It was the home of two NAIA national champion men’s basketball teams and now it’s getting new life.
McDonald Arena, standing at the center of Missouri State’s campus, will be renovated to support football, according to a post by Bears athletic director Patrick Ransdell. First phase private renovation funding was approved by the university’s Board of Governors on Feb. 20.
Detailed plans are part of the first phase of the renovation.
The Bears transitioned to Conference USA starting with the 2026-27 season, elevating football to the Football Bowl Subdivision. The football Bears played in the Xbox Bowl during its inaugural FBS season.
The arena was completed in 1940 at a cost of $443,091 as part of the Works Progress Administration. It was designed by Earl Hawkins and built by Childers Construction Company. Former university president Dr. Roy Ellis laid the cornerstone on Feb. 6, 1939.
Both McDonald and current football home Briggs Stadium, later renamed Plaster Stadium after additions, were dedicated Nov. 2, 1940.
The arena has 3,018 permanent seats and is 54,599 square feet. The Bears played in the basement of Hill Hall before moving into the arena.
The arena opened Dec. 10, 1940, with a win over Northeastern Oklahoma of Tahlequah 25-10 before 900 fans. The 1940-41 Bears defeated the Missouri Tigers at McDonald, 35-32.
World War II ceased basketball and led to the arena being transformed into an Army hospital and barracks before basketball returned in 1946.
The Bears captured 41 straight home wins between Jan. 22, 1957, and Feb. 20, 1960. It was the home of the Bears until the completion of Hammons Student Center.
The Bears won more than 80 percent of their home games, going 340-72, a March 2, 2008, News-Leader article said.
“(McDonald Arena) was the best place in the world to watch a basketball game,” Jim McNabb said in a 2008 Springfield News-Leader article on the opening of JQH Arena, now Great Southern Bank Arena. McNabb was a Bears season ticket holder since 1968 who died in 2014.
The arena wasn’t just for basketball, hosting numerous concerts and a recording session for The Ozark Mountain Daredevils who recorded “Satisfied Mind” in an arena bathroom.
