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Bud Walton Arena
The 10-year anniversary of Arkansas' 1994 national championship is also the 10-year anniversary of the opening of "The Basketball Palace of Mid-America" - Bud Walton Arena.
UA has played in Bud Walton Arena for 10 years and has drawn just under 3,000,000 fans, ranked among national attendance leaders every season and won more than 81 percent of its games.
When Arkansas joined the Southeastern Conference in August of 1990, Razorback Athletic Director Frank Broyles knew the athletic facilities had to be upgraded to contend in America's most nationally competitive league.
His attention turned immediately to basketball. The Hogs were very successful, coming off a Final Four trip earlier that year, but had just a 9,000-seat home, Barnhill Arena.
One day, Bud Walton, co-founder of Wal-Mart, visited Broyles and asked him what Arkansas needed most to be competitive in the SEC. Broyles mentioned the need for additional basketball seats and was asked by Walton what a new arena would cost. The figure $30 million was discussed and Walton offered to pay half. From that visit, fabulous Bud Walton Arena was born.
Groundbreaking to grand opening was accomplished in a remarkable 18 months. The Razorbacks played in Bud Walton for the first time in November of 1993. Everything went perfect during the first full year. Not only did Arkansas sell out the arena, the Razorbacks were unbeaten in their new home (16-0) and won the 1994 national championship.
The Hogs carry a 132-30 (.815) record into the 2004 season.
Every regular season game at Bud Walton Arena has been sold out with an all-time average attendance of 17,916. Arkansas has ranked in the top 15 nationally in attendance every year in BWA. Dating back to their days in Barnhill, where the Hogs were 303-95 (.761) in 36 years, the Razorbacks have sold out 334 consecutive regular-season on-campus contests.
The last non-sellout was on Dec. 4, 1976, when the Hogs beat Southern Colorado, 91-43, in front of a crowd only 100 short of Barnhill Arena's then-capacity of 6,200.
Entering the 2004 campaign, UA has a combined mark of 435-125 in its last two homes for an outstanding home winning percentage of .777 over the last 46 years.
BWA houses a deluxe museum on the ground level that includes a tribute to Arkansas' 1994 NCAA championship as well as the history of Razorback basketball, track and field, baseball, tennis and golf. Eye-catching displays on the concourse level salute recent Razorback highlights.
As captivating as the displays, museum and championship banners are hanging from the arena floor's ceiling, the aspect of the facility demanding the most attention is spirit. Every game still produces an NCAA Tournament-type atmosphere with the exception of the crowd, which is anything but neutral.
According to the architectural firm that designed the arena, Rosser International in Atlanta, there are more seats in less space than in any such facility in the world. It's no wonder the noise level can be absolutely ear-splitting.
From pre-game to post-game, Bud Walton Arena is perfectly choreographed with the band, the spirit groups, the lighting system, the public address, the scoreboard and the team. Each game at Walton Arena is a rich experience leaving Razorback fans hungry for more.
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