Gallagher-Iba Arena, once dubbed “Madison Square Garden of the Plains”,[citation needed] is the basketball and wrestling venue at Oklahoma
State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Gallagher-Iba Arena was completed in 1938 as a result of Engrossed House Bill No. 315, with a price
tag of $1.5 million to hold 4-H meetings. It was called Gallagher Hall until 1987.
The history of the arena began on December 9, 1938 when the Oklahoma A&M Aggies (the school’s nickname at the time) coached by Henry
Iba beat Phog Allen’s Kansas Jayhawks 21-15, in a battle between two of the nation's original basketball powers. Gallagher-Iba is home to one of
the country's original student sections.[citation needed] A testament to the building's acoustical advantage can be found during the Big 8
wrestling championships in 1978; a standing-room-only crowd of 8,300 made such a huge roar that many of the lights in the arena burst.
Gallagher-Iba Arena was originally named the 4-H Clubs and Student Activities Building. It was shortly renamed Gallagher Hall for wrestling
coach Ed Gallagher, who won 11 national championships during his tenure from 1916 to 1940. The Oklahoma Board of Regents renamed
Gallagher Hall to Gallagher-Iba Arena in 1987 to honor Oklahoma State basketball coach Henry Iba. Iba won 767 collegiate games and two
national championships in his career. Iba invented the motion offense and man-to-man defense.
