Grand Re-Opening of Historic Memorial Coliseum Celebrated

$82 Million Renovated Building Honors Kentuckians Who Have Given Their Lives in World War II and Subsequent Military Service

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky celebrated the Grand Re-Opening of Memorial Coliseum on Saturday with a four-hour event highlighted by a dedication ceremony inside the arena.

Tom Hammond, a UK graduate and legendary television and radio announcer, began the dedication ceremony by welcoming the audience with a heartfelt collection of memories from his Lexington childhood through his broadcasting career.  From that point, Wildcat women’s basketball alumna Bria Goss was the master of ceremonies.

Goss introduced a variety of speakers from the University, the Governor’s Office, the Kentucky General Assembly, the military and former Wildcat athletes, including:

• Dr. Eli Capilouto, University of Kentucky President
• Rocky Adkins, Special Advisor to the Governor
• David Meade, Speaker Pro Tem of the Kentucky House of Representatives and 80^th District Representative
• Amanda Mays Bledsoe, Kentucky State Senate 12th District
• Dr. E. Britt Brockman, Chair of the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees
• Colonel Mark Roland, 30-year U.S. Air Force veteran, former UK Professor of Aerospace Studies and leader of UK Air Force ROTC; has performed extensive work in multiple veteran and military service organizations; father of Captain Matthew Roland, Special Tactics Office of the U.S. Air Force who was killed in action on August 26, 2015, in Ag
• Mitch Barnhart, University of Kentucky Director of Athletics
• Lieutenant Colonel Thad Jaracz, UK basketball alumnus and U.S. Army veteran
• Alli (Stumler) Linehan, UK volleyball alumna, first-team All-American and member of the 2020 National Championship team

Following the speeches, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on stage, with Dr. Capilouto doing the honors.  The event concluded with military musical selections played by the 202^nd Army Band of the Kentucky National Guard.

Memorial Coliseum was originally completed in 1950, named as a remembrance of the more than 9,000 Kentuckians who died in World War II.  The renovation continues that theme with new stone monuments, inscribed with the names of those Kentuckians, in the plaza facing Euclid Avenue/Avenue of Champions.  In addition, Kentuckians in the military who have died in the Korean War, Vietnam War and subsequent conflicts, are recognized with a display in the front lobby.

Saturday’s Re-Opening Celebration was the culmination of a two-year, $82 million construction project that began in the spring of 2023.   The competition spaces in the arena bowl, along with the fan spaces of seating, concession stands and restrooms, were ready in August of 2024 for the volleyball, women’s basketball, gymnastics and STUNT seasons.  The teams thrived in the upgraded environment, as the volleyball team won its eighth-straight Southeastern Conference championship and earned the honor of playing host to NCAA Tournament matches in the facility.  The basketball team also secured a top-16 national seed and played host to the first and second rounds of its NCAA tourney.   In addition, STUNT played host to, and won, the Mid America West Conference Tournament.   The gymnastics squad took advantage of the friendly confines, continuing its steady success with another trip to the NCAA Regional.

Since the autumn of ’24, the remaining spaces have been completed, including a renovation of the Center for Academic and Tutorial Services (CATS), which in 1981 was the nation’s first facility in the nation dedicated solely for the academic guidance of student-athletes.  Additional support facilities and offices are also part of the Memorial renovation.

All four UK teams that use the facility were in the audience Saturday, along with the local “Rolling Thunder” unit that honors soldiers who were prisoners of war or missing in action (POW/MIA). The audience included numerous dignitaries who have played a role in the past and present of the Coliseum, the use of which has gone far beyond athletic events.  The Coliseum has been a hub of campus activities – ranging from concerts to campus registration, to commencement ceremonies, to the famed Dance Blue fundraising event, and many other purposes – since its original construction in 1950.

Saturday’s event was preceded by a two-hour Community Fair that featured a display of military vehicles, food trucks, live music, face-painting, giveaways, local vendors and information stations.

Partners participating in the Community Fair event include AT&T, Coca-Cola, Critchfield Meats Family Market, Drake’s, Huck’s Market, Kroger, Playa Bowls, Taylor Belle’s, Thoroughbred Engineering Firm, UK HealthCare, and White, Greer & Maggard Orthodontics.

About Historic Memorial Coliseum
Situated along Euclid Avenue on the University of Kentucky campus, Memorial Coliseum was completed in 1950 at a cost of approximately $4 million.

• • In 1990, a $1 million renovation project added a state-of-the-art weight training facility, new basketball and athletics administration offices, players’ lounges, and a team meeting room.
    • As a result of the renovation, the seating capacity was reduced from 11,500 to 8,500.
  • The building also houses UK’s Center for Academic and Tutorial Services (CATS), a $2.4 million facility which opened in 1998.
  • Further enhancements were made to the Coliseum when a new video board and scoreboard were installed in 2007 and a sound system was added in 2008.
• Historic Memorial Coliseum continues to pay tribute to and honor more than 9,000 servicemen and women who died in World War II and also honors those who have fallen in the Korean War, Vietnam War and subsequent military service. The renovation project includes an outdoor memorial on Euclid Avenue and interactive display inside the main entrance.

• • The World War II figure includes 344 University of Kentucky students, faculty and staff who died in the war; among those 344 were 25 student-athletes from the sports of baseball, basketball, boxing, fencing, football, golf, swimming & diving, tennis and track & field
• 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of the facility opening in 1950.
• The $82 million Memorial Coliseum renovation project constitutes the biggest investment in women’s sports facilities in school history.
• The project ensures the Kentucky Women’s Basketball, Volleyball, Gymnastics and STUNT Teams call home a state-of-the-art facility that honors Kentucky’s historic past. The Kentucky Men’s Basketball team played in the arena from 1950-197
• UK athletics teams based in the Coliseum have won three national championships (men’s basketball two, volleyball one) and 34 SEC championships (17 men’s basketball, 13 volleyball, two women’s basketball and two wrestling).
• A historical marker honoring legendary Head Coach Adolph Rupp – who led the Wildcats in Historic Memorial Coliseum from its opening 1950 until his retirement in 1972 – stands outside the facility on Avenue of Champions.