Oracle Arena

Oracle Arena
The Arena in Oakland, The Coliseum Arena
Inside Oracle Arena
Former names	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena (1966–96) The Arena in Oakland (1997–2005) Oakland Arena (2005–06)
Location	7000 Coliseum Way Oakland, California 94621
Coordinates	37°45′1″N 122°12′11″W / 37.75028°N 122.20306°W / 37.75028; -122.20306Coordinates: 37°45′1″N 122°12′11″W / 37.75028°N 122.20306°W / 37.75028; -122.20306
Broke ground	April 15, 1964
Opened	November 9, 1966
Renovated	1996-1997
Owner	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority (City of Oakland and Alameda County)
Operator	SMG
Construction cost	$25 million (original) ($180 million in 2014 dollars[ 1])[1] $121 million (1996-1997 renovation) ($180 million in 2014 dollars[ 1])
Architect	Skidmore, Owings and Merrill[1] HNTB (renovation)
General contractor	Guy F. Atkinson Company[1]
Capacity	Basketball: 19,596 Concert: 20,000 Ice hockey: 13,601 (1966-1997), 17,200 (1997-present)
Tenants
Golden State Warriors (NBA) (1966–1967, 1971–1996, 1997–current) California Seals (WHL) (1966–1967) Oakland Seals (NHL) (1967–1970) California Golden Seals (NHL) (1970-1976) Golden Bay Earthquakes (NASL/MISL) (1982–1984) Oakland Skates (RHI) (1993–1995) California Golden Bears (1974-1985) (NCAAB) (part-time 1966–1997, full-time 1997–1999)

Exterior view of the Oracle Arena

An overhead view of the Oakland sports complex; Oracle Arena is to left and the O.co Coliseum is to the right

The Oracle (originally Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena, formerly The Arena in Oakland and Oakland Arena and commonly Oakland Coliseum Arena, Oracle Arena, The New Arena and The O and Roaracle) is an indoor arena in Oakland, California, located in the Coliseum Industrial area. It was originally constructed as the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena (part of the combined complex that includes the multipurpose outdoor stadium now known as O.co Coliseum) in 1966.

Prior to its 1996-97 remodeling, the arena had a capacity of 15,025 for basketball. This trailed its three fellow California arenas: the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, which was home to the Los Angeles Lakers at the time and had the largest capacity at 17,505; the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, which hosted the city's Kings and had a capacity of 17,317; and the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, which was home to the Los Angeles Clippers and had a capacity of 16,161. When the arena reopened in time for the 1997-98 season its new capacity was 19,596, making it the largest of the four NBA arenas in California by capacity. It remains such as of 2014, with Staples Center (the current home of both the Lakers and Clippers) second and the now-Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento third.

History

Franchises to call the arena home

The arena has been home to the Golden State Warriors^[2] since 1971, excepting the one-year hiatus while undergoing renovations. It had been used by the Warriors intermittently as early as 1966. The California Golden Bears of the Pac-10 played the entire 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons at the arena while their primary home, Harmon Gym, was being renovated into Haas Pavilion. For some years before then, the Bears played occasional games against popular non-conference opponents at the arena.

The arena's first tenants were the California Seals of the Western Hockey League, who moved across the bay from the Cow Palace in 1966. The owners of the San Francisco Seals had been awarded an expansion franchise in the National Hockey League on the condition they move out the Cow Palace and into the then-new Oakland Coliseum Arena. The team changed its operating name from San Francisco Seals to California Seals in order to draw fans from both San Francisco and Oakland. The Seals franchise continued to play at the arena after having transferred to the NHL, until the team moved to Cleveland after the 1975–76 NHL season.^[3]

The Coliseum also hosted the American Basketball Association's Oakland Oaks (1967-1969), a charter member of the new ABA in 1967. The Oaks signed San Francisco Warriors star Rick Barry away from the rival National Basketball Association in 1968. The team was owned by entertainer Pat Boone and also had stars Larry Brown and Doug Moe on its roster. Brown and Barry are in the Basketball Hall of Fame. After a 22-56 record in their first season, the Oaks went 60-18 during the regular season in 1968-69. The Oaks then defeated the Denver Rockets, New Orleans Buccaneers and finally the Indiana Pacers in the playoffs to capture the ABA Championship. However, the team was plagued by poor attendance and Boone sold the team following their ABA Championship. They were relocated to Washington and became the Washington Caps.^[4]

The Bay Bombers (Roller Derby, 1966–1973) as well as the Golden Bay Earthquakes of the original MISL during the 1982-83 season and the Oakland Skates, a professional roller hockey team, all played there from 1993 to 1995.

Renovation

Over the years, the arena became increasingly outdated, lacking the luxuries of newer ones. With just over 15,000 seats, it was one of the smallest arenas in the league. Rather than building a new arena in Oakland – or, for that matter, in San Francisco or San Jose, as some wanted – the decision was made to proceed with a $121 million renovation that involved tearing down much of the old arena's interior and building new seating within the older confines. The original arena's external walls, roof and foundation remained intact, similar to what was done to the KeyArena in Seattle. The renovation began in mid-1996 and was completed in time for the Golden State Warriors to return in the fall of 1997 (they played the intervening season at the San Jose Arena, home of the NHL's Sharks). Included in the renovation was a new LED centerhung scoreboard and 360-degree fascia display. The new arena seats 19,596 for basketball and 17,000 for ice hockey.

The Oracle

On October 20, 2006, the Golden State Warriors and the Oracle Corporation announced a 10-year agreement in which the Oakland Arena would be known as The Oracle. "The O", as it is often referred to, will continue to be managed by Oakland-Alameda County Authority (JPA) and SMG. The JPA approved the deal at its November 10 meeting. A formal press conference of the agreement was held on October 30.^[5] That formal announcement refers to Oracle Arena.^[6]

Attendance records

On May 13, 2007, 20,679 fans watched the Warriors lose to the Utah Jazz 115–101 in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals. This was the largest crowd to watch a game in the Warriors' 61-year history, and also the largest crowd to ever watch a basketball game in the state of California.

That record lasted until December 14, 2007, when the Warriors hosted the Los Angeles Lakers and packed in 20,705 at the Arena to set a new franchise and California attendance record.

The record was again broken on February 20, 2008, when the arena hosted 20,711 for the Warriors-Celtics game.^[7]

This record was yet again broken on April 10, 2008 when Oracle Arena hosted 20,737 fans in a Warriors loss to the Denver Nuggets.^{[citation needed]}

Seating capacity

The seating capacity for basketball has been as followed:^[8]

• 13,502 (1966-1972)
• 12,905 (1972-1973)
• 13,123 (1973-1974)
• 12,787 (1974-1976)
• 13,155 (1976-1977)
• 13,237 (1977-1980)
• 13,239 (1980-1982)
• 13,335 (1982-1984)
• 13,295 (1984-1985)
• 15,011 (1985-1986)
• 15,025 (1986-1997)
• 19,596 (1997–present)

Notable events

• Van Halen films three videos for the songs "Unchained", "Hear About It Later", and "So This Is Love" on their 1981 Fair Warning tour.

• UFC 117 in 2010.

• WCW SuperBrawl 1999

• WWE Elimination Chamber in 2011.

• Five of boxer Andre Ward's fights; against Edison Miranda, Mikkel Kessler, Sakio Bika, Allan Green, and most notably knocking out light heavyweight champion Chad Dawson.

• The West Regional of the 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, as well as the West Regionals in 1990 and 1995.

• The 2000 NBA All-Star Game.

• The arena was the site for the memorial service for four Oakland police officers who were victims of the 2009 shootings.

• Creedence Clearwater Revival's performance at the Arena in 1970 was filmed for television and released as an album, titled The Concert.

• The Grateful Dead recorded Dick's Picks Volume 27 at the Arena on December 16, 1992.

• The Duran Duran concert films Arena (An Absurd Notion) and As The Lights Go Down, filmed in 1984.

• In 2000, Oracle Arena became the new San Francisco-area home of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus and Disney on Ice, having moved over from the Cow Palace after 34 years.

• In 2007, Oracle Arena hosted the first Golden State Warriors playoffs.

See also

• o.co Coliseum (previously known as McAfee Coliseum and Network Associates Coliseum), the outdoor stadium immediately east of Oracle Arena and home of the Oakland Athletics and Oakland Raiders.

References

External links

• ORACLE Arena & O.co Coliseum Official Website

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