BancorpSouth Center
Encyclopedia
BancorpSouth Arena, formerly Tupelo Coliseum, and BancorpSouth Center, until December 2006, is a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena
, near downtown Tupelo, Mississippi
, named for the locally based BancorpSouth, a large multi-state commercial banking company.
It was the home of the Tupelo FireAnts
and Mississippi MudCats
indoor football and the Tupelo T-Rex
ice hockey
teams. Currently, it's primary tenant is the Mississippi Hound Dogs
of the Ultimate Indoor Football League
.
The $16 million, 32,000 square foot (3,000 m²) facility was built in 1993, and is one of the more modern arenas, serving a small market in the Mid-south
.
The arena also seats 8,000 for sports events, ranging from basketball
to rodeos to wrestling
— serving as a venue for WCW
Uncensored
in 1995 and 1996, as well as for WCW
Spring Stampede
1997. Also one tapping of WWE Smackdown!, and numerous of House Shows
hosted by WWE.
From 2001 to 2005, the arena hosted the Gulf South Conference
Basketball Tournament.
The arena has also hosted the Harlem Globetrotters
on several occasions.
One Memphis Pharaohs (Arena Football League) home game was held there in 1996.
The arena can be scaled down to 4,500 for theater-style concerts. The arena is also used for trade shows and conventions (33,800 square feet (3,140 m²) of exhibit space plus 5,000 square feet (500 m²) of meeting space.).
The arena was actually retrofitted from a former shopping mall.
On November 14, 2008, the arena hosted the Mississippi State University club hockey team in a game against the Loyola University New Orleans club in the arena's first venture into ice hockey since the T-Rex left in 2001.
On November 21, 2010, BancorpSouth Arena will host a college basketball game featuring the University of Memphis
Tigers
and the Louisiana State University
Tigers
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
, near downtown Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo, Mississippi
Tupelo is the largest city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. It is the seventh largest city in the state of Mississippi, smaller than Meridian, and larger than Greenville. As of the 2000 United States Census, the city's population was 34,211...
, named for the locally based BancorpSouth, a large multi-state commercial banking company.
It was the home of the Tupelo FireAnts
Tupelo FireAnts
The Tupelo FireAnts were a professional indoor football team that played their home games at the BancorpSouth Center in Tupelo, Mississippi. They started off as a charter member of the National Indoor Football League . Despite two seemingly good records in 2001 and 2004, they failed to make the...
and Mississippi MudCats
Mississippi Mudcats
The Mississippi MudCats are a team of the American Indoor Football Association. They play their home games at BancorpSouth Arena in Tupelo, Mississippi.-History:...
indoor football and the Tupelo T-Rex
Tupelo T-Rex
The Tupelo T-Rex was a professional ice hockey team, a member of the Western Professional Hockey League and played their home games at BancorpSouth Center from 1998 through 2001...
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
teams. Currently, it's primary tenant is the Mississippi Hound Dogs
Mississippi Hound Dogs
The Mississippi Hound Dogs is a professional indoor football team due to begin play in the Ultimate Indoor Football League for its 2012 season...
of the Ultimate Indoor Football League
Ultimate Indoor Football League
The Ultimate Indoor Football League is a regional professional indoor football league that began its inaugural season on February 18, 2011.-History:...
.
The $16 million, 32,000 square foot (3,000 m²) facility was built in 1993, and is one of the more modern arenas, serving a small market in the Mid-south
South Central United States
The South Central United States or South Central states is a region of the United States located in the south central part of the country. It evolved out of the archaic southwest, which originally was literally the western U.S. South...
.
The arena also seats 8,000 for sports events, ranging from basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
to rodeos to wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
— serving as a venue for WCW
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
Uncensored
Uncensored
Uncensored was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view from World Championship Wrestling held in the month of March from 1995 through 2000. It was replaced in 2001 by Greed....
in 1995 and 1996, as well as for WCW
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
Spring Stampede
Spring Stampede
Spring Stampede was a professional wrestling pay-per-view from World Championship Wrestling held in the month of April in 1994 and then from 1997 to 2000.-1994:...
1997. Also one tapping of WWE Smackdown!, and numerous of House Shows
House show
A house show is a professional wrestling show run by a major promotion that is not televised, though they can be recorded. Promotions use house shows mainly to cash in on the exposure that they and their wrestlers receive during televised events, as well as test reactions to matches, wrestlers, and...
hosted by WWE.
From 2001 to 2005, the arena hosted the Gulf South Conference
Gulf South Conference
The Gulf South Conference is a College Athletic Conference which operates in the southeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division II.-History:...
Basketball Tournament.
The arena has also hosted the Harlem Globetrotters
Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, theater and comedy. The executive offices for the team are currently in downtown Phoenix, Arizona; the team is owned by Shamrock Holdings, which oversees the various investments of the Roy E. Disney family.Over...
on several occasions.
One Memphis Pharaohs (Arena Football League) home game was held there in 1996.
The arena can be scaled down to 4,500 for theater-style concerts. The arena is also used for trade shows and conventions (33,800 square feet (3,140 m²) of exhibit space plus 5,000 square feet (500 m²) of meeting space.).
The arena was actually retrofitted from a former shopping mall.
On November 14, 2008, the arena hosted the Mississippi State University club hockey team in a game against the Loyola University New Orleans club in the arena's first venture into ice hockey since the T-Rex left in 2001.
On November 21, 2010, BancorpSouth Arena will host a college basketball game featuring the University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
Tigers
Memphis Tigers
The Memphis Tigers represent the University of Memphis in Division I of the NCAA. They are members of C-USA and currently feature nine women's sports and nine men's sports...
and the Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
Tigers
LSU Tigers basketball
The Louisiana State Tigers basketball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. The team is currently coached by Trent Johnson and has enjoyed recent success, including a Final Four run in the 2005–2006 season. Past coaches include John Brady, Press...