Moody Coliseum

Moody Coliseum, a multi-purpose arena with a capacity of 7,000, is located in University Park, Texas, an inner suburb of Dallas. It opened its doors in 1956 and has since been the home venue for the Southern Methodist University Mustangs men’s basketball and volleyball teams. The arena also hosted the Dallas/Texas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association before that franchise relocated to San Antonio and became the Spurs, and later served as the home of the Dallas Diamonds of the Women’s Professional Basketball League.

SMU basketball has played at Moody since December 3, 1956, when the Mustangs defeated McMurry 113–36. The volleyball team has called the arena home since the program began in 1996. On April 26, 1984, the Dallas Mavericks played a playoff game there—Game 5 of the Western Conference quarterfinals against the Seattle SuperSonics, a contest locally known as “Moody Madness.” The Mavericks won in overtime, 105–104. Less than 48 hours later, they lost Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals to the Los Angeles Lakers by 43 points, eventually falling in the series 4–1.

Over the years, the coliseum has undergone several modernizations. In 1980–81, the newly remodeled E. O. (“Doc”) Hayes Memorial Dressing Room opened. A new scoreboard was installed over center court in 1984, along with new chairback seats at floor level on the north side. Additional chairback seats were added on the west end in 1985.

The original wood floor was replaced with a new surface, and new lighting was installed in August 1986. In 1996, the court was redesigned to mark SMU’s entry into the Western Athletic Conference. A $1 million video board was installed in December 2006, and the hardwood court was redesigned the following summer with a new color scheme and midcourt logo. Major renovations totaling over $40 million were completed for the 2014 season—SMU’s first in the American Athletic Conference and under new coach Larry Brown—including new concourses, lighting, seats, luxury boxes, Wi-Fi, a new floor color scheme, and an LED scoreboard with LED signage.

When the building first opened in 1956, it was called the SMU Coliseum. In 1965, it was renamed Moody Coliseum in memory of William Lewis Moody Jr. of Galveston. The venue has hosted a wide variety of events, including NCA cheer and dance team competitions and basketball camps.