UNT Coliseum

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title: "UNT Coliseum" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["north-texas-mean-green-basketball", "north-texas-mean-green-sports-venues", "college-basketball-venues-in-texas", "sports-venues-completed-in-1973", "1973-establishments-in-texas", "indoor-arenas-in-texas"] description: "Multi-purpose arena in Denton, Texas" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNT_Coliseum" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Multi-purpose arena in Denton, Texas ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox venue"]

Field	Value
name	UNT Coliseum
nickname	"The Super Pit"
logo_image	University of North Texas Coliseum Logo.PNG
logo_size	220px
mapframe	yes
mapframe-zoom	15
image	University of North Texas September 2015 44 (UNT Coliseum).jpg
location	801 North Texas Boulevard
Denton, Texas 76201 USA
coordinates
broke_ground	March 1971
opened	March 27, 1973
owner	University of North Texas
operator	University of North Texas
construction_cost	$7.5 million
($ in dollars)
architect	Clutts & Parker, Inc.
general_contractor	Manhattan Construction Company
tenants	North Texas MBB (1973–present)
seating_capacity	9,797
record_attendance	10,600
(1/22/1977 vs. SMU)
::

| name = UNT Coliseum | nickname = "The Super Pit" | logo_image = University of North Texas Coliseum Logo.PNG | logo_size = 220px | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 15 | image = University of North Texas September 2015 44 (UNT Coliseum).jpg | location = 801 North Texas Boulevard Denton, Texas 76201 USA | coordinates = | broke_ground = March 1971 | built = | opened = March 27, 1973 | closed = | demolished = | owner = University of North Texas | operator = University of North Texas | construction_cost = $7.5 million ($ in dollars) | architect = Clutts & Parker, Inc. | general_contractor = Manhattan Construction Company | tenants = North Texas MBB (1973–present)

North Texas WBB (1976–present) | seating_capacity = 9,797 | record_attendance = 10,600 (1/22/1977 vs. SMU)

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/University_of_North_Texas_September_2015_27_(UNT_Coliseum).jpg" caption="The UNT Coliseum in 2015"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/UNT_Coliseum,_Interior.JPG" caption="UNT Coliseum, Interior 2016"] ::

The UNT Coliseum is a 9,797-seat multi-purpose arena located in Denton, Texas, United States, built in 1973. While the arena's formal name is the UNT Coliseum, the building is more commonly referred to as the Super Pit, a nickname derived from its proximity to the former home of the Mean Green basketball teams, the Ken Bahnsen Gym, nicknamed the Snake Pit. Most signage inside the stadium uses the Super Pit name; the most prominent usage of the UNT Coliseum name is above a single new set of ticket windows added during 2017 renovations.

History

The arena opened in 1973 and has undergone very few changes since its opening, mainly due to the unusual physical construction of the building in which the lower concourse is supported by beams underneath the walkways that run the length of the building as well as the media section being placed at half court on the West side of the arena. Due to the prior home of the Mean Green being famous for noise, the Coliseum was designed specifically to retain noise and as such, the Mean Green have maintained a high winning percentage at the facility. In recent years upgrades, however, have been few and far between with the exception of the seats being repainted green from their original color of bright orange and the stadium's sound and video boards undergoing a massive renovation with the introduction of 4 center-hung LED scoreboards.

Despite the building's main usage as the home of the Mean Green, over the years it has hosted many famous concerts, notably Pearl Jam in 1993 and J. Cole in 2014. In addition to concerts, the arena routinely holds area graduations, festivals, cheer, dance and gymnastic competitions and has hosted the 1988 Southland Conference Tournament. It was also highly lauded upon completion, holding first and second-round games of the 1976 NCAA basketball tournaments. North Texas has compiled a winning percentage of over .640 at the Pit. During the 1975–1983 era under men's coach Bill Blakeley, North Texas, playing primarily as an independent, recorded three 20-win seasons, its first-ever top-20 ranking, the four biggest crowds in Super Pit history and memorable wins over Texas, Kansas State and a sell-out crowd against SMU, which to this date, is the highest-attended basketball game at the arena.

Due to the facility's age, the current UNT administration is looking into large-scale renovations of the aging facility, citing the notoriously poor lighting and need for improved infrastructure.

Largest crowds

::data[format=table title="Top Ten Super Pit Crowds"]

Rank	Game	Date	Attendance
1	UNT vs SMU	January 21, 1977	10,600
2	UNT vs DePaul	December 16, 1980	9,100
3	UNT vs West Texas State	March 1, 1976	8,816
4	UNT vs Louisiana Tech	February 26, 2022	8,522
5	UNT vs Western Kentucky	February 9, 2019	8,195
6	UNT vs Texas	January 17, 1980	8,100
7	UNT vs. SMU	January 25, 2024	7,239
8	UNT vs Texas Tech	November 16, 2010	7,105
9	UNT vs Texas-Pan American	March 2, 1977	7,100
10	UNT vs Bradley	February 28, 1976	7,087
::

Source:

References

References

1. (March 27, 1973). "Wives Set For Banquet". [[Denton Record-Chronicle]].
2. (June 1972). "Coliseum Beaming". The North Texan.
3. (1970). "Architectural Rendering of the Coliseum #2". University of North Texas.
4. "The Yucca".
5. "Email : Webview : ELEVAR Grant, Inclusive Excellence, Big Event".
6. "Pearl Jam Setlists".
7. "UPC Spring Concert Featuring Bas, Best Coast, & J. Cole • UNT Division of Student Affairs".
8. "The Super Pit". University of North Texas Athletics.
9. Reporter. (19 February 2015). "University officials looking to upgrade Super Pit".
10. "2020-21 North Texas Men's Basketball Fact Book (PDF)".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::