The Coliseum has been used for music concerts but the concrete roof has poor sound distribution properties, so other venues in town are more appropriate for this purpose.

The first event held at the Coliseum was a Grand Funk Railroad concert in 1970,[2] with the first game then taking place on 1 December 1970.

Other National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men's Division I college basketball events it has hosted include the ECAC South Region tournament organized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) in 1975 and 1976[4][5] and the Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball tournament in 1984 and 1988.

In 1999-2000, the school was forced to play a year of games split between Wheeling and Charleston, and the gymnasium at nearby Fairmont State University while asbestos was removed from the Coliseum.

In 2004, the Coliseum underwent an upgrade which included renovations to the men's and women's locker rooms, construction of a player's lounge and team video theater, expansion of the equipment and athletic training rooms, refurbishment of the Coliseum roof, and construction of a club seating area in the main arena complete with a private space for concessions, hospitality area, and rest rooms under the lower level seats.

WVU Athletic Director Ed Pastilong also announced the construction of a new $20–$22 million practice facility to be built adjacent to the Coliseum.