Refurbishment has begun of the wooden playing surface of the 45-year-old workhorse called Moody Coliseum that is home to Abilene Christian University basketball games and volleyball matches, daily Chapel, Commencement, Sing Song, Welcome Week, Summit, lectures, movies, concerts, and a long list of events and activities.
In the next couple of weeks, it will sport a new look created by ACU senior graphic designer Todd Mullins, featuring the university’s new athletics logo and the logo of the NCAA Division I Southland Conference. These images show the progress of the past week or so.
The window of opportunity is small for such a project, as Moody is year-round busy. It’s a challenge to find a sufficient break in the summer camp and Passport student/parent orientation schedule for work crews to sand the old surface and apply the new stain, paint and finish coats, and ensure they have time to cure before the next round of events.
Resurfacing of the court is done every five to seven years, mostly to restore the heavily used surface and when needed, upgrade graphics. When Moody was built in 1968, it had a rubber/synthetic playing surface.
The first basketball game played in Moody was a 96-93 win Feb. 27, 1968, over Arkansas State University, in overtime, to give the Wildcats a men’s Southland Conference championship.