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2011-12/release/release_20120120aaa.pdf|url-status=dead}}
10,400 (1984–2011)
10,000 (1949–1984)

}}

Gill Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Corvallis, Oregon, located on the campus of Oregon State University. Opened in December 1949,Heartwell, James C. The History of Oregon State College Basketball, 1901/02–1952/53. Corvallis, OR: Cascade Printing Co. 1953; p. 67. the arena currently lists a seating capacity of 9,301Oregon State University Athletic Department, [https://osubeavers.com/facilities/gill-coliseum/4 "Gill Coliseum,"] osubeavers.com/ and is home to the Oregon State Beavers' basketball, wrestling, volleyball, and gymnastics teams. It is named after Amory T. "Slats" Gill, the Beavers' basketball coach for 36 seasons (from 1928 to 1964), who compiled a {{nowrap|{{winning percentage|599|392|record=y}}}} record.

The court is named for another OSU head coach, Ralph Miller, who led the basketball program from 1971 to 1989. The building also houses a weight room, equipment center, locker rooms, and offices for the Oregon State University athletic department and its teams. Inside, on the south wall of Gill Coliseum is a painted mural of many former players, including Gary Payton, Brent Barry, A. C. Green, Lester Conner, and Steve Johnson.

The elevation at street level is approximately {{convert|230|ft}} above sea level.

History

Prior to the construction of Gill Coliseum, intercollegiate basketball games were hosted in Oregon Agricultural College's Men's Gymnasium, a 2,500 seat facility"The Coliseum," in Bert E. Rose (ed.), Washington Sideliner: Oregon State vs. Washington, November 3, 1951, vol. 5, no. 5 (Nov. 3, 1951), Seattle: Associated Students of the University of Washington Athletic News Service, 1951; p. 32. constructed in 1914.[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/4677959/oregon_agricultural_colleges_new_gym/ OAC's New Gym, Scene of Commencement Activities,"] Corvallis Gazette-Times, vol. 6, no. 28 (June 4, 1914), pg. 1. which continues to stand as the current Langton Hall.{{cite journal|date=Spring 2010|title=Legendary Hoop Star Red Rocha, Tower of the 'Thrill Kids,' Dies|journal=Oregon Stater|publisher=OSU Alumni Association|volume=95|issue=2|page=32|url=http://www.osualum.com/s/359/file_lib/1/28/201004_sports_634055524876424940.pdf}}

Built at a cost of $1.8 million, the Coliseum opened in December 1949. The facility had an initial capacity of 10,000, with no seats having views obstructed by support pillars. The name "Gill Coliseum" was initially an informal and unofficial moniker in honor of the team's longtime and then-current head basketball coach Amory "Slats" Gill, with Oregon State initially prohibited by the state board of higher education from naming a building after a living individual.

The building also housed the Horner Museum in the basement until the museum's closure {{nowrap|in 1995.{{cite news|last1=Tomlinson|first1=Stuart|title=Presidential tokens stolen from Oregon State University museum returned 50 years later|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2014/08/presidential_tokens_stolen_fro.html|access-date=27 August 2014|work=The Oregonian|date=August 26, 2014}}}}

=NCAA tournament=

Gill Coliseum has hosted Western region games in the men's Division I NCAA tournament 11 times (1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1960, 1962, 1964, 1967, 1983). The most recent in 1983 was the West sub-regional of the 52-team tournament. It included eventual champion North Carolina State; in their opener on Friday night, the sixth-seeded Wolfpack (20–10) was down six points to #11 Pepperdine with less than a minute to go in the first overtime, then rallied and won in double overtime. It was the late game and finished {{nowrap|after 2 am EST.{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8KZYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=QOIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6832%2C4298068|work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |last=Withers |first=Bud |title=Wolfpack claws past the Waves |date=March 19, 1983 |page=1B}}{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=haFfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DzIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6253%2C1124847 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |agency=Associated Press |title=Whittenburg helps Wolfpack edge by Pepperdine, 69-67 |date=March 19, 1983 |page=2C}}}}

Other features

The facility has a sports medicine center, located on the lower level of the coliseum, that provides injury prevention and rehabilitation services. The center includes cardiovascular equipment and improved training facilities. Part of a {{nowrap|$7 million}} renovation of the arena in 2009 included making Gill compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.{{cite journal|date=Fall 2009|title=Barrels of paint for Gill; big plans for the area|journal=Oregon Stater|volume=94|issue=3|pages=48|url=http://www.osualum.com/s/359/file_lib/1/25/spring09Stater_WEB_4451_633875952129294886.pdf}} The renovation also included sandblasting the exterior and applying new paint. New windows were installed on the east and west sides of the coliseum. The court has gone numerous remodels as Oregon State has updated their branding. Prior to the 2013–14 season, the court was updated to reflect the athletic department's re-branding along with some graphics surrounding the lower seating.{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}

Construction of the Sports Performance Center (SPC) began in early 2007, and work was completed in spring 2008. The building is located between Gill Coliseum and the Tommy Prothro Football

Complex. The SPC houses a practice facility for wrestling and offices for the weight training staff. The {{Convert|20000|sqft|m2|adj=on}} building is the home to over $500,000 in training equipment and a {{nowrap|four-lane}} {{nowrap|{{Convert|60|yd|m|adj=on}}}} sprint track. The four-story facility includes two full-size regulation courts and basketball offices which opened {{nowrap|in June 2013.{{cite news |title=Oregon State Celebrates Opening of Basketball Practice Facility|first=Lindsay|last=Schnell|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/beavers/index.ssf/2013/06/oregon_state_celebrates_openin.html#incart_m-rpt-2|newspaper=The Oregonian|location=Portland, OR|date=June 11, 2013|access-date=June 12, 2013}}}}