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In the fall of 2014, Virginia Tech invested in a new, sophisticated
sound system for the arena. The programmable system, combined
with the video boards installed in 2013, provides an exciting feature
at games. Later that season, an enhanced LED lighting system was
installed in Cassell Coliseum. The lighting allows instant on-and-
off control, zoned lighting and will be adaptable to allowing unique
lighting for specific needs and events.
The team was given a gift from Pat and Sandy Cupp of Blacksburg,
Va., to renovate the men’s basketball locker room, which is now
the Bill Foster Basketball Suite, named after one of Tech’s most
successful men’s basketball coaches. Even with the addition of the
Hahn Hurst Basketball Practice Center, the Bill Foster Basketball
Suite remains the game-day locker room for the Hokies.
Entering the 2016-17 season, the Hokies have won 561 out of 749
games played in Cassell, for a winning percentage of .749.
The first basketball game played in the Coliseum was on January
3, 1962, as the Hokies routed Alabama, 91-67. The near-capacity
crowd had to sit on the concrete floor to watch the initiation of the
new building because the seats had not arrived. In-state rivals have
had little success playing the Hokies in Cassell, winning only 17 of
135 visits. Although capacity crowds are a frequent occurrence in
Cassell Coliseum, the largest crowd ever recorded was an overflow
of 11,500 for Purdue on December 3, 1966.
On September 17, 1977, Virginia Tech officials and friends dedicated
the Coliseum in honor of the late Stuart K. Cassell.
Beginning with last season, there was a new look to Cassell Coliseum,
as the Virginia Tech Department of Athletics unveiled “Courtside at
Cassell”. This allows Hokie fans the opportunity to enjoy premium
courtside seating at Cassell Coliseum. Courtside at Cassell consists
of 14 brand new four-seat tables which line the court across from the
team benches and along the baseline.
Prior to the 1988-89 season, a modern, spring-loaded playing floor
was installed in the Coliseum. During the fall of 1989, the facility was
upgraded with an improved lighting system in the arena.
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