Mississippi Coast Coliseum
| Mississippi Coast Coliseum | |
|---|---|
| Location | 2350 Beach Boulevard Biloxi, Mississippi, 39531 |
| Broke ground | 1975 |
| Opened | 1977 |
| Owner | Mississippi Coast Coliseum Commission |
| Operator | Mississippi Coast Coliseum Commission |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction cost | $60 million (expansion) |
| Architect | H F Fountain Jr & Associates[1] |
| Capacity | 11,500 (concerts) 9,150 (ice hockey) |
| Tenants | |
| Mississippi Coast Gamblers (USBL) (1994) Mississippi Beach Kings (EISL) (1998) Mississippi Fire Dogs (IPFL) (1999-2000) Mississippi Fire Dogs (NIFL) (2001-2002) Mississippi Sea Wolves (ECHL) (1999-2009) Gulf Coast Bandits (WBA) (2005) Mississippi Surge (SPHL) (2009-present) Mississippi Blues (ABA) (2009-2010) WCPR-FM CPR Fest (1996-present) |
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The Mississippi Coast Coliseum is a 11,500 reserved seating, 15,000 festival seating, multi-purpose arena in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was built in 1977. It hosted WCW Beach Blast 1993 and the Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball tournament in 1992 and 1993. The Metro Conference men's basketball tournaments were contested here in 1990 and 1994.
The first concert ever held at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum was Ruby Starr and Blackfoot. The Mississippi Coast Coliseum also holds one of the largest Crawfish Festivals in America. This event is held every year, over two weekends in April.
It was previously home to the Mississippi Sea Wolves (ECHL) ice hockey team. Due to damages to the arena by heavy flooding and winds, from Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, the Mississippi Sea Wolves cancelled their 2005-2006 and 2006-2007 seasons. Repairs are now virtually complete, and the Sea Wolves returned on the ice on October 27, 2007. On March 30, 2009, the Sea Wolves announced they had suspended operations once again.[2] However, the Coliseum will not be without ice hockey entirely, as the Mississippi Surge has announced its membership in the Southern Professional Hockey League and will play at the Coliseum for the 2009-10 season.[3][4]
It was home to the Gulf Coast Bandits, a basketball team that played in the WBA. The Gulf Coast Bandits cancelled their 2006 season for the same reasons as the Sea Wolves and didn't return in 2007. The Coliseum also hosted the Mississippi Coast Gamblers of the United States Basketball League in 1994.
The Mississippi Beach Kings, under the leadership of general manager Roy Turner and coach Gary Hindley went 18-10 during the 1998 season in the Eastern Indoor Soccer League. Hindley was voted coach of the year for the second-place finish. The Beach Kings won their first playoff series over the Huntsville Fire, two games to one, and lost the championship game to the regular-season champion Lafayette Swampcats in a heartbreaking finish, 10-9. The EISL folded the next year.
The Mississippi Fire Dogs of the National Indoor Football League also played at the arena, folding in 2003.
It also holds an annual rock festival, known to the locals as THE CPR FEST. It is presented by the local radio station 97.9 WCPR-FM. It consists of various popular rock artists. From 1996 - 2005, the event was held outside, on the coliseum grounds. In 2006 the event was the first to be held inside the Coliseum. Such bands as Three Days Grace, Hinder, & Staind have performed at the event. In 2007, Daughtry, Saliva, and Puddle of Mudd performed. WWE has held many events like WWE Smackdown TV and even WWE Raw The coliseum hosted a WWE Smackdown TV on October 4, 2011.
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References [edit]
- ^ Engineering News-Record. 1975.
- ^ http://www.sunherald.com/sports/story/1239000.html
- ^ "SOUTHERN PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE COMES TO THE COAST". TheSPHL.com. May 7, 2009. Retrieved May 11, 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "Coast Hockey announces new team name". The Sun Herald. June 17, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2009.[dead link]
External links [edit]
Coordinates: 30°23′37″N 88°58′29″W / 30.393507°N 88.974604°W
