Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum
This article documents the history of Williams Arena.
After 27 years of basketball, Minges Coliseum underwent a facelift prior to the 1994-95 season. The anticipation was great and the much-awaited unveiling was everything it was supposed to be and more. Now, as the Pirates prepare for the 1998-99 season, ECU basketball will again call Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum "home." The renovations, totaling almost $12 million, have made the arena one of the finest on-campus basketball facilities on the East Coast.
The Pirates have won 68.1 percent of their games since the Coliseum opened in 1967. ECU has had only four losing records in Minges in its history and has not recorded a losing season in the Coliseum since 1977-78. The Pirates were 10-2 in Williams Areana last season.
Constructed at a cost of $2 million, Minges Coliseum was dedicated on January 27, 1968, in the name of the Minges family of Greenville, NC.The Athletics Ticket Office is also located in Minges Coliseum, along with offices of the School of Health and Human Performance at ECU.
With a seating capacity of 7,500, the renovated Williams Arena has two levels.All the Minges Coliseum attendance records were shattered in 1995, including total season (71,761), average season (5,980 for 12 games) and for a single game (7,670 vs. UNC Wilmington, Feb.25).The single-game mark, in fact, was broken three times during the season-Jan. 6 vs East Tennessee State, Jan.14 vs. James Madison and Feb. 25 vs. UNC Wilmington. Before 1994-95, the largest crowd to witness a game in the Coliseum was on Dec. 10, 1969 when ECU hosted then-top-ranked South Carolina. An estimated crowd of 7,500 jammed the 6,500-seat facility.
The previous record for total attendance in a season was set during the 1988-89 campaign, when 57,862 fans saw the Pirates.The previous mark for average attendance was set in 1993-94, when an average of 4,820 fans watched East Carolina play in Minges Coliseum.
Williams Arena will also be an outstanding venue for graduation, concerts, public speaking appearances, and has played host to NBA basketball and professional wrestling.
