Bonner Arnold Coliseum

Northeast’s home for its men and women’s basketball teams underwent extensive changes prior to the 2009-10 season and David Robbins’ Tiger basketball team christened the newly-renovated Bonner Arnold Coliseum with a 91-87 win over Northwest-Shoals (Ala.) Community College on November 5, 2009.

Northeast invested nearly $1.5 million into renovation Bonner Arnold Coliseum that has seen its share of memorable events.

During the 1999-2000 season the Lady Tigers and Tigers re-established Bonner Arnold Coliseum as one of the toughest basketball venues among Mississippi’s community/junior colleges by claiming both the women and men’s North Division titles for the first time since the end of the 1992-93 season. The two teams finished the 1999-2000 campaign with a combined record of 27-4. The Tigers went on the capture the State Championship in front of the home crowd as they did in 1994.

The Lady Tigers won back-to-back-to-back North Division crowns during the 2004, 2005 and 2006 seasons while posting a 28-4 mark in the legendary building.

Built in part by the Northeast Mississippi Junior College Trades Training group, Bonner Arnold Coliseum opened its doors in 1951. During the three previous years, the Lady Tigers and Tigers played their home games at the old Booneville High School gymnasium.

From November 1988 to February 1990, the Tigers put together a 29-game home winning streak at Bonner Arnold Coliseum, which included a Region 23 Tournament championship in March of 1989. Hinds Community College snapped the streak in the 1990 State Championship game.

In the early 1970s, Bonner Arnold Coliseum was completely renovated. The most significant addition was twelve air conditioning units.

In 1988, 1,000 chair back seats were installed on the east side that were the original box seats at the University of Mississippi’s Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Bonner Arnold Coliseum’s most recent updates include the repair and renovation of the men and women’s dressing rooms along with the painting of interior and exterior trim. A new roof was installed on the building to go along with a repair to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment.

Bonner Arnold Coliseum’s exterior also got a facelift with tuck-pointing and repair to mortar joints in the brickwork.

Fans will notice two changes to the coliseum’s inside.

Both sides of the gymnasium have been equipped with padded chair-back seating donated by the University of Mississippi. The floor of Bonner Arnold Coliseum was also updated with repair to the hardwood and the playing surface was completely refinished with a new paint job.

When set up for basketball, BAC will accommodate 1,000 spectators on each side of the floor and 600 in the pullout bleachers traditionally set up on the north end. The south end will seat 400 in folding chairs, bringing capacity to 3,000.

Although the three-court facility was designed primarily for basketball, Bonner Arnold Coliseum is used for commencement exercises, assemblies, concerts and the District 4 Science Fair.

Bonner Arnold Coliseum also houses the offices of head men’s basketball coach Cord Wright and assistant basketball coach Kyle Morris.