At its peak, “The Barn” held a max-capacity of 18,025, which from 1950-1971 was the most of any college basketball arena in the nation. In its nearly 100 years on campus, Williams Arena has undergone a few different large-scale renovations, some of them quite recent.

In just the decade-plus, The Barn has gotten (among other things) a new scoreboard (2013-14), new floor (plus a new raised platform) and brand new seats throughout the entire building (2021). Yet, many of the biggest problems facing the barn have gone unaddressed, including the archaic bathrooms (something 30-year-old me did not care about) and difficult to navigate walkways.

Minnesota Gophers history: How U of M Fieldhouse became Williams Arena

The most expensive Barn makeover, by far, came before the Minnesota Gophers 1992-93 basketball season. That “full reno”, which cost $15 million, included new locker rooms and the “Williams Arena Club” level.

It’s unlikely any Williams Arena renovation project ever tops the first — which began in 1948 (with a new roof) and finally completed prior to the 1950-51 season, as seen below. Not only did The Barn look beautiful after that initial renovation, but it’s where it got its new formal name, too.

Williams Arena, aka “The Barn,” in 1951. pic.twitter.com/0o5w7etIKk

— Peter Robert Casey (@call_me_PRC) January 2, 2017

Williams Arena was named after famed University of Minnesota football coach Henry L. Williams, who roamed the sideline at Northrop Field and (later) Memorial Stadium from 1900-1928, going 136-33-11 in his 21 seasons as Golden Gophers head coach, including the school’s first ever National Championship, in 1904.

Sidebar worth researching on your own time — Minnesota’s official 1904 National Championship remains among the most hotly contested among college football historians, to this day, especially those with ties to Michigan.

University of Minnesota shopping Williams Arena naming rights

But soon, it appears Williams Arena will no longer be the standalone formal name of the Minnesota Gophers basketball home arena. According to a release by the University, the Gophers have hired “Independent Sports & Entertainment (ISE) to find it a new naming rights sponsor for The Barn.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for a company to align themselves with the University of Minnesota and with Gopher Athletics,” said Director of Athletics Mark Coyle. “We look forward to working with ISE to find a naming rights partner that will help us continue to provide world-class experiences for our student-athletes.”

U of M Press Release

This shouldn’t surprise or concern Minnesota Gophers basketball fans. In fact, it should do the opposite. It appears, at least for now, that tearing down The Barn and building a new arena is off the table. Personally, I think that is a good thing (see below).

Related: Never Tear Down The Barn… Ever.

That’s because money has become a bit of a concern for the University of Minnesota athletic department. They want to provide more resources to the basketball program, and plan to do so with extra revenue sharing money that is expected to hit this summer.

That money is not new. It will have to be reallocated out of the already existing budget. Thus, any new sources of revenue the athletic department can find will help alleviate the programs and people set to be affected most by those reallocation of funds.

A naming rights sponsor won’t take ghosts out of The Barn

In other words, this is just another step in the University of Minnesota getting serious about one of its few revenue-generating sports with deep-pocketed donors. Much like we saw with Mariucci Arena, now officially named “3M Arena at Mariucci”, the Williams name will remain associated with the new formal title.

That’s good, because when you think about Minnesota Gophers basketball, you think of Williams Arena. That’s why tearing it down would be a grave mistake. Sure, you could try to build a replica and give it a raised floor, but it wouldn’t be the same.

As Niko Medved highlighted in his introductory press conference, The Barn has ghosts. You can feel and even hear them when you walk in that building. It’s hands-down one of the most unique experiences in the country, and one that cannot be replicated.

Now, it’s Niko’s job to bring those Williams Arena ghosts alive with better basketball. And as long as they still play home games in The Barn, it won’t matter if the official name is a bit different than what we are used to.

In the end, U of M officials unofficially decided on a renovation, which made sense. Half the fanbase preferred the authenticity and history built into The Barn, anyway. So, from a financial standpoint, why spend all that extra money building a new state of the art arena?

Williams Arena renovation project dead?

But according to Charley Walters (Pioneer Press), those renovation dreams may very well be going on hold too. On Sunday, the longtime local insider wrote in his bi-weekly column that “buzz about a remodel could diminish” now that the Minnesota Gophers athletic department has to “budget some $22 million annually” to pay football players, starting in 2025.

Buzz about a remodel of Williams Arena could diminish now that the Gophers athletics department could end up having to budget some $22 million annually beginning next year to pay athletes via name, image and likeness deals.

Charley Walters – Pioneer Press

University of Minnesota shifts blame to new “NIL payments” for football players

Of course, the U of M paying their football players isn’t really “name, image and likeness”. It’s pay for play and everybody knows it. But that’s an “employee” vs “student athlete” verbiage conversation for another article.

Walters’ reporting isn’t incorrect. These payments that the University has to budget for will technically fall under the “NIL” umbrella of college athletics, but that’s an umbrella that apparently fits everything, these days.

Related: Star Basketball Recruit Narrows Field to 6 Teams, Including Minnesota Gophers

“U of M Fieldhouse”, was the name of The Barn from 1927 to 1948. In 1948, the building got its first major renovation, which included a new roof and the official name of Williams Arena, which it still holds today. Since, The Barn has gone through a few other reno projects. Most recently, it got a new floor in 2022 and new seats in 2018.

But… fans did not follow that success to Williams Arena, which ranked 12th in the Big Ten in average spectators during the 2023-24 season, at just over 8,100 per home contest (55% capacity). Speaking of The Barn, fans and seating capacity, some news broke on that front this weekend.

Williams Arena renovation could include significantly less seats

Seating capacity at Williams Arena topped out at 18,025 spectators from 1950 to 1971, but has slowly dwindled since. Today, The Barn holds 14,625 fans, which has been capacity since in 1997. But it looks like another reduction is on the way, according to whispers that have caught the ear of Charley Walters (Pioneer Press).

“There’s been whispering about reducing Williams Arena seating capacity (14,625) to about 10,000. The Gophers men’s team this season averaged 8,139 spectators, 12th in the 14-team Big Ten.”

Pioneer Press’ Charley Walters on possible Williams Arena shrinkage

While it’s still possible the University of Minnesota decides to build a new basketball facility, it’s growing more and more unlikely. Instead, the expectation is a major renovation of Williams Arena, a decision/planning process that started a while ago.

Related: Four Minnesota Gophers MBB Players Receive 2023-24 Big Ten Honors

A renovation for The Barn is long overdue, so this is all welcomed news for anyone who wants the Gophers to continue playing basketball games at historic Williams Arena. But not all reports that have been of the positive variety, including the possible elimination of the arena’s iconic raised floor.

But now they’re reducing the max capacity? Why would they want less fans at the Barn. A 4,500 seat reduction is a significant drop-off, too. That’s just over 31% of possible fans no longer allowed in the building. What gives?

Should we be mad about reduced seating at Williams Arena?

Well, it isn’t the lack of success that is forcing the University of Minnesota to adapt, though losing certainly doesn’t help bring anyone into Dinkytown. Sports fans are no longer coming out to watch live events in mass, like they used to.

Unless the Gophers are going to morph into a perennial power (unlikely), then putting 14,000 people in the Barn could continue to pose problems, especially as we move into a future where less and less fans could be attending live events in-person.

Related: Cam Christie’s NIL Price May be Reaching Unaffordable Heights

We’ve seen this new idea around smaller seating capacity at major professional and collegiate sports, since even prior to the pandemic. Northwestern, for example, can’t get enough capacity reductions at Welsh-Ryan Arena, which started at 9,500 fans in the 1950s, before it was even named Welsh-Ryan Arena.

It’s most recent capacity reduction came in 2017-18, when they it from 8,100 all the way down to 7,000. And now, that place is a madhouse. Compare Welsh-Ryan with football games at Ryan Field… and trust me (I’ve done it) you’ll take the reduced seating venue every time.

Would I prefer a fully packed 15,000-capacity Barn during Gopher games? Sure, I’d like a lot of things. But some dreams — including this idea that fans are going to come rushing back to Williams Arena anytime in a foreseeable future that includes greater technology and viewing capabilities than ever before — aren’t based in reality. So, as long as they do the renovation right, a seating capacity reduction at the Barn won’t be a negative, it’ll be a net positive.

Related: Gophers Keep March Madness Hopes Alive at the Barn vs Northwestern

Arguments are still being made and opinions still being heard, on whether or not there will be a new multi-sport arena built in Dinkytown or if the University will opt for a renovation of the nearly 100-year-old Barn. Steam most recently has been behind the latter.

Williams Arena raised floor in danger of being lowered

But it seems that no matter where future Gophers basketball home games are played, whether it be at renewed Williams Arena or a brand new state of the art building, one iconic element in Minnesota basketball history and a very key component of what makes the Barn so unique, may be eliminated. The raised floor (which wasn’t completed yet when the Gophers played on it for the first time (see above).

According to what sources in the U of M athletic department are telling Marcus Fuller (Star Tribune), the only raised floor in the entire country is in danger of being lowered, even if the Barn remains standing. Why?

Safety is always a concern with the raised floor, but in reality, it’s seems to be a problem when the University wants to host non-basketball arena events, specifically naming the NCAA volleyball tournament as one even they’ve apparently lost due to the raised hardwood at Williams Arena.

The Barn’s raised floor has been one important talking point. It has a unique place in college basketball but creates challenges when it comes to bidding to host such events as the NCAA volleyball tournament.

Marcus Fuller – Star Tribune

Renovate the Barn but don’t eliminate the raised floor

As a 34-year-old Gophers fan, that’s fine by me. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, there’s no reason to tear down the one thing that makes the University of Minnesota basketball program unique, and that’s the Barn. She’s never had a full-scale renovation.

Related: Adrian Peterson’s Daughter; 8th-Grader Ari Peterson Offered by Minnesota Gophers WBB

So invest a bunch of money into her (still half as much as what you’d spend on something new) and show her renewed beauty to the nation for another 50 years. I love a lot of things about Williams Arena, not just the raised floor, but there’s no doubt that is a large chunk of the old building’s charm and seeing it go would be a massive disappointment.

Gophers head basketball coach, Ben Johnson agrees. He points to recruiting, because he needs to come up with a tangible reason why keeping the floor makes sense, but it’s way bigger than recruiting. Much like the Barn is a staple of Minnesota basketball history, so is the raised floor.

“I think [the raised floor is] something that we talk about,” Johnson said. “I’m not the decision-maker. But I would say that it gives us something unique. In recruiting, you’re always looking for something to sell. What can separate you? What makes a visit memorable? That’s something that’s different than any other program in the country.”

Ben Johnson (via Star Tribune)

Renovation is most fiscally responsible option for University of Minnesota

Mark Coyle tells the Star Tribune that a big part of the basketball arena conversation is cost. A new arena would cost the most money and it probably brings, at least, volleyball, wrestling and gymnastics into one building, which could save down the road.

But no doubt, the cheapest option for the University would be a renovation project for Williams Arena. And this seems like a very rare opportunity for a public institution to pick the cheapest option on the table and still appease most of the masses.

It’s important to remember that Maturi Pavillion, where the Gophers volleyball team plays, is inside Williams Arena. A renovation project of the right size and magnitude could make multiple sports happier. As long as they invested enough money and focused on the right things, everyone can win.

Related: U of M Athletic Director Mark Coyle Receives Raise + Contract Extension, Pending Board Approval

But if they are going to keep the Barn, and even if you don’t, the raised floor should stay. It’s 2024, you can’t tell me we can’t have some sort of customized temporary floor that builds around the raised floor that already exists. Alumni agree. Keep the raised floor, no matter what.

“The building itself is almost 100 years old. You could still have a raised court. Many of the people I’ve talked to, the older booster club members and fans, say if they saved the raised court that’s great.”

Gophers boosters president, Jim Cormier, at recent Golden Dunkers event (via Star Tribune)

Hey people, it’s 2024… right?

Look, this isn’t rocket science. It’s floor science; literally the opposite of rocket science. If all the PhD engineering degrees put together at the University of Minnesota can’t figure out how to hide a raised floor when events want to come into Dinkytown, then what kind of degrees are we giving out at the ‘prestigious’ College of Science and Engineering, which proudly states on its website that its engineering program ranks top-25 in the country…

“All University of Minnesota Twin Cities science and engineering graduate programs were recently ranked among the top 25 public university programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.”

U of M College of Science and Engineering – Website Front Page

I can’t believe this is even a discussion. I know the Barn was built in 1928 but that’s not the year we live in anymore. At the least, we should be able to build temporary raised sections that can be installed around the permanently raised platform in the middle of Williams Arena. When needed, you roll them out and lock them into place safely?

Again, I’m not the one with an advanced engineering degree, like many employed by the University of Minnesota. So let’s get someone on this apparently huge obstacle? So we don’t have to eliminate college basketball history from campus and a main element of what makes U of M basketball unique to other programs around the country, just because we can’t think outside the raised floor.

Related: Minnesota Gophers Basketball Game Today (M); TV Schedule, Channel and more

U of M Planning to Renovate Williams Arena

But in Thursday morning’s newspaper, Marcus Fuller (Star Tribune) got Mark Coyle on record to bring some light to the conversation. And according to the University of Minnesota Athletic Director, the likely decision will be renovations for Williams arena, rather than a new build.

“I get to travel to all these different arenas in the Big Ten,” Coyle said. “There’s no doubt there’s things we can do at Williams Arena to help enhance it, for not only our student-athletes but our spectators who come to the games.”

Coyle gave no timetable for the process but said talks have increased since last year within the athletic department about changes to the Barn…

Star Tribune

Related: Never Tear Down The Barn… Ever.

What’s the plan for the renovation project? Downsize and update. The U of M has been keeping a very close eye on some of the college basketball arena projects across the country. The Barn currently seats 14,625 people during basketball games but their average attendance is half that.

Did someone say downsizing???

As technology advances and with less and less fans show up to sporting events in-person, it only makes sense to downsize Williams Arena’s seating capacity. The Gophers men’s basketball team is averaging just 7,422 fans per game, which ranks ahead of only Northwestern (5,151) who built a new arena (Welsch-Ryan) in 2018 with a seating capacity of 7,000 people

Reducing seating at the venue is being considered along with other potential modifications that could improve the venue for fans and players.

Building a basketball arena at another location on campus is open for discussion, but Coyle isn’t sure how strongly that would be considered.

Star Tribune

For Williams Arena, a full-scale renovation can be whatever the Athletic Department dreams up, especially if you are downsizing the seating capacity. Remember, The Barn was originally designed as a fieldhouse with two sides.

It housed the hockey rink, multiple basketball courts and an indoor track. It also served as the indoor practice facility for the U’s baseball team for a long time. It’s time for the University of Minnesota to PROPERLY invest in a Williams Arena renovation project, something that’s NEVER been done in the course of its nearly 100-year history.

Related: Buy the Right Brand of Bacon in January and 100% Goes to Gophers NIL Fund

Time for University of Minnesota to properly invest in The Barn

While researching that piece about saving The Barn (written in 2018) I found that from 1927 to 2018, there was a grand total of under $30 million in construction costs spent on The Barn. That’s from it’s completion as the U of M Field House ($650,000) all the way until new floors and seats were installed.

They got another new floor in 2022, so stack a couple more million on top, just to tip the scales over $30 million. That’s nearly 100 years and $30 million spent. For comparison purposes, Huntington Bank Stadium cost over 10X that ($300,000,000) before one football games was played on its turf.

Gophers basketball only has one home.

Years ago, I made my feelings on The Barn very clear. There are a lot of people who disagree with me but I would keep Williams Arena forever, if I were running the University of Minnesota. It is one of the only things we have with Gophers sports that is unique, compared to the rest of the country.

So I am 100% on board with a renovation project and I think reducing seating capacity is a great idea. Put $100,000,000 into a real renovation and perk Williams Arena up a little bit. Make it a venue that makes sense in 2023 and going forward. Keep the history, but make the building a viable basketball complex going forward.

It’s been nearly impossible to win games on the road this season in the Big Ten. That has proven true for the Gophers too, who have been almost unbeatable at home so far in 2019-20, losing only to DePaul. In total so far this year (as of right after this game ended) Big Ten home teams are 110-19…. which is almost impossible. One has to wonder how much of that has to do with how young these kids are now. The Big Ten has some crazy places to play and there is a lot of parody throughout this league.

Anyway, this was a fun one to watch. It started slow, just like the win vs Michigan but you could feel the Gopher momentum start to pickup by halftime, where they trailed by just 2. Everyone was hitting in the first half, on both sides of the floor…. except Gabe Kalscheur, who has really struggled all season long. The only thing uglier than Gabe’s shooting in that first half, was the Gopher defense, which allowed Penn State to shoot 60% from the floor with a total of ZERO turnovers. But again, the Gophers only trailed by two points, entering the half.

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.@oturu65 is a straight-up monster. ?@GopherMBB is battling Penn State on BTN: pic.twitter.com/vEQk9vURVX

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) January 16, 2020

Back & forth. pic.twitter.com/OVfYgIIBOS

— Minnesota Men's Basketball (@GopherMBB) January 16, 2020

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Just like in the first half (and throughout much of the season), the Gophers started the 2nd half slow too. But, it quickly evolved into the Marcus Carr and Dan Oturu show, which — I don’t know about you — but is one of my favorites. Dan Oturu continues to surprise me as he gains confidence. Things got a little bit petty tonight (especially at the end in the handshake line), which I also like, and Oturu was talking shit and staring people down like he was a Senior who landed on campus with a bad attitude 4 years ago…. not the quiet Sophomore from Cretin-Derham Hall.

Dan would finish the game with another monster stat-line of 26 points and 14 rebounds, not to mention what he brings to this team on every single possession, on both sides of the floor. On offense, the defenders really struggle with all of the motion in Pitino’s offense and it’s because it’s really hard to run around all of those actions, while still keeping extra tabs on Dan. You are just one mistake away from an open 3-pointer or a Dan Oturu 1v1 down-low… which you DO NOT WANT.

Meanwhile, Marcus Carr is one of the most talented guards in the Big Ten and I said it on Twitter toward the end of this game… he might be the most talented guard to step foot on campus since Bobby Jackson left. The kid has a lot to learn and a lot of growing to do, but the talent is through the ceiling of the Barn. He just has that swag and that extra gear, when needed, that sets him apart from the others on the court. Marcus finished with an absurd boxscore too…. 27 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds.

That’s right after a game vs Michigan where he scored 21 and sprinkled 12 dimes while helping Dan Oturu will the Gophers to victory.

The Gophers would win another close one at home tonight too, vs a good team, 75-69.

If the wings could start to hit more regularly from the outside (especially Gabe Kalscheur, who was 0/7 from deep tonight after going 1/6 vs Michigan)… there is no telling the ceiling of this Gophers team, especially in a WIDE OPEN Big Ten. One thing is for sure though… if you keep on piling up quad-1 wins at home, you’re going to be dancing in March.

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A big night for Daniel Oturu and Marcus Carr leads to another @GopherMBB home win.

Highlights vs. Penn State: pic.twitter.com/j6u9dM0Vzq

— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) January 16, 2020

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Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

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So, 95% of the time, my twitter notifications annoy the fuck out of me. Not the likes or the retweets on our Twitter account (@RealMNSportsFan if you’re looking). No. Those notifications cause emotions that more closely mimic those I used to feel in my younger days when hearing the magic words at the end of a long night out… “let’s go back to my place”.

As someone who tries to keep up with the news around Minnesota sports, I set notifications for some of the bigger reporters, players, coaches, and teams around the Twin Cities. But, because of that, my phone is blowing up all day from the Twitter machine. My wife and boss would both probably appreciate the idea of throwing all of my devices out the window while driving over one of the many local overpasses or bridges.

But sometimes, like late this afternoon while I was getting ready to leave my day job, I’m reminded why those notifications are there:

The Barn got a fresh new look for the season.

A post shared by Gopher Men’s Basketball (@gophermbb) on Aug 6, 2018 at 2:10pm PDT

I don’t open too many tweets that leave me wide-eyed… but this one did. I originally saw this on the team’s Twitter account but threw the instagram pictures up because I figured they might look a little better from a platform that was built for pictures. This new court is unbelievably done. The bright wood makes it pop off of the maroon chairs. It has that throwback feel though, with the cursive “The Barn” logo outside of the perimeters. It’s absolutely perfect.

This isn’t the first time in recent history that this court has been redone. And before that, it had been A LONG TIME with the original floor. The original building was built in 1928, when it held a different name: “The University of Minnesota Field House”. That floor remained installed until late summer 2009, when it was finally replaced for the first time.

Nope, you read that correctly. The Minnesota Men’s basketball team played on the same wood floor for 81 fucking years. That blows my mind…. For the second remodel, we could only wait 9 years (2009-now).. Replacing the original floor in 2009 cost just as much as it did to build the entire building back in 1928 with a price tag just over $600K. The numbers are yet to come out on this one.

The University of Minnesota Athletic Department and boosters continue to give the coaches everything they need to go out and get the best kids to come to this school and play basketball and football. There are less and less excuses for losing. And “it’s too cold” doesn’t fly anymore. The talent has gotten better but with all of the money pouring into these facilities, it needs to continue on the upward trend. 2018 fall and winter sports could dictate the tone of that conversation going forward.

Eric Strack
Minnesota Sports Fan (@RealMNSportsFan)