Freedom Hall
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| Freedom Hall | |
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| Location | Freedom Way Louisville, KY 40209 |
| Opened | 1956 |
| Owner | Commonwealth of Kentucky |
| Operator | Kentucky Exposition Center |
| Tenants | Louisville Cardinals (NCAA) (1956-present) Louisville Rebels (IHL) (1957-1960) Kentucky Colonels (ABA) (1968-1976) Louisville Fire (af2) (2001-present) Louisville Panthers (AHL) (1999-2001) NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament (1958-1959, 1962-1963, 1967, 1969) |
| Capacity | 18,865(basketball) 19,200 (concerts) |
Freedom Hall is a multipurpose arena in Louisville, Kentucky, on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The maximum capacity of the arena is 19,200 for concerts, and 18,865 for basketball. While it is used to host a variety of events, it is most famous for its use as a basketball arena, most notably serving as the basketball home of the University of Louisville Cardinals, and for one game per season as an alternate home court for the University of Kentucky Wildcats. The Cardinals started playing basketball there in December 1956 with a contest against the University of Notre Dame, both of whom are now full-time members of the Big East Conference. Their first full season in the facility was the following season. In addition to being the home of the Cardinals, Freedom Hall has hosted NCAA Tournament games ten times, including six Final Fours between 1958 and 1969. The arena has also hosted 11 conference tournaments, nine Metro Conference Tournaments and two Conference USA tournaments — 2001 and 2003. It has also hosted the Kentucky High School State Basketball Tournament (also known as the Sweet 16) 23 times, including every year from 1965-1978. In 1984, the floor of the arena was lowered about 10 feet to increase the capacity of the arena from 16,613 to its current figure. The record basketball attendance for the arena is 20,091, set when Louisville faced the University of Connecticut on January 21, 2006.
Another famous event that occurs at Freedom Hall is the Kentucky State Fair World's Championship Horse Show. In fact, Freedom Hall was designed for this event. The North American International Livestock Exposition also is held there each November.
The venue also hosts the Louisville Fire of af2.
On the lower level is the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame Walls of Fame where an engraved bronze plaque honors each inductee. [1]
Contents |
[edit] NCAA Tournament games played in Freedom Hall
[edit] 1958-1963
1958 Final Four:
- Kentucky 61, Temple 60 (national semifinal)
- Seattle 73, Kansas State 51 (national semifinal)
- Temple 67, Kansas State 57 (national third place)
- Kentucky 84, Seattle 72 (national championship)
1959 Final Four:
- West Virginia 94, Louisville 79 (national semifinal)
- California 64, Cincinnati 58 (national semifinal)
- Cincinnati 98, Louisville 85 (national third place)
- California 71, West Virginia 70 (national championship)
1962 Final Four:
- Ohio State 84, Wake Forest 68 (national semifinal)
- Cincinnati 72, UCLA 70 (national semifinal)
- Wake Forest 82, UCLA 80 (national third place)
- Cincinnati 71, Ohio State 59 (national championship)
1963 Final Four:
- Loyola 94, Duke 75 (national semifinal)
- Cincinnati 80, Oregon State 46 (national semifinal)
- Duke 85, Oregon State 63 (national third place)
- Loyola 60, Cincinnati 58 (national championship, overtime)
[edit] 1967-1976
1967 Final Four:
- Dayton 76, North Carolina 62 (national semifinal)
- UCLA 73, Houston 58 (national semifinal)
- Houston 84, North Carolina 62 (national third place)
- UCLA 79, Dayton 64 (national championship)
1969 Final Four:
- Purdue 92, North Carolina 65 (national semifinal)
- UCLA 85, Drake 82 (national semifinal)
- Drake 104, North Carolina 84 (national third place)
- UCLA 92, Purdue 72 (national championship)
1976 Midwest Regional:
- Michigan 80, Notre Dame 76 (regional semifinal)
- Missouri 86, Texas Tech 75 (regional semifinal)
- Michigan 95, Missouri 88 (regional final)
1983 Midwest Regional First and Second Rounds:
- Georgetown 68, Alcorn State 63 (first round, 5 seed vs. 12 seed)
- Iowa 64, Utah State 59 (first round, 7 seed vs. 10 seed)
- Memphis 66, Georgetown 57 (second round, 4 seed vs. 5 seed)
- Iowa 77, Missouri 63 (second round, 7 seed vs. 2 seed)
1987 Southeast Regional:
- Georgetown 70, Kansas 57 (regional semifinal, 1 seed vs. 5 seed)
- Providence 103, Alabama 82 (regional semifinal, 6 seed vs. 2 seed)
- Providence 88, Georgetown 73 (regional final, 6 seed vs. 1 seed)
1991 Southeast Regional First and Second Rounds:
- Pittsburgh 76, Georgia 68 (first round, 6 seed vs. 11 seed, overtime)
- Kansas 55, New Orleans 49 (first round, 3 seed vs. 14 seed)
- Florida State 75, Southern California 72 (first round, 7 seed vs. 10 seed)
- Indiana 79, Coastal Carolina 69 (first round, 2 seed vs. 15 seed)
- Kansas 77, Pittsburgh 66 (second round, 3 seed vs. 6 seed)
- Indiana 82, Florida State 60 (second round, 2 seed vs. 7 seed)
[edit] NCAA Conference Tournaments played in Freedom Hall
- Metro Conference—1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1995
- Conference USA—2001, 2003
- NIT first and second rounds - 2002, 2006
[edit] Professional basketball at Freedom Hall
The Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association played their home games in Freedom Hall for six seasons, from the fall of 1970 through the league's demise in the spring 1976. The Colonels moved to Freedom Hall after playing their first three seasons at the Convention Center (1967-68 through 1969-70).
The first female to play in a professional basketball game did so on the floor of Freedom Hall during a Kentucky Colonels game. Penny Ann Early, an aspiring jockey, briefly entered the game for the Kentucky Colonels against the Los Angeles Stars on November 28, 1968.
The fifth American Basketball Association All Star Game was played at Freedom Hall on January 29, 1972. 15,738 fans attended; the East, coached by Kentucky Colonels coach Joe Mullaney, defeated the West 142-115. The game's Most Valuable Player was the Kentucky Colonels' Dan Issel.
Many ABA playoff games were held at Freedom Hall including the Kentucky Colonels winning the 1975 American Basketball Association Championship at Freedom Hall. The following ABA playoff games were played at Freedom Hall:
- 1971: Games 1, 2 and 5 of the 1971 Eastern Division Semifinals (Kentucky Colonels over The Floridians 4 games to 2); Games 1, 3 4 and 6 of the 1971 Eastern Division Finals (Kentucky Colonels over the Virginia Squires, 4 games to 2); and Games 3, 4 and 6 of the 1971 American Basketball Association Championship (Utah Stars over the Kentucky Colonels 4 games to 3).
- 1972: Games 1, 2 and 5 of the 1972 Eastern Division Semifinals (New York Nets over the Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 2).
- 1973: Games 1, 2 and 5 of the 1973 Eastern Division Semifinals (Kentucky Colonels over the Virginia Squires 4 games to 1); Games 3, 4 and 6 of the 1973 Eastern Division Finals (Kentucky Colonels over the Carolina Cougars 4 games to 3); and Games 1, 2, 5 and 7 of the 1973 American Basketball Association Championship (Indiana Pacers over the Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3).
- 1974: Games 1 and 2 of the 1974 Eastern Division Semifinals (Kentucky Colonels over the Carolina Cougars, 4 games to 0); Games 3 and 4 of the 1974 Eastern Division Finals (New York Nets over the Kentucky Colonels 4 games to 0).
- 1975: 1975 one game playoff for 1975 First Place in the Eastern Division (Kentucky Colonels 108, New York Nets 99); Games 1, 2 and 5 of the 1975 Eastern Division Semifinals (Kentucky Colonels over the Memphis Sounds, 4 games to 1); Games 1, 2 and 5 of the 1975 Eastern Division Finals (Kentucky Colonels over the Spirits of St. Louis, 4 games to 1); and Games 1, 2 and 5 of the 1975 American Basketball Association Championship (Kentucky Colonels over the Indiana Pacers, 4 games to 1).
- 1976: Games 1 and 3 of the 1976 First Round Miniseries (Kentucky Colonels over the Indiana Pacers, 2 games to 1); Games 3, 4 and 6 of the 1976 Semifinals (Denver Nuggets over the Kentucky Colonels, 4 games to 3). The Colonels' final game was played in this series, a 133-110 loss at Denver on April 28, 1976.
[edit] Games and Scores
In addition, the Kentucky Colonels played several exhibition games against teams from the National Basketball Association in Freedom Hall, winning nine and losing five, including:
- September 22, 1971: Kentucky Colonels 111, Baltimore Bullets 85 (attendance, 13,821)
- October 8, 1971: Milwaukee Bucks 99, Kentucky Colonels 93 (attendance over 18,000)
- October 9, 1971: New York Knicks 112, Kentucky Colonels 100 (attendance, 12,238)
- October 1, 1972: Milwaukee Bucks 131, Kentucky Colonels 100
- October 6, 1972: Phoenix Suns 103, Kentucky Colonels 91
- October 7, 1972: Baltimore Bullets 95, Kentucky Colonels 93
- September 21, 1973 Kentucky Colonels 110, Houston Rockets 102
- September 22, 1973 Kentucky Colonels 110, Kansas City-Omaha Kings 99
- October 1, 1974 Kentucky Colonels 118, Washington Bullets 95
- October 8, 1974 Kentucky Colonels 109, Detroit Pistons 100
- October 12, 1974 Kentucky Colonels 93, Chicago Bulls 75
- October 8, 1975 Kentucky Colonels 93, Golden State Warriors 90 (the Colonels and Warriors were the defending ABA and NBA Champions, respectively)
- October 10, 1975 Kentucky Colonels 96, Milwaukee Bucks 91
- October 14, 1975 Kentucky Colonels 120, Buffalo Braves 116
[edit] Notable events
[edit] Concerts
- July 16, 1964 - The Beach Boys and The Kingsmen
- December 28, 1966 - The Monkees
- October 31, 1968 - The Doors
- June 18, 1974 - Grateful Dead
- August 4, 1975 - Rolling Stones
- July 20, 1976 - Elton John
- July 23, 1976 - Elvis Presley
- August 12, 1976 - Yes
- September 8, 1976 - KISS
- December 4, 1976 - Aerosmith
- March 28, 1977 - Boston
- April 25, 1977 - Led Zeppelin
- June 17, 1977 - Pink Floyd
- August 28, 1977 - Yes and Donovan
- December 8, 1978 - Billy Joel
- April 13, 1979 -Yes
- July 28, 1980 - Van Halen
- October 13, 1980 - Yes
- November 3, 1981 - Rolling Stones
- July 10, 1982 - The Who
- July 30, 1982 - Van Halen
- February 9, 1984 - Van Halen
- November 22, 1987 - Yes
- January 29, 1988 - Def Leppard and Tesla
- March 20, 1988 - Michael Jackson
- April 9, 1989 - Grateful Dead
- February 8, 1992 - Van Halen
- March 19, 1992 - Metallica
- June 15-16 1993 - Grateful Dead
- March 29, 1994 - Billy Joel
- December 3, 1994 - Aerosmith
- June 30, 1996 - KISS and Alice in Chains
- February 2, 1997 - Metallica
- October 18, 1997 - Elton John
- October 1, 1999 - John Mellencamp
- February 9, 2000 - Cher
- March 13 2000 - Britney Spears
- March 31, 2000 - Tina Turner and Lionel Richie
- July 4, 2000 - Red Hot Chili Peppers and Foo Fighters
- October 18, 2001 - Tool
- January 25, 2002 - Janet Jackson
- September 5, 2002 - Cher and Cyndi Lauper
- December 8, 2003 - KISS and Aerosmith
- April 28, 2004 - Metallica
- July 6, 2004 - Van Halen
- April 18, 2005 - John Mellencamp and Donovan
- February 23, 2006 - Coldplay
- December 12, 2006 - Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
- August 26, 2007 Def Leppard, Styx, and Foreigner, Kentucky State Fair event
- October 17, 2007 - Bob Dylan and Elvis Costello
- January 18, 2008 - Reba McEntire and pop rock singer Kelly Clarkson
[edit] Other events
- National Quartet Convention — annually in November
- WCW Uncensored 1999
- WWE Judgment Day 2000
- Promise Keepers 2006
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Municipal Auditorium Municipal Auditorium Cole Field House Sports Arena |
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Finals Venue 1958 – 59 1962 – 1963 1967 1969 |
Succeeded by Cow Palace Municipal Auditorium Sports Arena Cole Field House |
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