Memorial Coliseum

The House That Rupp Built
Location	201 Avenue of Champions Lexington, KY 40506
Opened	December 1, 1950
Owner	University of Kentucky
Operator	University of Kentucky
Construction cost	$4 Million
Capacity	9,000
Tenants
Kentucky Wildcats (Women's Basketball, Gymnastics & Volleyball)

Memorial Coliseum is an 9,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Lexington, Kentucky. The facility, which opened in 1950, is home to three women's teams at the University of Kentucky—basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics. Before Rupp Arena opened in 1976, it also housed the men's basketball team, and continued to house the university's swimming and diving team as well until UK built the Lancaster Aquatics Center in 1989.

The facility was built as a memorial to Kentuckians who had died in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Later, the names of all Kentuckians who died in the Vietnam War were added. Originally, it had an official capacity of 12,000, making it the largest arena in the South at the time. However, the Coliseum frequently drew crowds of over 13,000 for many UK basketball games. A major renovation, completed in 1990, reduced the seating capacity to its current total of 7,500, and added an elaborate weight training facility, new offices for the basketball and athletics programs, a players' lounge, and a team meeting room. The seating is now mostly located on the sidelines, and the men's NCAA basketball championship banners still hang on the walls. The building is know for its air of great tradition. While it was the home of the UK Men's Basketball team, it hosted the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament ten times, four times as a regional site (1957, 1958, 1967, 1968) and six more as a sub-regional site (1955, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1967, 1975). As home to the University of Kentucky Wildcats, it saw 2 NCAA Men's Basketball national championship teams (1951, 1958), 2 NCAA Men's Basketball runner-up teams (1966, 1975), one NIT Men's Basketball champion (1976), and 16 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Men's Basketball regular season champions. Overall, in 26 seasons (1950-51 thru 1975-76), the University of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team posted a remarkable home record of 306-38 (.890). Memorial hosted a first round game in the 2009 National Invitation Tournament on March 17, 2009 between the Wildcats and the UNLV Running Rebels.^[1], with the Wildcats winning 70-60.^[2] The game was held at Memorial instead of Rupp Arena due to a scheduling conflict with the KHSAA boys' high school basketball state tournament scheduled at Rupp that week.^[3]

The Coliseum was also the home of the Kentucky Boys' Sweet Sixteen State Basketball Tournament from 1951 thru 1964. Since then, it has hosted numerous high school basketball tournaments over the years.

The Coliseum stands across the street from the former site of Stoll Field/McLean Stadium, the football team's home before moving to Commonwealth Stadium in 1973. Prior to the building of the Coliseum, the Kentucky basketball teams played at Alumni Gymnasium, a 2,800 seat arena built in 1924 and still standing just down the street.

[edit] See also

• Buildings at the University of Kentucky
• Cityscape of Lexington, Kentucky
• University of Kentucky

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Profile at official UK athletics site
• Memorial Coliseum at University of Kentucky Campus Guide

Preceded by Alumni Gymnasium	Home of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball 1950 – 1976	Succeeded by Rupp Arena
Preceded by None	Home of Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball 1974 – present	Succeeded by Current

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v • d • e Basketball arenas of the Southeastern Conference Eastern Colonial Life Arena (South Carolina) • Memorial Coliseum (Kentucky women) • Memorial Gymnasium (Vanderbilt) • Rupp Arena (Kentucky men) • Stegeman Coliseum (Georgia) • Stephen C. O'Connell Center (Florida) • Thompson-Boling Arena (Tennessee) Western Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum (Auburn) • Bud Walton Arena (Arkansas) • Coleman Coliseum (Alabama men) • Foster Auditorium (Alabama women) • Humphrey Coliseum (Mississippi State) • Maravich Assembly Center (LSU) • Tad Smith Coliseum (Ole Miss)

v • d • e College basketball venues in Kentucky Division I Big East Freedom Hall (Louisville) SEC Rupp Arena (Kentucky men) • Memorial Coliseum (Kentucky women) OVC Ellis Johnson Arena (Morehead State) • McBrayer Arena (Eastern Kentucky) • Regional Special Events Center (Murray State) Sun Belt E. A. Diddle Arena (Western Kentucky) Division II GLVC Knights Hall (Bellarmine) • Owensboro Sports Center (Kentucky Wesleyan) • The Bank of Kentucky Center (Northern Kentucky) SIAC William Exum Center (Kentucky State) Division III Heartland Clive M. Beck Center (Transylvania) Presidents Connor Convocation Center (Thomas More) SCAC Alumni Gymnasium (Centre) NAIA Appalachian John M. Robsion Arena (Union) KIAC Campus Center (Brescia) • George E. Luce Physical Activities Center (Asbury) • Grady Nutt Athletic Center (Alice Lloyd) • Marshall Gymnasium (Midway) • Seabury Center (Berea) Mid-South Alumni Gymnasium (Georgetown) • Biggers Sports Center (Lindsey Wilson) • College Gymnasium (Pikeville) • Lourdes Hall (St. Catharine) • O. Wayne Rollins Center (Cumberlands) • Powell Athletic Center (Campbellsville)

Coordinates: 38°02′22″N 84°30′01″W / 38.03943°N 84.500388°W / 38.03943; -84.500388