Rain ruined an outdoor meeting at Farmers' Week in 1940, and William Neal Reynolds Coliseum grew from alumnus David Clark's petition for indoor space. This building was conceived to host agricultural expositions and NC State basketball games, and its life has followed that broad, public purpose. Today it houses all services of ROTC and is home to several Wolfpack teams: women's basketball, women's volleyball, women's gymnastics, and men's wrestling.
The court here was named Kay Yow Court on February 16, 2007, a dedication made possible with the assistance of a substantial donation from the Wolfpack Club. More recently, following a donation in 2018, the facility became officially James T. Valvano Arena at Reynolds Coliseum, honoring the national championship–winning Wolfpack men's basketball coach. The arena's story reaches back to a rainy Farmers' Week in 1940, when NC State alumnus David Clark petitioned for an indoor space after an outdoor meeting was ruined; the North Carolina General Assembly approved plans, though a steel shortage later threatened to delay construction.
Stand here and feel how those practical needs — agriculture, athletics, military training — have shaped this place. The coliseum and the campus it anchors spread before you.