ASU Board of Trustees restores Joe L. Reed’s name to Acadome

An old name has been put back on a building at the center of Alabama State University’s campus.
Published: Jul. 31, 2026 at 11:44 AM CDT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - An old name has been put back on a building at the center of Alabama State University’s campus.

Officials said the ASU Board of Trustees voted unanimously on May 7 to restore Joe L. Reed’s name to the ASU Acadome.

School leaders said the decision recognizes Reed’s lifelong service to the university.

Reed, an ASU alumnus, served nearly 20 years as a member of the Board and is credited with securing millions of dollars in funding for the university.

“[Reed] spent decades advocating for the University’s interests in Alabama politics, education, and public policy,” ASU said in a statement.

The building was known as the Joe L. Reed Acadome for 16 years until May 2008 when the Board voted to remove his name.

Joe L. Reed’s name was removed from the Acadome in 2008.(Source: WSFA 12 News file photo)
Joe L. Reed’s name was removed from the Acadome in 2008.(Source: WSFA 12 News file photo)
Photo taken of the Acadome on July 31, 2026, after Joe L. Reed's name was put back on the building following a Board of Trustees vote.(Source: WSFA 12 News)

Trustees at the time said Reed brought negative publicity to the school by criticizing their actions and by taking part in “frivolous” lawsuits.

It was later renamed the Dunn-Oliver Acadome in 2010 for ASU coaching legends Charles Johnson “C.J.” Dunn and James V. Oliver.

The name on the building now reads “Joe L. Reed Dunn-Oliver Acadome.”

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