STILLWATER, Okla. (OSU Athletics <http://www.okstate.com>) -- The Oklahoma State University Department of Athletics has announced it has finalized plans for the re-design of the basketball floor of historic Gallagher-Iba Arena.

The new design was a runaway favorite with Cowboy and Cowgirl basketball fans, garnering 6,503 votes of the more than 14,000 submitted for the eight designs that were considered.

The arena, dubbed the "Madison Square Garden of the Plains" when it opened in 1938, has been voted as the best collegiate basketball facility in the country on three occasions by national media outlets. It still features the original white maple wood floor that was in place when the arena opened. At the time, it was the most expensive basketball floor ever constructed.

The revered floor will return to a more traditional look for the 2008-2009 Cowboy and Cowgirl basketball seasons.

"The new design is much simpler and allows the floor to take center stage," said OSU director of athletics Mike Holder. "Honoring and accentuating the history of the floor, which includes two national championships, was the primary goal of the re-design."

The new court will include black trim around the edges of the court. The lanes on both ends of the court are outlined in black, but with interiors that are the color of the rest of the court. The lanes also feature an inset of the Big 12 Conference logo.

The name of Gallagher-Iba Arena spans across the mid-court line. Just off center court on one side is the signature of former head coach Eddie Sutton, along with the floor's designation as "Eddie Sutton Court" with the other side of the mid-court line featuring Cowboy mascot "Pistol Pete".

"Among the many reasons I decided to take the head coaching job at Oklahoma State was because of Gallagher-Iba Arena," said Cowboy head basketball coach Travis Ford. "This arena has a national reputation as one of the toughest places to play for an opposing team. Some of the greatest games ever played have taken place on this white maple floor. The new design honors the floor's great history, which includes the names of two of the finest coaches to ever coach the game of basketball -- Henry Iba and Eddie Sutton."