Coleman Coliseum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Coleman Coliseum | |
|---|---|
| aka "Coleman" and "the Coliseum" | |
 |
|
| Location | University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| Opened | January 30, 1968 |
| Owner | University of Alabama |
| Operator | University of Alabama |
| Construction cost | $4.2 Million |
| Former names | Memorial Coliseum (1968-88) |
| Tenants | Alabama Crimson Tide (Basketball & Gymnastics) |
| Capacity | 15,316 (basketball) 15,075 (gymnastics) |
Coleman Coliseum is a 15,316-seat multi-purpose arena in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and is home to the University of Alabama Crimson Tide basketball and gymnastics teams. Before 1988, the building was known as Memorial Coliseum. The arena opened in 1968 as a replacement for Foster Auditorium. The coliseum is located at the center of the University of Alabama's Athletic Complex, which also includes Sewell-Thomas Stadium, Sam Bailey Track & Field Stadium, the Hank Crisp Indoor Facility, the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility and the football building and practice fields.
[edit] History
The coliseum opened its doors for the first time on January 30, 1968 for the traveling Broadway show "The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd".[1] Two days later the coliseum held it's first men's basketball game against the Samford Bulldogs, replacing Foster Auditorium as the new home for Crimson Tide basketball.
Coleman Coliseum is named for Jefferson Jackson Coleman, a prominent alumnus. Until his death, in 1995 he was the only person that had attended every Alabama bowl game, starting with the Rose Bowl game on January 1, 1926. Jeff went on to serve the university in many capacities, from Business Manager of the football team to Director of Alumni Affairs, for almost 50 years. He was one of the first pledges at the Delta Chi Fraternity at Alabama and "AA" Emeritus for the National Fraternity.
The coliseum has hosted numerous superstar performers. Some of the names that have appeared on the Coleman's stage include Elvis Presley, Tom Petty, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead, Hank Williams, Jr, Jay Leno, Reba McEntire, Alan Jackson, and Daughtry.[2]
President Ronald Reagan visited Coleman Coliseum during the mid-1980s.
Since the City of Tuscaloosa does not have a municipal civic center, the demand for events grew rapidly and the Coliseum doubled it's capacity in the 1970's due to this. In the 1990's marque concerts and events that the arena had scene in the previous two decades grew scarce, as the facility became more and more outdated and reverted to mostly Crimson Tide athletic events. In the hope that the University could pull more excitement for events at the facility, the coliseum underwent a significant renovation in 2005, which cost over $24 million.
[edit] Uses and features
Coleman Coliseum is home to Crimson Tide men's and women's basketball and gymnastics teams. The coliseum use to host the school's volleyball team until 2000 when they moved to the "CAVE" (Coleman Auxiliary Volleyball Extension).
In addition to sports, Coleman Coliseum is used for other events including concerts (seating capacity 16,000), commencement ceremonies, alumni gatherings, student convocations, operas, ballets and political rallies. The Coliseum has been used as an annual bass tournament weigh-in spot, and a Travis Tritt music video was filmed here. The stadium hosted the NCAA Basketball Tournament three times, as a regional site in 1974 and as a sub-regional in 1975 and 1981.
The Coliseum houses the athletic department offices for all varsity sports with the exception of football, which is housed in the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility. It features an elegant suite that serves as the President's reception area, an equipment room, weight rooms, a steam bath, a training room, food service areas, the athletic department's photo studio, and locker room for staff and the athletes.
Coleman is also home to the UA athletic department's ticket office.
It is recognizable on television for its "striped" ceiling (a result of bands of acoustical tiles) and the two scoreboards behind each end line, both of which intersperse ads, video boards and scoring information with the familiar "R-O-L-L T-I-D-E" in large illuminated letters. The letters formerly served as a noise meter during games, with the "E" in "TIDE" being red, as a sort of overload light. Now, all eight letters on both ends are constantly illuminated, and the final E is white, like the rest of the letters.
[edit] References
- ^ Coleman Coliseum - RollTide.com—The Official Web site of University of Alabama Athletics!
- ^ Coleman Coliseum - RollTide.com—The Official Web site of University of Alabama Athletics!
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||
- Coleman Coliseum is at coordinates Coordinates:
