E. A. Diddle Arena

E. A. Diddle Arena
Location	1526 Avenue of Champions; Bowling Green, KY 42101 USA
Owner	Western Kentucky University
Operator	Western Kentucky University
Capacity	7,326 (2005–present); 7,368 (2003-2005); 7,381 (2002-2003); 11,300 (1991-2002); 12,370 (1980-1991); 13,164 (1979-1980); 13,508 (1970-1979); 12,500 (1965-1970); 8,500 (1963–1965)
Surface	Hardwood
Construction
Broke ground	November 15, 1961
Opened	December 7, 1963
Renovated	2002
Expanded	1965, 1970
Construction cost	$3,089,538; ($23.9 million in 2024 dollars)
Architect	Frank Cain; R. Ben Johnson
Tenants
	Western Kentucky Hilltoppers; KHSAA Girls' Sweet Sixteen (2001–2015); Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan area High School Ice Hockey (KHSHL) (Future); Bowling Green Bandits (ABA)

E. A. Diddle Arena is a 7,326-seat multi-purpose arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. The arena, built in 1963, is home to the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers men's basketball team and Lady Toppers basketball and volleyball teams. It is also known as Academic-Athletic Building #1. It also holds Military Science and Physical Education & Recreation classes and offices.

History

Diddle Arena was built in 1963 and is named after legendary WKU men's coach and Basketball Hall of Famer Edgar "E.A." Diddle. It hosted the Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball tournament in 1976, 1978 and 1980–82 and has hosted the Sun Belt Conference men's basketball tournament four times. Dedicated on December 7, 1963, Diddle Arena has hosted some of the finest players and teams ever to play in the college ranks. Originally designed to seat 8,500 fans, the seating capacity has fluctuated over the years and by 1970 the arena had been adjusted to hold 13,508.

The utility and versatility of the arena throughout the years has included the facility being the site of NCAA Regional Tournaments in both men's (1980) and women's basketball, the Kentucky High School Athletic Association's Girls' Sweet Sixteen basketball tournament from 2001 to 2015, and an NBA exhibition game. (The KHSAA tournament will move to BB&T Arena at Northern Kentucky University in 2016.^[2]) The facility has also hosted several Sun Belt Conference basketball tournaments, and was the site of the 2003 and 2009 SBC Volleyball Championship. Diddle Arena has staged numerous concerts, hosted WKU's annual spring and winter commencements, and has even welcomed the President of the United States during a 1988 visit by Ronald Reagan. The arena has hosted professional basketball, including Hall of Famers Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore, as the Kentucky Colonels played two games there before the 1976 ABA-NBA merger. 10,453 fans saw the Carolina Cougars defeat the Kentucky Colonels 94-82 on November 26, 1973^[3] and 7,611 saw the Colonels defeat the San Diego Conquistadors 109-100 on November 30, 1974.^[4]

In addition to being one of the homes for WKU athletics, Diddle Arena also contains classrooms and activity areas for the Department of Physical Education and Recreation as well as the WKU Army ROTC program.

Some of the record crowds that the arena has hosted include 14,277 fans for a 1971 battle against former OVC arch-rival Murray State; 13,000 for the 1984 Wendy's Classic Final versus Louisiana Tech and All-American and future Hall of Famer Karl Malone; and 13,300 for a 1986 showdown with former Sun Belt Conference rival UAB.

Today

In 2002 a $32 million renovation was completed which reduced seating capacity to 7,381. The renovation also included: 16 luxury suites, all-new seating, two video boards, new concession and restroom areas, new playing floor, elevator access to all levels, new sound and lighting systems, two new auxiliary gyms totalling 30,000 square feet, new training and weight rooms, air-conditioning, and new locker and office space complex facilities. The renovation has been the focal point of WKU's extensive athletic complex makeover which has also included numerous enhancements to baseball's Nick Denes Field, the construction of the softball and soccer complex on Creason Drive and the expansion to football's Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium.

References

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↑ 1973-74 ABA Game by Game Log at RememberTheABA.com
↑ 1974-75 ABA Game by Game Log at RememberThe ABA.com

External links

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[3] 1973-74 ABA Game by Game Log at RememberTheABA.com

[4] 1974-75 ABA Game by Game Log at RememberThe ABA.com

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v t e Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
Venues	Red Barn (1920–1931) Health & Physical Education Building (1931–1963) E. A. Diddle Arena (1963–present)
Culture & lore	Big Red
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

v t e Bowling Green, Kentucky
Subject areas	Attractions Economy Education Geography History Media Parks People Sports Transportation
Attractions	Beech Bend Park Capitol Arts Center Greenwood Mall The Historic Railpark and Train Museum Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Lost River Cave National Corvette Homecoming National Corvette Museum Riverview at Hobson Grove
Industry	Bowling Green Assembly Plant Camping World Fruit of the Loom Holley Performance Products Houchens Industries Jr. Food Stores Minit Mart Foods Inc.
Education	Greenwood High School Lighthouse Academy High School South Warren High School Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College Warren Central High School Western Kentucky University
Sports	Bowling Green Ballpark Bowling Green Hot Rods E.A. Diddle Arena KHSAA Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl Nick Denes Field WKU Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers
Newspapers	The Daily News Park City Daily News

E. A. Diddle Arena

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Construction

Location	1526 Avenue of Champions Bowling Green, KY 42101 USA
Owner	Western Kentucky University
Operator	Western Kentucky University
Capacity	7,326 (2005–present) 7,368 (2003-2005) 7,381 (2002-2003) 11,300 (1991-2002) 12,370 (1980-1991) 13,164 (1979-1980) 13,508 (1970-1979) 12,500 (1965-1970) 8,500 (1963–1965)
Surface	Hardwood
Broke ground	November 15, 1961
Opened	December 7, 1963
Renovated	2002
Expanded	1965, 1970
Construction cost	$3,089,538 ($23.9 million in 2024 dollars^[1])
Architect	Frank Cain R. Ben Johnson
Tenants
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers KHSAA Girls' Sweet Sixteen (2001–2015) Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan area High School Ice Hockey (KHSHL) (Future) Bowling Green Bandits (ABA)