{"id":153313,"date":"2025-11-10T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=153313"},"modified":"2025-11-10T16:30:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T22:30:22","slug":"throwback-game-will-be-tad-smith-coliseums-last-hurrah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/throwback-game-will-be-tad-smith-coliseums-last-hurrah\/","title":{"rendered":"Throwback game will be Tad Smith Coliseum\u2019s last Hurrah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The C.M. Tad Smith Coliseum<\/strong> \u2014 home to Ole Miss<\/strong> basketball games, graduation ceremonies, class registration and concerts for five decades \u2014 will be razed, with demolition tentatively planned to begin this summer.<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

by Russ-Eddins<\/strong>, The Daily Mississippian<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Akayla Hughes contributed reporting<\/span><\/i>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University of Mississippi<\/strong> <\/span>announced<\/span><\/a> the demolition on Tuesday in a press release that listed additional upcoming construction projects and others already underway.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These projects include construction of a 1,379-space parking garage in the northwest part of campus, scheduled for completion in fall 2026; two new on-campus student housing facilities, the first expected to open in fall 2027; an expansion to Rebel Market<\/strong> in Johnson Commons<\/strong> in 2026; and construction of an Early Learning and Evaluation Center<\/strong> at the South Oxford Center<\/strong>, expected to be completed in fall 2027.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The coliseum site will be used for surface parking while the university determines a long-term use for the area.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The C.M. Tad Smith Coliseum on November 5, 2025. Photo by Ava Hernandez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The final Ole Miss Basketball<\/strong> game at the coliseum, known as the Tad Pad<\/strong>, will be on Friday, November 14, 2025, when the men\u2019s team will host CSU Bakersfield<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe university\u2019s commitment to the thoughtful development of our campus includes investing in new construction, as well as the strategic repurposing of existing structures and areas to ensure the campus evolves in ways that support academic excellence and an exceptional student experience,\u201d the university\u2019s announcement said.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Head coach of Ole Miss Men\u2019s Basketball Chris Beard<\/strong> encouraged fans to attend the final Tad Pad game at a Monday press conference.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe welcome everybody out. We\u2019ve had a couple of great crowds our first two throwback games,\u201d Beard said. \u201cIt\u2019s my understanding this will be the last basketball game ever in the event, so we\u2019re going to try to play well and show great respect to those who came before us. We\u2019re really excited to get coach Barnes and his wife back to Oxford and show them the respect and love they deserve.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team will honor former Ole Miss basketball player and head coach Rod Barnes<\/strong> at the game.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe (throwback) game\u2019s been great to us,\u201d Beard said on Monday. \u201cTo honor coach (Rob) Evans the first year was special. Coach (Bob) Weltlich last year. Next Friday night we\u2019ll honor coach Barnes, one of the best coaches that really ever coached in the SEC. He had NCAA Tournament teams here. I know he\u2019s super appreciative of coming back. He\u2019s excited, and so are we.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The C.M. Tad Smith Coliseum, originally called \u201cRebel Coliseum,\u201d <\/span>opened<\/span><\/a> on February 21, 1966. In 1972, it was named after former athletic director Claude M. \u201cTad\u201d Smith<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to being home to the Ole Miss men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball teams for five decades, the Tad Pad held volleyball games and practices when the Gilliom Center<\/strong> was undergoing renovations in 2016-17.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The basketball teams ceased playing regular season games in the Tad Pad in January 2016 after relocating to The Sandy and John Black Pavilion<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ole Miss Women\u2019s Basketball<\/strong> team held its final game in the Tad Pad on January 3, 2016, with a victory over Vanderbilt<\/strong>, 55-52.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Students and employees dine at Rebel Market on Sept. 22. Photo by Lexi Titus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Former Ole Miss Men\u2019s Basketball player Zach Graham<\/strong> (2007-11) spoke about the C.M. Tad Smith Coliseum in a 2023 interview with The Daily Mississippian<\/strong><\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Tad Pad was one of the hardest places in the SEC for teams to play on the road,\u201d Graham said. \u201cA lot of big wins in there. I walked into the Tad Pad as an 18-year-old kid and walked out as a 22-year-old young man. So, Oxford and the Tad Pad will always have a special place in my heart.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While throwback games in the Tad Pad have been a hit among the Rebel basketball fans in recent years, some students believe the existing structure would better serve them as parking spaces.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLast year, I went to the game in the Tad Pad and it was really fun,\u201d sophomore integrated marketing communications major Leah McMahon<\/strong> said. \u201cIt is kind of an eyesore, but I think the parking lot is good because we need more parking. (Parking) is getting really bad.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sophomore banking and finance major Roman Brown<\/strong> agreed.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy not tear it down? We definitely need more space,\u201d Brown said. \u201cThe university is getting bigger and bigger each year.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sophomore integrated marketing communications major Bridges McGowen<\/strong> does not agree with the decision to demolish the C.M. Tad Smith Coliseum, but she understands the need for more parking.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs someone who had to park 20 minutes away from my dorm last semester because of the parking situation, I definitely understand it is necessary,\u201d McGowen said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if the right way to do it would be to destroy something historical that means so much. They should take advantage of more open spaces on campus.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article<\/a> first appeared on The Daily Mississippian<\/a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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