Bengal Community Invited to Own a Piece of Holt Arena’s History

The iconic seats will be sold for $50 each, and the purchase will be packaged with additional Holt Arena 50-year memorabilia and University apparel. All funds raised through the seat purchases will be placed in the Champions Fund to advance initiatives and projects in the Department of Athletics. 

“We recognize that many of our Bengal fans and boosters want to own a seat from the iconic venue,” Athletic Director Pauline Thiros said. “Purchasing a seat from Holt Arena’s past will support our University’s future, and all funds raised will benefit our student-athletes.”

The University is collecting contact information through an online form from those who would like to purchase Holt Arena’s old seats. At this phase, the goal is to gauge interest and carefully preserve an ample supply of seats during the removal process. Since the seats are being removed as part of the demolition phase, the University is not able to guarantee that specific colors or exact seats will be available for purchase. Requests to purchase seats will be collected through the online form until November 30, 2022. More information is available at www.isu.edu/holt. 

“Holt Arena has been home to so many events for more than 50 years, and many in our community, including myself, have fond memories sitting in those seats. The improvements we are making will greatly enhance the venue and elevate its presence for the next 50 years,” said Thiros.

To also support Idaho State’s academic mission, about 500 of Holt Arena’s old seats were set aside to be used at the Disaster Response Complex. The University’s on-campus complex provides hands-on training for emergency responders in a number of disaster scenarios. The seats will be part of training exercises for local first responders.  

In 2021, the University announced a multi-million dollar renovation project to upgrade the Holt Arena and improve the fan experience. The timeline for the project is approximately two years, and the first phase focuses on the north side. A seating renovation on the south side of the arena will occur in 2023, after the 2022 football season.