Cassell Coliseum is a 10,052-seat multi-purpose arena in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States, that opened in 1962. It is home to the Virginia Tech Hokies men's and women's basketball teams, wrestling team, and volleyball team. History Built as a replacement for the much smaller War Memorial Gymnasium, the Coliseum's construction began in 1961. It was fully completed in December 1964 at a cost of $2.7 million. It was designed by Carneal and Johnston (now Ballou Justice Upton Architects, Richmond, Va) and built by T.C. Brittain and Company of Decatur, Georgia. Originally just referred to as "the Coliseum," it was dedicated on September 17, 1977 to the late Stuart K. Cassell, former school business manager, first Vice President of Administration, and major supporter of the building of the arena. The first game was on January 3, 1962, when the Hokies played Alabama. The Hokies won 91-67. Unfortunately, the crowd sat on the bare concrete risers to watch the game because the seats had not arrived. In the early years of the Coliseum, the Hokies frequently saw capacity crowds pack the venue. However, student and alumni interest in basketball decreased in the 1990s due to the Hokies' lack of a stable basketball conference home (the Hokies were in three different conferences in nine seasons) and due to the success of the football team. Fan support began to gain momentum under coach Seth Greenberg and the school's recent move to the ACC. A raucous student section, nicknamed the "Cassell Guard," has helped transform the Coliseum into a difficult venue for opposing teams in an athletic conference ripe with intimidating basketball arenas. On June 27, 1996, a 27 year old construction worker fell to his death on the coliseum floor. Dewey Wayne Duncan, of Pulaski, VA, who was working outside the coliseum for a contractor making repairs to the roof, stepped on a section of the roof that was covered only by a ceiling tile. The tile collapsed, and Duncan fell through the roof. On April 17, 2007, a memorial convocation was held there in response to the shootings of 32 students and faculty on the Virginia Tech campus the previous day. President George W. Bush and his wife Laura attended the event. Over the years, Cassell has undergone various updates, most recently those being a new sound system, new lights inside building over the court, as well as a refinished court. On August 5,