The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1530878
46 ■ THE WOLFPACKER BY TIM PEELER T here's really no way to list the big- gest events in the history of Reynolds Coliseum, NC State's home for athlet- ics, cultural events, concerts, ROTC classes, commencement exercises and so much more during its 75 years in the middle of NC State's campus. So, the subjective lists below are just the start of the discussion, not the end. Reynolds opened on Dec. 2, 1949, when Everett Case's Wolfpack de- feated Washington & Lee in a South- ern Conference basketball game. The long-awaited coliseum, construction of which was restarted before World War II but halted until well after peace was restored, was freshly painted but hardly finished. One large section of bare con- crete risers did not have seats installed. The indoor arena, capable of seat- ing more than 12,000 spectators in its prime, has served the university, the city of Raleigh and the state of North Carolina as the most-used multipur- pose facility in the country during its three-quarters of a century. Thanks to a 2015-16 refresh, which reduced the seating capacity to 5,500 and created a home for the NC State Athletic Hall of Fame and a walk of his- tory, the coliseum continues to be a ma- jor home-court advantage for women's basketball, volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics. Top Five Men's Basketball Games Dec. 30, 1958: Of all the greatest players in basketball history to take the court at Reynolds — Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, David Thompson, Tommy Burleson, Michael Jordan, Ralph Sampson, Tim Duncan, Christian Laettner, just to name a few — none left Raleigh more disappointed than Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson. The Bearcats came to the 1958 Dixie Classic ranked No. 2 in the nation and favored to win. On back-to-back nights, however, they lost to No. 5 NC State, 69-60, and No. 6 North Carolina, 90-88. In three days, the Wolfpack beat Lou- isville in overtime, Robertson's Bearcats and seventh-ranked Michigan State with Jumping Johnny Green. Some say the third-place matchup that year, in which North Carolina edged Cincinnati, may be the second- greatest game ever played in the history of the state, eclipsed only by the 1974 ACC Tournament championship game at the Greensboro Coliseum. Reynolds Coliseum's Diamond Anniversary Evokes Memories Of The Times It Shone Brightest PACK PAST Reynolds Coliseum has been one of NC State's primary athletics venues for 75 years. It currently serves as home to the women's basketball, volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics programs. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS