Bramlage Coliseum

Fred Bramlage Coliseum
Octagon of Doom
Location	1800 College Avenue Manhattan, KS 66502
Broke ground	October 18, 1986
Opened	October 21, 1988
Owner	Kansas State
Operator	Kansas State
Surface	Hardwood
Construction cost	$17.2 million USD
Architect	Gossen Livingston Architects
Capacity	12,528 (2007-present) 13,340 (2001-2007) 13,500 (1988-2001)
Record attendance	13,762 (2/22/1992 vs. Kansas)
Tenants
Kansas State Wildcats (Men's & Women's Basketball)

Fred Bramlage Coliseum is a 12,528-seat multi-purpose arena in Manhattan, Kansas. The arena's primary function is as home to the men's and women's basketball teams for Kansas State University. The building also holds offices for Kansas State Wildcats baseball, Intercollegiate Athletics, and Sports Information.^{[1] [2]}

Construction and usage

The arena is located in the northwest corner of the Kansas State campus, along with the rest of the school's athletic facilities, abutting the south end zone of Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium.

The arena was built to replace Ahearn Field House, K-State's basketball facility from 1950 to 1988. Construction of Bramlage Coliseum began with a groundbreaking on October 18, 1986, and was completed in 1988. The construction was funded entirely by student fees and donations from alumni and friends of the University.

On November 26, 1988, Kansas State University officially opened Bramlage Coliseum with an 81-77 victory over Purdue University. The first basketball game actually played in the arena, however, was an NBA exhibition game between the Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs on October 21, 1988.

As of February 9, 2010, the Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball team has posted a 241-88 (.733) record in Bramlage Coliseum.

The facility hosted women's NCAA basketball tournament games in 2002 and 2003. Kansas State played in Bramlage Coliseum in both tournament years.

Bramlage has also been home to the Kansas State High School Activities Association Class 2A boys and girls state championship tournaments since 1990.^[3]

Historical displays

The concourse around the arena is decorated with pictures of Wildcat greats and trophies won by the men's and women's teams over the years. A painted border around the top of the walls inside the Coliseum shows the years the Wildcat basketball programs won conference crowns or participated in the NCAA Tournament or NIT (WNIT). Hanging from the rafters in Bramlage are the retired numbers of former Wildcat greats including: Ernie Barrett, Rolando Blackman, Mitch Richmond, Bob Boozer, Mike Evans, Dick Knostman, Lon Kruger, Jack Parr, Chuckie Williams, Nicole Ohlde, Kendra Wecker and Shalee Lehning.

Traditions

The unofficial nickname for Bramlage Coliseum is "The Octagon of Doom," due to the building's eight sides. The nickname was popularized in the media during the 2009-2010 season, but it was first used in on-line internet forums in early 2007.^[4][5] K-State students bring octagonal shaped signs with "Doom" written on them and wear "Doom" t-shirts to games.

Before every game, the crowd sings Wildcat Victory, the Kansas State fight song, and then rocks back and forth to the Wabash Cannonball. As the K-State players make their way from the locker room to the court, the crowd chants, "Bring on the Cats, Bring on the Cats, Bring on the Cats." When the Cats hit the floor the crowd erupts and rises to their feet. While the opposing team's starting lineup is announced, the student section shakes newspapers, and after each name chants, "So What" "Who Cares" "Who's He?" "Big Deal" "Go Home," and then rips the papers and throws them in the air at the beginning of the introduction of the Kansas State starting lineup. Each time an opposing player commits a foul the student section chants the number of fouls that player has, and every time a K-State player sinks a three-point basket, the announcer says the name of the player followed by "for", and then the crowd echoes "three!" Following a K-State victory, the crowd performs a "K-S-U Wildcats" chant. If an opposing team's player fouls out of the game, the crowd chants "left, right, left" for each step. If he stands, they chant "standing, standing" until the player sits down, at which time the crowd yells "Sit down!"

Seating capacity

Seating capacity in Bramlage was originally 13,500. Adjustments for fire codes lowered this number to 13,340 in the 2000s, and construction prior to the 2007-2008 season eliminated another approximately 800 seats to add luxury boxes and bring handicap seating up to compliance.^[6]

Largest crowds

• 13,762 - Kansas Jayhawks - February 22, 1992
• 13,685 - Kansas Jayhawks - January 27, 1990
• 13,597 - Missouri Tigers - March 1, 1989
• 13,586 - Kansas Jayhawks - January 14, 1989
• 13,584 - Kansas Jayhawks - January 18, 1993
• 13,580 - Oklahoma Sooners - February 19, 1994
• 13,573 - Missouri Tigers - February 8, 1990
• 13,553 - Kansas Jayhawks - February 12, 1994
• 13,536 - Oklahoma State Cowboys - February 25, 1989
• 13,520 - Nebraska Cornhuskers - March 3, 1990

Non-sporting events

In addition to Kansas State basketball, Bramlage Coliseum also hosts musical and comical performances, speeches, trade shows, and undergraduate commencement ceremonies. The arena has seated up to 14,000 for concerts. It has featured performances by the following groups and individuals:

• Def Leppard - October 20, 1988
• Mötley Crüe - March 2, 1990
• AC/DC - December 9, 1990
• Van Halen - April 6, 1992
• The Dixie Chicks - November 16, 2000
• Bob Dylan - October 26, 2004
• Ben Folds - 2009
• Will Ferell- 2008
• Dierks Bentley - 2006
• Jason Derülo- April 11, 2011

The arena has also hosted speaking events as part of the Landon Lecture series by the following personalities:

• President Jimmy Carter
• Ross Perot
• Henry Kissinger
• Janet Reno
• Jesse Jackson
• Paul Harvey
• President George W. Bush
• Donald Rumsfeld
• President Bill Clinton

References

1. ^ Bramlage Coliseum - Kansas State University Wildcats Official Athletics Site
2. ^ Fred Bramlage Bio
3. ^ "High school state Basketball sites". State High School Activities Association Kansas State High School Activities Association. January 31, 2010. (Web link). Retrieved 2010-02-09. 
4. ^ "Kansas State Fans Delight in Their 'Octagon of Doom'". Kansas City Star. January 28, 2010. http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1714954.html. Retrieved 2010-02-04 ^{[dead link]}
5. ^ "The History of "The Octagon of Doom"". goemaw.com. January 31, 2010. (Web link). Retrieved 2010-02-04. 
6. ^ "K-State Has Grand Plans". The Topeka Capital-Journal. June 26, 2007. http://cjonline.com/stories/062607/cat_180019837.shtml 

External links

• KSU Bramlage Coliseum
• KSU Bramlage Coliseum campus map page
• KSU Bramlage Coliseum tour page

Preceded by Ahearn Fieldhouse

Home of the Kansas State Wildcats men's basketball 1988 – present

Succeeded by Current

Preceded by Ahearn Fieldhouse

Home of the Kansas State Wildcats women's basketball 1988 – present

Succeeded by Current

Coordinates: 39°12′01.3″N 96°35′37.8″W / 39.200361°N 96.593833°W / 39.200361; -96.593833