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Gibson Arena
Gibson Arena serves as the home of Missouri S&T’s basketball and volleyball programs, a facility that has undergone a series of renovations to make it one of the most modern facilities in NCAA Division II.
Opening as the Gale Bullman Multi-Purpose Building in 1969, the facility underwent its first significant renovation in 2004 as new bleachers and chairback seats were installed in the lower level of the arena; the bleachers in the balconies were replaced in 2015, putting the seating capacity at 2,783. The updated seating area was made possible through a donation from Armin and Norman Tucker, twin brothers who were student-athletes at Missouri S&T and members of the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
The Tuckers were also responsible for the addition of offices in 1998 for the head coaches for the men’s and women’s basketball programs, which are located right off the playing floor at Gibson Arena.
In 2018, the name of the arena was changed to Gibson Arena after a $1 million contribution by S&T alumni John & Kristie Gibson – John played two seasons of basketball under head coach Billy Key, whom the court is named after – which led to the installation of a new playing floor in the arena that summer. The Gibsons would provide financial assistance as well in 2019 to the renovation of the men’s and women’s basketball locker rooms.
The facility became the home of Miner basketball in 1969 as the replacement to Jackling Gym on the north side of the S&T campus and is now the site of Curtis Laws Wilson Library. The 73rd Missouri General Assembly appropriated $2.4 million towards the construction of the 78,000-square foot building. The building opened as the University of Missouri-Rolla Multi-Purpose Building, but the name was changed in 1977 to honor long-time S&T athletic director and coach Gale Bullman.
The arena became the home of women’s basketball at Missouri S&T beginning in the 1974-75 season, women’s volleyball from 1974-78 and then after the program resumed play in 2007, as well as the men’s volleyball team when that program began in 2023.
It has been the site of numerous events on campus, highlighted by the 1996 NCAA Division II South Central Regional and the bi-annual commencement ceremonies on campus. The Harlem Globetrotters have made several visits to the building over the years and the Remmers Lecture Series also brought in several renown dignitaries, including former U.S. president Gerald Ford, former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, former U.S. senator Bill Bradley, Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and former U.S. secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and Condoleezza Rice.
The building also houses the Missouri S&T intercollegiate athletics offices on the ground floor, as well as a classroom, sports medicine facility and weight and cardiac rooms for the student-athletes.
