U.S. Bank Arena
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio |
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| Location | 100 Broadway Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-3514 |
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| Coordinates | 39°5′52″N 84°30′16″W / 39.09778°N 84.50444°WCoordinates: 39°5′52″N 84°30′16″W / 39.09778°N 84.50444°W |
| Opened | 1975 |
| Owner | Nederlander Cincinnati |
| Operator | Nederlander Cincinnati |
| Capacity | Basketball: 17,000 Ice hockey / Arena Football: 12,823 |
| Tenants | |
| Cincinnati Bearcats basketball (NCAA) (1976–1987) Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) (1997-2004, 2006-present) Cincinnati Jungle Kats (af2) (2007) Cincinnati Swarm (af2) (2003) Cincinnati Stingers (WHA) (1975-1979) Cincinnati Kids (MISL) (1978-1979) Cincinnati Rockers (AFL) (1992-1993) Cincinnati Marshals (NIFL) (2004-2006) |
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U.S. Bank Arena (known originally as the Riverfront Coliseum, and known later as The Crown and the Firstar Center), is an indoor arena located in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio near the Ohio River next to the Great American Ball Park. Completed in September 1975, the arena seats 17,556 persons (in the round). It is the largest indoor arena in the Greater Cincinnati region. It was the home of the Cincinnati Stingers of the WHA from 1975–1979. Since then, the arena has hosted another minor-league hockey team and various concerts, political rallies, tennis tournaments, figure skating, a Billy Graham Crusade, and other events. The facility's longest-serving tenant was the men's basketball program of the University of Cincinnati, which used the arena from its completion until 1987, when U.C. played its games at Cincinnati Gardens (1987–89) until an on-campus facility (Shoemaker Center), now known as Fifth Third Arena, was completed. The arena building was heavily renovated in 1997, and is still in use. The current main tenant is the Cincinnati Cyclones franchise of the East Coast Hockey League. The Cincinnati Jungle Kats of the arenafootball2 league played their one and only season at the U.S. Bank Arena in 2007, posting a record of 1–15. On occasion, there are local pushes for the attraction of another major sports franchise to occupy the arena, possibly an NBA franchise either relocated or expanded, though little has ever come to fruition.[1] The NBA was last played in Cincinnati in 1972, and never at this facility, aside from exhibition games.
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[edit] Notable events
[edit] 1979 The Who concert tragedy
On December 3, 1979, eleven fans (Peter Bowes, 18; Teva Ladd, 27; David Heck, 19; Connie Burns, 18; James Warmoth, 21; Bryan Wagner, 17; Karen Morrison, 15; Jacqueline Eckerle, 15; Walter Adams, Jr., 22; Steven Preston, 19; Phillip Snyder, 20) were killed by compressive asphyxia and several dozen others injured in the rush for seating at the opening of a sold-out concert of 18,348 (3,578 reserved seats, 14,770 general admission seats) people by English rock band The Who. The concert was using "festival seating", (also known as "general seating"), where the best seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to the festival seating, many fans arrived early. When the crowds waiting outside heard the band performing a late sound check, they thought that the concert was beginning and tried to rush into the still-closed doors. Some at the front of the crowd were trampled as those pushing from behind were unaware that the doors were still closed. Only a few doors were in operation that night, and there are reports that management did not open more doors due to union restrictions and the concern of people sneaking past the ticket turnstiles.[2][3]
As a result, the remaining concerts of 1979, Blue Oyster Cult on December 14 and Aerosmith on December 21, were cancelled and concert venues across North America switched to assigned seating or changed their rules about festival seating. Cincinnati immediately outlawed festival seating at concerts. On August 4, 2004, Cincinnati overturned the ban because it placed the city at a disadvantage for booking concerts. Many music acts prefer festival seating because it could allow the most enthusiastic fans to get near the stage and generate excitement for the rest of the crowd, and Some performers and bands insist on a festival seating area near the stage.[citation needed] The city had previously made a one-time exception to the ban, allowing festival seating for a Bruce Springsteen concert on November 12, 2002. Cincinnati was, for a time, the only city in the United States to outlaw festival seating altogether.
[edit] Other events
The first event (Opening Night) to be staged at the facility was a rock concert by The Allman Brothers Band and special guest Muddy Waters on September 9, 1975 attended by 16,721 persons.
The arena was the site of the Regional of the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, as well as a first and second round site for the 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and the 1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The arena was also host to the 1997 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Final Four, as well as the 1996 men's Division I hockey Frozen Four, which was won by Michigan.
The venue hosted part of the 1981 and all of the 1992 Horizon League men's basketball conference tournament as well as the 1978, 1983, 2002, and 2004 Conference USA men's basketball tournaments; the Atlantic Ten Conference also held its tourney there in 2005 and did so again in 2006.
The Arena is also thought to be one of PHiSH's favorite venues to play as it attracts sellout crowds in a matter of seconds of fans from around the country.
The arena hosted WWE Cyber Sunday in 2006.
UFC 77 was also held at the arena in 2007 and was headlined by local fighter Rich Franklin.
[edit] References
- ^ "CityBeat Letters: Any Hope for NBA in Cincinnati?", CityBeat website. 06/06/2007. Accessed 2008-11-27.
- ^ Chertkoff, JM; RH Kushigian (1999). Don't Panic: The psychology of emergency egress and ingress. Praeger. pp. 79–83. ISBN 0275962687.
- ^ Johnson, Norris R. "Panic at 'The Who Concert Stampede': An Empirical Assessment." Social Problems. Vol. 34, No. 4 (October 1987):362-73
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Malá Sportovní Hala Prague |
Davis Cup Final Venue 1981 |
Succeeded by Palais des Sports Grenoble |
| Preceded by Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island |
Host of the Frozen Four 1996 |
Succeeded by Bradley Center Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
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