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Nolan Richardson Court at Bud Walton Arena
Basketball Palace of Mid-America
Map
Location1270 Nolan Richardson Drive
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701-5570
Coordinates36°03′41″N 94°10′41″W / 36.061518°N 94.178188°W / 36.061518; -94.178188
OwnerUniversity of Arkansas
OperatorUniversity of Arkansas
Capacity19,368 (2009–present)
19,200 (1993–2009)
Record attendance20,344 (November 29, 2023 vs. Duke)
SurfaceHardwood Floor
Construction
Broke groundMarch 28, 1992[1]
OpenedNovember 29, 1993
Construction cost$30 Million
($63.3 million in 2023 dollars[2])
ArchitectRosser International[1]
Mott Mobley McGowan & Griffin[1]
General contractorHuber, Hunt & Nichiols[1]
Tenants
Arkansas Razorbacks men's and women's basketball teams (1993-present)
Interior of Bud Walton Arena during a men's basketball game vs Kentucky in 2023

Bud Walton Arena (also known as the Basketball Palace of Mid-America) is the home to the men's and women's basketball teams of the University of Arkansas, known as the Razorbacks. It is located on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas and has a seating capacity of 19,368, which is the fifth largest for an on-campus arena in the United States.

The arena features Bud Walton Arena Razorback Sports Museum on the ground level, which houses a history of Razorback basketball, track and field, baseball, tennis and golf.

Construction[edit]

The arena is named after James "Bud" Walton, co-founder of Walmart, who donated a large portion of the funds needed to build the arena. Walton purportedly gave $15 million, or around half of the construction cost.[3] Construction of the arena took only 18 months, a short time considering the size of the undertaking.

When it was built, it was touted as a larger version of Barnhill Arena, the team's former home. In hopes of recreating the formidable home-court advantage the Razorbacks enjoyed at Barnhill, architect Rosser International built an arena that, as the company put it, had "more seats in less space than in any other facility of the same type anywhere in the world."[4]

Early years[edit]

The arena has been the home to the Razorbacks since November 1993; the men's team won the national championship[5] in the arena's first season of operation. The basketball team's former home, Barnhill Arena was renovated into a volleyball-specific facility and now houses the Razorback volleyball and gymnastics teams, along with hosting high school graduations.[6]

In its early years, Nolan Richardson's teams frequently attracted standing-room-only crowds of over 20,000.

Improvements[edit]

Since its opening, there have been a number of enhancements and improvements to the arena. In 2004, a new custom scoreboard debuted, which is 24 feet 3 inches (7.39 m) wide by 22 feet (6.7 m) tall, features four video screens, each 12 feet 6 inches (3.81 m) wide by 8 feet 10 inches (2.69 m) tall. (There is also a LED ring at the top that is used to display game statistics.) In 2005, the locker rooms were remodeled, and a lounge and meeting area were added. Prior to the 2008–09 season, eight luxury suites were added, raising the total to 47. In addition, courtside seating was added, the student section was reconfigured, and press seating was moved to the east side of the arena behind the basket. In 2008, LED ribbon boards were installed around the ring between the upper and lower decks.[7] The addition of these improvements expanded seating to 19,368. Prior to the 2013-14 season, the press seating was moved to the southeast corner of the bottom bowl, with its prior location being used for an expanded student section.

Nolan Richardson Court[edit]

On February 6, 2018, the University of Arkansas’s Associated Student Government Senate passed a resolution by Senator Clay Smith to encourage the University of Arkansas Athletic Department to name the court at the arena in honor of former Arkansas head coach Nolan Richardson. [8]

On March 28, 2019, the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees voted unanimously to name the court in honor of former coach Richardson.[9]

Statistics of Bud Walton Arena[edit]

Attendance Record: 20,361 vs. Auburn, February 8, 2022.

Attendance Chart (men) for every year Bud Walton Arena has been in operation[7]

Season Overall Record SEC Record Overall Attendance Average Attendance Rank Nationally
1993–94 16–0 (1.000)

(NCAA National Champions)

8–0 (1.000) 322,146 20,134 4th
1994–95 14–1 (.933)

(NCAA Runner-Up)

7–1 (.875) 301,212 20,081 4th
1995–96 14–4 (.778) 6–2 (.750) 346,698 19,261 5th
1996–97 15–3 (.833) 6–2 (.750) 329,540 18,308 5th
1997–98 15–0 (1.000) 8–0 (1.000) 291,089 19,406 4th
1998–99 14–2 (.875) 6–2 (.750) 292,704 18,294 5th
1999–00 9–5 (.643) 5–3 (.625) 249,300 17,807 6th
2000–01 16–2 (.889) 7–1 (.875) 292,057 16,225 9th
2001–02 11–5 (.688) 5–3 (.625) 241,033 15,065 13th
2002–03 8–8 (.500) 3–5 (.375) 236,638 14,790 14th
2003–04 10–6 (.625) 4–4 (.500) 236,676 14,792 13th
2004–05 13–3 (.813) 5–3 (.625) 252,608 15,788 9th
2005–06 15–1 (.938) 7–1 (.875) 239,336 14,958 12th
2006–07 13–3 (.813) 5–3 (.625) 267,520 16,720 9th
2007–08 15–1 (.938) 7–1 (.875) 274,360 17,148 8th
2008–09 12–6 (.667) 2–6 (.250) 288,781 16,043 11th
2009–10 11–8 (.579) 5–3 (.625) 256,667 13,509 17th
2010–11 15–3 (.833) 5–3 (.625) 216,999 12,055 29th
2011–12 17–3 (.850) 5–3 (.625) 262,329 13,116 23rd
2012–13 17–1 (.944) 9–0 (1.000) 252,857 14,047 17th
2013–14 17–2 (.895) 7–2 (.778) 280,465 14,023 10th
2014–15 16–2 (.889) 7–2 (.778) 283,485 15,749 11th
2015–16 13–4 (.765) 6–3 (.667) 258,705 15,217 12th
2016–17 15–3 (.833) 6–3 (.667) xxx,xxx xx,xxx nth
2017–18 15–2 (.882) 7–2 (.778) xxx,xxx xx,xxx nth
2018–19 12–6 (.667) 5–4 (.555) xxx,xxx xx,xxx nth
2019–20 14–4 (.778) 5–4 (.555) xxx,xxx xx,xxx nth
2020-21 16-1 (.941) 8-1 (.888) xxx,xxx xxx,xxx nth
Totals 332–74 (.817) 143–54 (.726) 6,273,705 16,197 Avg. Rank: 11th

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Waldon, George (March 29, 1993). "Everybody Wants a Seat in Bud's Building". Arkansas Business. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  2. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "Old Model, New Money". Scout.com. Archived from the original on 2008-12-20. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
  4. ^ "Bud Walton Arena". University of Arkansas Athletic Department. Archived from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
  5. ^ Berkowitz, Steve (April 5, 1994). "Arkansas hits Hog Heaven With NCAA Title". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
  6. ^ "Barnhill Arena: Home of the Lady Razorbacks". University of Arkansas Athletic Department. Archived from the original on April 20, 2006. Retrieved January 13, 2008.
  7. ^ a b "Basketball at Bud Walton Arena". University of Arkansas Athletic Department. September 17, 2013. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
  8. ^ "UA students push Nolan Richardson Court". Arkansas Online. 2018-02-13. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  9. ^ "Nolan Richardson Court: Home To Razorback Basketball". Retrieved March 29, 2019.

External links[edit]

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bud_Walton_Arena