Richmond Coliseum
Encyclopedia
Richmond Coliseum is an arena
in Richmond, Virginia
, where the SPHL
Richmond Renegades
played until the 2008-2009 season and the SIFL
Richmond Raiders will play starting with the 2010 season. It is also the venue for various large concerts. The arena opened in 1971 and holds 13,500 people. A small fire occurred there in 1997, shutting it down for repairs. It is managed by SMG.
The Richmond Coliseum is also the former part-time home of the Virginia Squires
of the American Basketball Association
. The Squires played there in addition to Roanoke Civic Center, Norfolk Scope
and Hampton Coliseum
(all within the Commonwealth of Virginia
) from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger
in 1976. The Coliseum also hosted the Southern Conference
men's basketball tournaments in 1973 and 1974.
The Sun Belt Conference
men’s basketball tournament was held there in 1988. The Colonial Athletic Association
men's (NCAA) collegiate basketball tournament has been contested at the Richmond Coliseum since 1990. On March 1, 2006, a deal was signed to keep the tournament in Richmond until 2012. The Coliseum served as the primary home for the MEAC Men's Basketball Tournament between 1998 and 2005, with some games played at the Arthur Ashe Athletic Center
.
Until John Paul Jones Arena
opened in 2006, the Richmond Coliseum was the largest sports arena in Virginia. The Virginia Commonwealth University
Rams men's basketball team played there until the 7,500-seat Alltel Pavilion, on the VCU campus, opened in 1999.
In 1994, the Coliseum hosted the Women's NCAA Division I Basketball Championship. Charlotte Smith of the University of North Carolina
sank a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to defeat Louisiana Tech, 60-59, in the final.
It has been a regular stop for professional wrestling
promotions through the years, including the old NWA
(Jim Crockett Promotions
) Mid-Atlantic territory, and more recently, World Wrestling Entertainment
. In recent years, it hosted the fifteenth WWF In Your House
pay-per-view in 1997, WWE Armageddon
on December 17, 2006, and hosted the televised portion of the 2010 WWE Draft
. It held WWE Smackdown on November 16, 2010. It held WWE Monday Night Raw on Monday, June 6, 2011 featuring WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin
to announce the winner of WWE Tough Enough
.
The Coliseum has also been a site for the Professional Bull Riders. In 1998 and 1999 a Built Ford Tough Series Bud Light Cup event known as the Lane Frost
Memorial was held in the Coliseum; the PBR returned in 2007 to host minor-league tour stops sponsored by former bull rider Greg Potter.
On October 22, 2008, it hosted a rally for Presidential Candidate Barack Obama
, drawing over 13,000 people. A similar crowd was drawn for the 2009 Republican Party of Virginia
convention.
Preliminary planning for a new arena to replace the Coliseum with possible seating of 16,000 to 20,000 is in the works with an estimated cost of $147,100,000. By comparison, the Quicken Loans Arena
in Cleveland, Ohio costs $148 million and has a capacity of 20,000.
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...
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, where the SPHL
Southern Professional Hockey League
The Southern Professional Hockey League is a low-level professional ice hockey league based in Charlotte, North Carolina, with teams located in the southeastern United States.- History :...
Richmond Renegades
Richmond Renegades
The Richmond Renegades was a SPHL ice hockey team in Richmond, Virginia. The team, owned by Allan B. Harvie Jr., the founder of the former ECHL Renegades franchise, began play in October 2006 at the Richmond Coliseum. The team's first head coach was John Brophy...
played until the 2008-2009 season and the SIFL
Southern Indoor Football League
The Southern Indoor Football League was an indoor football league based in the Southern and Eastern United States. The most recent incarnation of the league was a consolidation of an earlier league of the same name that was formed by Thom Hager along with Dan Blum, Robert Winfrey and Dan Ryan in...
Richmond Raiders will play starting with the 2010 season. It is also the venue for various large concerts. The arena opened in 1971 and holds 13,500 people. A small fire occurred there in 1997, shutting it down for repairs. It is managed by SMG.
The Richmond Coliseum is also the former part-time home of the Virginia Squires
Virginia Squires
The Virginia Squires were a basketball franchise in the former American Basketball Association from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.-In Oakland :...
of the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
. The Squires played there in addition to Roanoke Civic Center, Norfolk Scope
Norfolk Scope
Norfolk Scope is a multipurpose culture, entertainment, convention and sports arena at the northern perimeter of downtown Norfolk, Virginia, designed by Italian architect/engineer Pier Luigi Nervi in conjunction with the local firm of Williams and Tazewell...
and Hampton Coliseum
Hampton Coliseum
The Hampton Coliseum is a multi-use cultural, entertainment and sports arena in Hampton, Virginia. Construction on the arena began on May 24, 1968 and the venue opened in 1970 as the first large multi-purpose arena in the Hampton Roads region and the state of Virginia, opening a year prior to...
(all within the Commonwealth of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
) from 1970 until just before the ABA-NBA merger
ABA-NBA merger
The ABA–NBA merger was the merger of the American Basketball Association with the National Basketball Association, which after multiple attempts over several years finally occurred in 1976.- Origins of ABA-NBA competition :...
in 1976. The Coliseum also hosted the Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
men's basketball tournaments in 1973 and 1974.
The Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
men’s basketball tournament was held there in 1988. The Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
men's (NCAA) collegiate basketball tournament has been contested at the Richmond Coliseum since 1990. On March 1, 2006, a deal was signed to keep the tournament in Richmond until 2012. The Coliseum served as the primary home for the MEAC Men's Basketball Tournament between 1998 and 2005, with some games played at the Arthur Ashe Athletic Center
Arthur Ashe Athletic Center
The Arthur Ashe Athletic Center is a 6,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Richmond, Virginia. It was built in 1982. It hosts locals sporting events and concerts...
.
Until John Paul Jones Arena
John Paul Jones Arena
John Paul Jones Arena, or JPJ, opened for the 2006–2007 NCAA Division I basketball season and is located at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia...
opened in 2006, the Richmond Coliseum was the largest sports arena in Virginia. The Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
Rams men's basketball team played there until the 7,500-seat Alltel Pavilion, on the VCU campus, opened in 1999.
In 1994, the Coliseum hosted the Women's NCAA Division I Basketball Championship. Charlotte Smith of the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
sank a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to defeat Louisiana Tech, 60-59, in the final.
It has been a regular stop for professional 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...
promotions through the years, including the old NWA
National Wrestling Alliance
The National Wrestling Alliance is a wrestling promotion company and sanctions various NWA championships in the United States. The NWA has been in operation since 1948...
(Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions
Jim Crockett Promotions was a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. until the late 1980s. It was a member of the National Wrestling Alliance and was the forerunner to World Championship Wrestling .-Early history:...
) Mid-Atlantic territory, and more recently, World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
. In recent years, it hosted the fifteenth WWF In Your House
In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell
In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation , which took place on May 11, 1997 at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia.-Background:...
pay-per-view in 1997, WWE Armageddon
Armageddon (2006)
Armageddon was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment , which took place on December 17, 2006 at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. The event starred wrestlers from the SmackDown! brand.The main event was a tag team match, in which the team...
on December 17, 2006, and hosted the televised portion of the 2010 WWE Draft
2010 WWE Draft
The 2010 World Wrestling Entertainment Draft was the eighth Draft produced by the American professional wrestling promotion WWE. The Draft took place over two days: the first day was televised live for three hours on April 26, and the second part, the "Supplemental Draft", was held on April 27...
. It held WWE Smackdown on November 16, 2010. It held WWE Monday Night Raw on Monday, June 6, 2011 featuring WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
to announce the winner of WWE Tough Enough
WWE Tough Enough
WWE Tough Enough is a professional wrestling reality television program produced by WWE wherein participants undergo professional wrestling training and compete for a contract with WWE. There were two winners per season for the first three seasons, all of which aired on MTV...
.
The Coliseum has also been a site for the Professional Bull Riders. In 1998 and 1999 a Built Ford Tough Series Bud Light Cup event known as the Lane Frost
Lane Frost
Lane Clyde Frost was a professional bull rider and Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association member, who died in the arena at the 1989 Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo as a result of injuries sustained riding the bull "Takin' Care of Business".-Early life:Lane was born on October 12, 1963. At that time,...
Memorial was held in the Coliseum; the PBR returned in 2007 to host minor-league tour stops sponsored by former bull rider Greg Potter.
On October 22, 2008, it hosted a rally for Presidential Candidate Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
, drawing over 13,000 people. A similar crowd was drawn for the 2009 Republican Party of Virginia
Republican Party of Virginia
The Republican Party of Virginia is the Virginia chapter of the Republican Party. It is based in the Richard D. Obenshain Center in Richmond in the Commonwealth of Virginia.- Organization and candidate selection :The State Party Plan...
convention.
Preliminary planning for a new arena to replace the Coliseum with possible seating of 16,000 to 20,000 is in the works with an estimated cost of $147,100,000. By comparison, the Quicken Loans Arena
Quicken Loans Arena
Quicken Loans Arena , is a multi-purpose arena, in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States....
in Cleveland, Ohio costs $148 million and has a capacity of 20,000.