Finished in time for the 1961-62 season, Walter Sillers Coliseum has been the home of Statesmen basketball for 37 seasons and the home of the Lady Statesmen since the team was reinstated in 1974.
The 4,000-seat arena offers fans a panoramic view from two different levels, including more than 1,000 chair-back seats in the mezzanine level. During the spring of 1997 the bleachers on the lower east level were replaced with luxury seats for fans and lowered almost to floor level in 1999. The famed floor that so many DSU greats played on was replaced by a state of the art parquee floor following the 1998 season.
Sillers was dedicated on January 19, 1961 at an elaborate ceremony that featured then governor Ross Barnett and comments from Walter Sillers himself.
The man after whom the arena is named is a native of Rosedale, Miss., and was a long-time advocate and friend of the University, showing what was termed as “unusual loyalty and devotion to DSU.”
At the time, it was one of the finest indoor arenas in the state, and soon became host to every high school and college tournament and event imaginable.
Today, it is still one of the largest arenas in the Gulf South Conference and has hosted conference, regional and national tournaments, including the 1989 NCAA Division II Women’s Final Four and the 1998 NCAA Division II Men’s South Regional.
The coliseum lobby features the DSU Athletic Hall of Fame and includes plaques of the school’s all-time athletic superstars, and the Wade Trophy, awarded annually to the top collegiate woman’s basketball player in America.
Offices for men’s and women’s basketball are located in the coliseum. There are also four spacious lockerrooms, a referee’s lounge, weight room, media room, and several classrooms.
A large stage dominates the north end of the arena. Though rarely used in theatrical productions, it serves as the focal point for DSU commencement exercises.
During the summer of 2008, the player’s locker rooms were completely renovated and included the addition of a player’s lounge that features a flat screen television, internet access and luxury couches and chairs. The famed coliseum floor that was replaced in 1998 was freshly painted and touched up and will be ready for the first tip-off of the 2008-09 season.