Bojangles' Coliseum

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Bojangles' Coliseum
The Big I/The Old Coliseum
Bojangles Coliseum.png
Former names Charlotte Coliseum (1955–1988)
Independence Arena (1988–2001)
Cricket Arena (2001–2008)
Bojangles Coliseum (2008–)
Location 2700 East Independence Blvd
Charlotte, North Carolina 28205
Opened 1955
Renovated 1988
Expanded 1992
Owner City of Charlotte
Operator Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority
Construction cost $4 million for Coliseum and Ovens Auditorium[1]
Architect A.G. Odell and Associates of Charlotte, NC[2]
Structural engineer Severud, Elstad and Krueger of New York, NY[2]
General Contractor Thompson and Street Company of Charlotte, NC[2]Structural Steel Fabrication and Erection
Southern Engineering Company of Charlotte, NC[2]
Capacity 9,605
Tenants
Carolina Cougars (1969–1974)
Charlotte 49ers (1976–1988, 1993–1996)
Charlotte Cobras (MILL) (1996)
Charlotte Checkers (ECHL) (1993–2005)
Charlotte Krunk (2005)
Arena Racing USA (2006–2008)
Charlotte Roller Girls (2008)
Carolina Speed (SIFL) (2009, 2011-Present)
Charlotte Copperheads (NALL) (2012-Present)

Bojangles' Coliseum (originally Charlotte Coliseum and formerly Independence Arena and Cricket Arena) is a 9,605-seat multi-purpose arena, in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the Ovens Auditorium and the Charlotte Convention Center. The title sponsor is Bojangles' Famous Chicken 'n Biscuits.[3]

Contents

[edit] History

It was opened and dedicated in 1955, as Charlotte Coliseum. At the time, it was the largest unsupported steel dome in the world. After the new Charlotte Coliseum opened in 1988, the name was changed to Independence Arena (named for its location on Independence Boulevard in Charlotte) and underwent an extensive renovation. In 2001, the arena was renamed Cricket Arena in a naming rights arrangement with Cricket Communications. In 2008, Bojangles Restaurants, Inc. bought the naming rights.

[edit] Basketball

As the old Charlotte Coliseum it was a site for home games for the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association from 1969 through 1974.[4] It also hosted the ACC men's basketball tournament from 1968–1970, the Southern Conference men's basketball tournament from 1964-1971 (and again in 2010, for the first three days of the tournament), and was the site of the Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball tournament from 1977 through 1980. Additionally, it hosted the Charlotte 49ers from 1976 until 1988, and again from 1993 through 1996.

[edit] Other sports

The Carolina Speed of the American Indoor Football Association, formerly playing at the Cabarrus Arena & Events Center, moved here in 2009. After the season, they announced they would be sitting out the 2010 season and resuming play in 2011 back in Cabarrus. However, later on they changed their minds and returned in 2011 to the Coliseum, this time as a member of the Southern Indoor Football League.

It was one of the flagship venues for Jim Crockett Promotions and the NWA in the 1980s. It also hosted wrestling pay-per-views Starrcade in 1993, and Slamboree in 1997. The arena was a cornerstone of the Carolinas wrestling territory during that time. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling held their Genesis pay-per-view on January 11, 2009.

The venue was also the home of minor league hockey in Charlotte from 1956, when the first Baltimore Clippers moved to Charlotte to become the early Checkers, to 1977, when the first version of the Checkers folded. When the Checkers were revived in 1993, they played there until 2005, and the arena would be available should Kelly Cup Playoff games be needed because of the unavailability of Time Warner Cable Arena as ECHL rules regarding playoff games and timeframes are compact and may force a game to be moved.

The arena also hosted the worst team in MILL history, the 1996 Charlotte Cobras (0-10). The 1996 season was their one and only in the MILL. The team was folded without ever winning a game. Starting in January 2012, the arena will be home to the Charlotte Copperheads of the North American Lacrosse League

The Carolina Vipers played their one and only season in the CIS League in the summer of 1994. The team went 3-25 and then went "inactive" for 1995, never to return. The Vipers averaged 3,034 fans per game in their only season.

The arena also hosted UFC Fight Night: Florian vs. Gomi on March 31, 2010.

[edit] Concerts

[edit] Other events

It has been the site for the Spring Commencement ceremony of Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) for a number of years. JCSU uses the coliseum because it offers more seating and parking capacity than JCSU's own on-campus facilities do. In addition, UNC-Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College and many local high schools have also held graduation ceremonies.

A Billy Graham Crusade took place at the Coliseum in 1958.

Also,the Bojangles' Coliseum hosted the graduation ceremony for Charlotte Campus of *University of Phoenix.

[edit] Future

With the departure of the Charlotte Checkers for the new Time Warner Cable Arena in 2005, Bojangles Coliseum is left with no major tenant and its future remains in the air. Charlotteans generally like the arena, commonly referred to locally as "The Old Coliseum" or "The Big I," due to its old-time atmosphere and convenient location on Independence Boulevard, one of the city's main arteries. Locals did not feel nearly as much affection for the demolished Charlotte Coliseum, because of its inconvenient location southwest of Uptown (the central business district). The Charlotte Coliseum was most reviled, however, because it rekindles bitter memories of the Charlotte Hornets, who were moved to New Orleans in 2002 by locally-despised team owner George Shinn and Ray Woolridge.

It will remain open as a venue for medium-sized concerts and stage shows which would not be suitable for TWC Arena and also high school and some college sporting events, along with local attractions in years to come. The Southern Conference played the first two rounds of their basketball tournaments in 2010, then move the semifinals and finals to TWC Arena. Furthermore, it would be ready in case TWC Arena is unavailable for the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs, as the South Division's compact scheduling may affect games (arena availability for compact playoff series has been a problem in the ECHL historically). The arena is not likely to be demolished, as it holds a place on the Charlotte historical register.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Charlotte - A Good Place to Live, A Good Place To Do Business, The Charlotte News, 1954, pg 23.
  2. ^ a b c d Hanks, Edmund E.. "Steel In The Round." Steel Construction Digest, American Institute of Steel Construction Vol 11, No 4, Fourth Quarter, 1954 14-15.
  3. ^ "GOTTAWANNANEEDAGETTAHAVA" New name? Two Charlotte Originals - together at last". bojangles.com. November 25, 2008. http://www.bojangles.com/uploadedFiles/About_Us/news/Bojangles-RELEASE-2008-11-25.pdf. Retrieved 2 December 2010. 
  4. ^ "Remember the ABA: Carolina Cougars". remembertheaba.com. http://www.remembertheaba.com/Carolina-Cougars.html. 

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Belk Gymnasium		 Home of the
Charlotte 49ers
1976 – 1988		 Succeeded by
Charlotte Coliseum
Preceded by
Charlotte Coliseum		 Home of the
Charlotte 49ers
1993 – 1996		 Succeeded by
Halton Arena
Preceded by
first arena		 Home of the
Charlotte Checkers
1993 – 2005		 Succeeded by
Time Warner Cable Arena
Preceded by
first arena		 Home of the
Charlotte Copperheads
2012		 Succeeded by
current arena
Preceded by
TNA Impact! Zone		 Host of Genesis (2009)
2009		 Succeeded by
TNA Impact! Zone
Current arenas in the Southern Indoor Football League
Teams
Venues
Sports venues in Metrolina
Current
Future
Defunct

Reynolds Coliseum (1954–66) • Greensboro Coliseum (1967, 1971–75, 1977–80, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1995–98, 2003–04, 2006, 2010–11, 2013–15) • Bojangles' Coliseum (1968–70) • Capital Centre (1976, 1981, 1987) • The Omni (1983, 1985, 1989) • Charlotte Coliseum II (1990–94, 1999–2000, 2002) • Georgia Dome (2001, 2009) • Verizon Center (2005) • St. Pete Times Forum (2007) • Time Warner Cable Arena (2008) • Philips Arena (2012)

Coordinates: 35°12′18.59″N 80°47′42.37″W / 35.2051639°N 80.7951028°W / 35.2051639; -80.7951028

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