Omaha Civic Auditorium
Encyclopedia
The Omaha Civic Auditorium is a multi-purpose convention center
in Omaha
, Nebraska
. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of CenturyLink Center Omaha in 2003.
s.
In the past, the arena was home to the Creighton
Bluejays
men's basketball
team, the Creighton women's basketball and volleyball
teams, and the University of Nebraska at Omaha
hockey
team.
Today, it is home to the Omaha Beef
indoor football team. It is also used for trade shows, concerts, smaller conventions, and local graduations. On 5 February 2009, the Junior-A United States Hockey League
announced on its website that the Omaha Lancers
franchise would be moving to the Civic Auditorium from the Mid-America Center
across the river in Council Bluffs.
It was announced on August 18, 2010 that the MISL
is expanding into Omaha starting with the 2010-11 season. The team, tentatively called Omaha Vipers
, will play at the Civic Auditorium.
The arena was the site of the Missouri Valley Conference
men's basketball tournament title game in 1978 and 1981. It was also the site of the seventh
WWF In Your House
pay-per-view in 1996. Billy Graham
's Nebraska Crusade took place at the arena in 1964. The University of Omaha-Nebraska Mavericks will be coming home to the Auditorium in 2011, as the university's men's basketball team will be moving into the arena as they enter NCAA Division I.
's final concerts was held at the Civic Auditorium on June 19, 1977. The concert was filmed for a CBS
TV special: Elvis in Concert
. Elvis wore the Mexican Sundial suit in concert.
and Republican Dan Quayle
. The debate produced one of the most famous quotes in American political history.
Quayle, then a U.S. Senator
from Indiana
, had been a relative political unknown and reporters covering the campaign wondered if he would make a suitable president if something were to have happened to George H.W. Bush, who selected him as his running mate. In response to a question, Quayle pointed out that he had as much experience in the Senate as John F. Kennedy
had prior to being elected President of the United States
in 1960. To which, Bentsen, a Senate veteran from Texas
, responded: "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
Convention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...
in Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. Opened in 1954, it surpassed the Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum as the largest convention/entertainment complex in the city, until the completion of CenturyLink Center Omaha in 2003.
Arena
The Civic Auditorium arena currently seats up to 9,300 people for sporting events and up to 10,960 for concertConcert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s.
In the past, the arena was home to the Creighton
Creighton University
Creighton University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The university is accredited by...
Bluejays
Creighton Bluejays
The Creighton Bluejays, or Jays, are the athletic teams of Creighton University, a Jesuit/Catholic University located in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Creighton competes in NCAA Division I athletics, competing in the Missouri Valley Conference...
men's basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
team, the Creighton women's basketball and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
teams, and the University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of Nebraska at Omaha
The University of Nebraska at Omaha is a four-year state university located in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. Founded in 1908 as Omaha University, the institution became the public Municipal University of Omaha in 1931. It assumed its current name in 1968 following a merger into the University...
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...
team.
Today, it is home to the Omaha Beef
Omaha Beef
The Omaha Beef are a professional indoor football team. They are a member of the Indoor Football League . They play their home games at Omaha Civic Auditorium, which was also once the home of the AHL's Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights and is now the home of the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey...
indoor football team. It is also used for trade shows, concerts, smaller conventions, and local graduations. On 5 February 2009, the Junior-A United States Hockey League
United States Hockey League
The United States Hockey League is the top junior ice hockey league in the United States. The USHL has 16 member teams located in the Midwestern United States, consisting of players who are 20 years of age and younger...
announced on its website that the Omaha Lancers
Omaha Lancers
The Omaha Lancers are a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team playing in the West Division of the United States Hockey League .From 2002-2009, the Lancers' home ice was the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the Missouri River from Omaha. Until the 2001-2002 season, the Lancers played at...
franchise would be moving to the Civic Auditorium from the Mid-America Center
Mid-America Center
The Mid-America Center is an arena and convention center located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, just five minutes from downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The arena's maximum capacity is about 8,000 for concerts and 6,700 for ice hockey and arena football. The arena continues to provide free parking.It is the...
across the river in Council Bluffs.
It was announced on August 18, 2010 that the MISL
Misl
Misl generally refers to the twelve sovereign states in the Sikh Confederacy. The states formed a commonwealth that was described by Antoine Polier as an "aristocratic republic"...
is expanding into Omaha starting with the 2010-11 season. The team, tentatively called Omaha Vipers
Omaha Vipers
The Omaha Vipers are a PASL-Pro team that began play in the MISL in the 2010-11 season. Based in Omaha, Nebraska, the Vipers play their home games at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. The move from the MISL to the PASL-Pro was announced on May 5, 2011....
, will play at the Civic Auditorium.
The arena was the site of the Missouri Valley Conference
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
men's basketball tournament title game in 1978 and 1981. It was also the site of the seventh
In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies
In Your House 7: Good Friends, Better Enemies was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation that took place on April 28, 1996 and emanated from the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska....
WWF In Your House
In Your House
In Your House was a pay-per-view series created by the World Wrestling Federation . The original concept was that, in months when the WWF was not holding one of its major PPV events , they would offer a two-hour PPV, priced at $14.95...
pay-per-view in 1996. Billy Graham
Billy Graham
William Franklin "Billy" Graham, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian evangelist. As of April 25, 2010, when he met with Barack Obama, Graham has spent personal time with twelve United States Presidents dating back to Harry S. Truman, and is number seven on Gallup's list of admired people for...
's Nebraska Crusade took place at the arena in 1964. The University of Omaha-Nebraska Mavericks will be coming home to the Auditorium in 2011, as the university's men's basketball team will be moving into the arena as they enter NCAA Division I.
One of Elvis Presley's Final Concerts
One of Elvis PresleyElvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's final concerts was held at the Civic Auditorium on June 19, 1977. The concert was filmed for a CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
TV special: Elvis in Concert
Elvis in Concert
Elvis in Concert is the title of the soundtrack album released in conjunction with the television special of the same name which featured some of the final performances of Elvis Presley...
. Elvis wore the Mexican Sundial suit in concert.
"You're no Jack Kennedy"
A memorable event at the Civic Auditorium was the 1988 U.S. vice-presidential debate between Democrat Lloyd BentsenLloyd Bentsen
Lloyd Millard Bentsen, Jr. was a four-term United States senator from Texas and the Democratic Party nominee for Vice President in 1988 on the Michael Dukakis ticket. He also served in the House of Representatives from 1949 to 1955. In his later political life, he was Chairman of the Senate...
and Republican Dan Quayle
Dan Quayle
James Danforth "Dan" Quayle served as the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving with President George H. W. Bush . He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Indiana....
. The debate produced one of the most famous quotes in American political history.
Quayle, then a U.S. Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, had been a relative political unknown and reporters covering the campaign wondered if he would make a suitable president if something were to have happened to George H.W. Bush, who selected him as his running mate. In response to a question, Quayle pointed out that he had as much experience in the Senate as John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
had prior to being elected President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in 1960. To which, Bentsen, a Senate veteran from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, responded: "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy, I knew Jack Kennedy, Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
Music Hall
The Civic Auditorium Music Hall, located on the east side of Omaha Civic Auditorium is used for concerts, Broadway shows, and other events. It currently seats 2,453 and is well known for its intimate yet casual atmosphere.Exhibit Hall
The Civic Auditorium exhibit hall features 43,400 square feet (4,000 m²) of space for conventions and trade shows.Mancuso Hall
Mancuso Hall is a large-events venue used for parties, trade shows, concerts, banquets, and conventions, among other events. 25,000 square feet (2300 m²) of space, Mancuso Hall seats 2,500 for concerts and 1,500 for banquets.See also
- CenturyLink Center Omaha
- Mid-America CenterMid-America CenterThe Mid-America Center is an arena and convention center located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, just five minutes from downtown Omaha, Nebraska. The arena's maximum capacity is about 8,000 for concerts and 6,700 for ice hockey and arena football. The arena continues to provide free parking.It is the...
- Rosenblatt Stadium
- Ak-Sar-Ben (arena) - (defunct)
- TD Ameritrade Park
- Morrison StadiumMorrison StadiumMichael G. Morrison, S.J., Stadium is a 6,000-seat soccer-specific stadium located at 2500 California Plaza in the NoDo neighborhood of Omaha, Nebraska. The stadium is home to the Creighton Bluejays men's and women's soccer teams.-History:...