The home of Ole Miss basketball is C.M. “Tad” Smith Coliseum, and the Coliseum, affectionately known as the “Tad Pad,” has become one of the toughest arenas in the country for opponents to play. Named for the legendary Ole Miss athlete, coach and athletics director, the Coliseum opened in 1966.

Over the past three seasons under head coach Andy Kennedy, the Rebel men's squad has been dominant at home, going 44-7 over that span. 

Dating back to 1995-96, the Rebels have won 175 of their last 214 games in Oxford (.818 winning percentage), which includes a school-record 29-game homecourt win streak. Since the Coliseum’s opening, the Rebels have an all-time record of 410-186 (.688 winning percentage).

Since Kennedy's arrival, the program has also seen record-breaking fan attendances in Oxford. The 2007-08 season averages of 7,301 per home game and 8,994 patrons per SEC home game both set school records.  During the 2006-07 season, a facility-record 9,452 fans took in the Rebels’ win over No. 18 Alabama. Seven of the top 15 crowds in facility history have occurred in the last three years.

The Rebel women have compiled an impressive 349-82 record for an incredible winning percentage of .810, including a 12-5 mark in 2008-09. In the decade of the 90’s, the Lady Rebels posted a 93-19 record at the Tad Pad for an impressive winning percentage of .830.

The Coliseum has seen extensive updating over the past three years. The most recent changes included a new, modern court design and upgrading and adding over 100 new courtside seats in 2008. There are also improved areas under the stands for officials, media and cheerleaders, a lighter shade of gray ceiling paint and extending the student section bleachers to the ceiling.

The Coliseum, which has a capacity of approximately 9,061, 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.

In 2000, the Coliseum’s exterior was painted, and the concourse was painted and tiled. The men’s and women’s basketball office complex opened in January of 1998. Located on the south side of the Coliseum, the complex includes offices for head coaches and assistants, two large conference rooms and a lobby area. The athletic ticket office is also located in the Coliseum.

The Coliseum has four large dressing rooms, storage rooms, an athletic training area and a media room, which is named in honor of B.L. “Country” Graham, Ole Miss’ first basketball All-America and winningest coach in Rebel history. The lockerrooms experienced a major overhaul in fall 2005 with new lockers, stereo and video systems, showers, ceilings, tile, carpet and lighting.

The structure is a round, domed building which reaches 89 feet above the playing floor. The diameter of the roof measures 272 feet, and the diameter of the circular floor is 130 feet. The basketball-playing surface sits 12 feet below ground level.

Construction of the arena is of reinforced steel on bell pipes. The roof dome is framed in steel atop of which is a cement board deck and a Neoprene-Hypalon roof. The exterior consists of red brick at the concourse level, and vinyl-faced steel panels surround and enclose the upper stadium.

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 coached the freshman football team for 12 seasons and was a backfield assistant for two years. He served as head baseball coach at Ole Miss for 15 years, collecting a 112-147-3 record.

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 native of Brookhaven, Miss., was responsible for the expansion and upgrade of many athletic facilities and kept the Rebel athletic program among the nation’s elite.

He was inducted into the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame in 1969 and retired from the athletic department in 1970. Smith passed away on May 26, 1992.

Top Tad Smith Coliseum Crowds (entering the 2009-10 season)