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| Location | 701 Assembly Street Columbia, South Carolina 29201 |
|---|---|
| Owner | University of South Carolina |
| Operator | University of South Carolina |
| Capacity | 12,401 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | November 1968 |
| Architect | Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle, and Wolff (LBC&W) |
| Tenants | |
| South Carolina Gamecocks (NCAA) (1968–2002; as backup venue, 2013–2014) Columbia Inferno (ECHL) (2001–2008) | |
Carolina Coliseum is a 12,401-seat former multi-purpose arena in Columbia, South Carolina, built in 1968 by the University of South Carolina. The Coliseum was the largest arena in South Carolina at the time of its completion. It was the home of the USC men's and women's basketball teams from 1968 to 2002, as well as Columbia's main events venue until 2002, when the Colonial Life Arena, opened a block away on Greene Street.
The Coliseum was also home to the Columbia Inferno hockey team, a franchise in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), until poor ticket sales caused the Inferno to fold.
The facility was unique at the time, being built to serve not only as an entertainment venue but also as a home to university classrooms with classes held in the lower levels. The high school commencement ceremonies of many high schools in the South Carolina Midlands were held annually in the arena as many school venues are too small for such ceremonies. Many of these have since moved to the Colonial Life Arena.
Prior to the building of the Coliseum, the Gamecocks had played in Carolina Fieldhouse from 1927 until it burned in 1968, and the Carolina Gymnasium (now the Longstreet Theater) prior to that.[1]
The Coliseum was the host of the NCAA Basketball Tournament East Regional in 1970. Until 2002, when Greenville's Bon Secours Wellness Arena served as host, it was the only time the tournament was played in South Carolina. The Metro Conference men's basketball tournament was held here in 1989.
In 1977, the playing surface was renamed "Frank McGuire Arena" after then head basketball coach Frank McGuire. McGuire had been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame a few weeks earlier.
In 2013, a scheduling conflict with a Miranda Lambert concert at Colonial Life Arena resulted in the USC Athletics Department moving the January 17, 2013 women's basketball game against Louisiana State University to the Coliseum. This was the first use of the facility as the official backup venue for the USC teams since play began in Colonial Life Center.[2]
Officials subsequently announced that no more games will be played in the Coliseum. In the fall of 2014, 3,000 seats were removed and the arena floor was converted into two practice courts for the Gamecock men's and women's teams. The old Coliseum playing surface was auctioned in January for $23,215.[3][4]
- ^ Aiken, Ron. "At 40, Does the Carolina Coliseum Have a Future? www.free-times.com". www.free-times.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2009-11-05.
- ^ "Gamecocks to Host LSU at Carolina Coliseum". University of South Carolina Athletics Department. November 1, 2012.
- ^ Shain, Andrew (July 14, 2014). "Carolina Coliseum to be converted for use by USC hoops teams". The State. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
- ^ Standera, Renee (July 25, 2014). "USC sells historical seats as Carolina Coliseum is reconfigured". WIS TV. Retrieved 28 January 2015.