Tad Smith Coliseum History
Originally opended in 1966 and formerly known as Rebel Coliseum, it was renamed C.M. "Tad" Smith Coliseum on March 25, 1972.
Smith ranks as one of the all-time great legends in Rebel athletic history. A three-sport letterman, he starred as a halfback in football from 1926-28. As a first baseman for the Rebels, his senior season culminated in the Southern Conference championship in 1929. He was also a member of the 1928 Southern Conference championship squad.
Smith was selected as Director of Athletics at Ole Miss on Feb. 1, 1946, becoming the first University of Mississippi alumnus to serve in this capacity. During his tenure as athletics director, the football program won three national championships and six SEC titles, and the baseball program captured eight SEC Western Division crowns and four conference championships.
The Coliseum, which has seating for 8,700 and capacity for 8,910, underwent a wave of renovations in the summer of 2001. New seating - navy blue, upholstered seats - were added along with a Pro Star video board, scoreboards and a state-of-the-art sound system. Since the increased capacity from 8,135 to 8,700, Ole Miss has had nine of the "Tad Pad's" top-20 crowds, including three of the top five.
Special thanks to Ole Miss basketball for providing this info