After 42 years of service, Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum will sound its buzzer for the last time Wednesday when the men host Mississippi State at 7 p.m.
The coliseum opened its doors in 1969 and served as a multi-purposed building for the community.
The first game was Jan. 11, 1969, against LSU.
Auburn squashed the Bayou Bengals 90-71 in front of 11,166 fans.
Keith Bagwell, director of athletic facilities, remembers what it was like being at the first game.
"The first game was one of the most memorable that I've ever been to," Bagwell said. "I think it was Pete Maravich's junior year and just to see him as a college player was incredible."
The coliseum has hosted some of the most memorable events in Auburn history.
Aside from basketball games, the building has hosted some of the biggest names in music from the Temptations to Elton John and, in our time, O.A.R. and Akon.
Elvis Presley, perhaps the biggest artist to rock the coliseum, is still one of the most talked about shows.
The artist, known for his elaborate outfits, wore an orange costume just for the Auburn crowd. "Every seat was sold through mail order, there were no over the counter ticket sales and that's how quickly it sold out," Bagwell said. "Not being a big Elvis fan, the electric part didn't really excite me that much, but watching the people there and see the excitement to see him perform made it a special day." Susan Nunnelly, campus recreation and announcer for women's volleyball and basketball, has been in and out of the old arena since it opened. Nunnelly was a member of the pep band during the first men's basketball game.
She coached for the first women's game held in the old building, exactly five years after the doors opened.
"At that time, the women's team practiced in the old sports arena and we decided we would play maybe a few games in the coliseum," Nunnelly said. "It was on a Friday night and we played Alabama, which made it that much better and we won 69-31."
In the early years, the coliseum had a competition track around the basketball court and hosted track meets on top of basketball and gymnastics events.
The building has been a venue for musical guests, off-broadway plays and regularly hosts Auburn's graduation ceremonies.
"It brought a lot not only to the campus, but to the Auburn-Opelika and Lee County area and it certainly served its purpose for a long time," Nunnelly said.
When the lights go down at the coliseum Wednesday, a new chapter will begin for the basketball programs.
According to auburnundercover.com, the new arena is the most expensive single-building athletic project ever constructed in the state, with a budget of $86 million.
The board of trustees approved the project in the summer of 2007 and construction began a year later.
The new arena will have a two-court practice area with 18 hoops to shoot at.
The basketball administration offices will move over to the new building, along with the Loveless Museum and Hall of Honor, formerly housed in the football complex.
Aesthetics take a big emphasis for the Auburn Arena, with $450,000 set aside to provide graphics depicting the venues Auburn has previously hosted such as basketball events, Alumni Gym, the Sports Arena and Beard-Eaves.
Randy Byars, director of athletic planning and construction, said no other college in the country has tailored its facility toward students the way Auburn has.
"We don't know of another university that has these kinds of amenities for students, everybody has amenities for scholarship donors and older folks," Byars said.
The amenities for students include 1,500 court-level seats and a private entrance with a lobby.
The lobby will contain student-only bathrooms and a full concession stand complete with a dining area that will feature a scoreboard and two televisions.
"We have gone to great lengths to make this a very fan-friendly building, and we're really hoping the students take to this," Bagwell said.
With many fans and sports writers being critical of the basketball programs on The Plains, many people are hoping the new arena will spark interest for the game.
"I hope the new arena will bring more support as far as attendance because you don't have a home-court advantage unless people are in the stands, no matter how nice the arena looks," Nunnelly said. In addition to being more student-oriented than its predecessor, the new arena will provide a more intimate atmosphere for competitions.
Although there will be fewer seats in the new building, the fans will be closer to the action than ever before.
"When you walk out of the portals at Beard-Eaves into the seating area, that's as far back as you get in this arena," Byars said.
It is just that closeness that players and coaches alike are expecting to intimidate visiting teams more.
Women's basketball head coach Nell Fortner said the home court advantage is just one of the benefits she is looking forward to.
"It affects recruiting, it affects our fan base, it effects how we can prepare our team for competitions and I am excited about it," Fortner said. "It is badly needed and it show Auburn's commitment to basketball in a huge way which is so important to me as a basketball coach and the success of our program."
Although this is a huge step forward for the athletic program, there are people that will be sad to see Beard-Eaves go. "I've just recently had my office move to the athletic complex, and that was painful to leave an office space that I'd been in and out of since 1972," Bagwell said. "I've been in the facility so long, it does feel like a home and there will be a sadness as we finish up our last game there."
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