Mid-South Coliseum , also known as The Entertainment Capital of the Mid-South, is a multifunctional arena for 10,085 people located in Memphis , Tennessee , USA ). The structure was built in 1963, and in 2006 it was closed.
| Mid South Coliseum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Former names | 996 Early Maxwell Blvd, Memphis , Tennessee , 38104 |
| Location | |
| Open | 1963 |
| Closed | 2006 |
| Capacity | 10 085 |
| Home team | Memphis Sounds ( ABA ) |
Tenants
The Colosseum was the home of the American Basketball Association . From 1971 to 1972, the team was called Memphis Pros, from 1972 to 1974, Memphis Tems, and from 1974 to 1975, Memphis Sounds . In 1975, the club moved to Baltimore , where it began to perform under the name Baltimore Klose. The Coliseum hosted the ABA playoffs in 1971, when Pros played against the Indiana Pacers , and in 1975, games against the Kentucky Colonels [1] [2] .
Mid South Coliseum was the home arena of the Memphis Wings Central Hockey League team (later Memphis South Stars) from 1964 to 1969. To conduct hockey games here, pipes for air circulation were laid under the floor of the structure. Between games, public ice rinks were often held here. In 1992, the Memphis River Kings team appeared in the city, which played here until 2000, gathering a lot of fans for their matches. After unsuccessful negotiations between the owners of the team and the local authorities on the modernization of the structure, in 2000 the club moved to Desoto-Civic Center.
The arena was the home ground for the Memphis University’s basketball team (now Memphis State University) Memphis Tigers until 1991, when the team moved to the new Pyramid Arena . The Coliseum also hosted five basketball tournaments for the Metro Conference .
In 2001, the illusionist David Copperfield shot Tornado of Fire.
Mid South Coliseum hosted many professional wrestling shows and was the main arena of the United States Wrestling Association . One of the main headliners here was Jerry Lawler [3] . Here, in 1981, Lawler’s fight against Terry Funk , now known as the “battle in the empty arena,” took place. On April 7, 1982, Lawler twice held a piledrove reception for comedian Andy Kaufman, and the match ended in a mutual disqualification. After the battle, Kaufman was taken away by ambulance.
Close
The construction was closed in 2006, largely due to the impossibility of complying with the Disability Act [4] . The last event in the arena was a concert by Trans-Siberian Orchestra .
Notes
- ↑ Remember the ABA: Memphis Tams
- ↑ RememberTheABA.com 1971 Playoffs Page
- ↑ prowrestlinghistory.com, “The History of Wrestling at the Mid-South Coliseum” Retrieved 2008-01-20.
- ↑ Robertson County Times | The Tennessean | tennessean.com