Bojangles Coliseum

Cricket Arena
The Big I/The Old Coliseum
Facility statistics
Location	Charlotte, North Carolina
Broke ground	?
Opened	1955 (First Run) 1992 (Current)
Closed	1988 (For renovations)
Demolished	On historic register
Owner	City of Charlotte
Operator	City of Charlotte
Surface	--
Construction cost	?
Architect	Odell & Associates
Former names
Charlotte Coliseum (1955-1988) Independence Arena (1988-2001) Cricket Arena (2001-)
Tenants
Carolina Cougars (1969-1974) Charlotte 49ers (1976-1988, 1993-1996) Charlotte Cobras (MILL) (1996) Charlotte Checkers (ECHL) (1993-2005) Charlotte Krunk (2005)
Seating capacity
9,605 (all-seated)

The Cricket Arena is a 9,605-seat multi-purpose arena and sports venue in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the Charlotte Coliseum, Ovens Auditorium, and the Charlotte Convention Center. The title sponsor is cellular provider Cricket Communications.

History

Cricket Arena was opened and dedicated in 1955 as the 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 given its current-day name in a naming rights arrangement.

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.It also hosted the ACC men's basketball tournament from 1968-1970 and was the site of the Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball tournament from 1977 through 1980.

Other sports

It was the 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.

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.

Concerts

The arena's size attracted some of the top acts in music during the 1960s and through the 1970s, including:

• The Rolling Stones on July 6, 1972.
• Elvis Presley, who played the venue several times in the 1970s, including April 13, 1972, and two shows in 1977, on February 20 and February 21.

Future

With the departure of the Charlotte Checkers for the new Charlotte Bobcats Arena in 2005, Cricket Arena 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 Charlotte Coliseum, because of its inconvenient location southwest of Uptown (the central business district). The 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. The Coliseum was closed in 2005.

Since the Coliseum appears destined to be torn down in the next several years, it seems likely that Cricket Arena will remain open as a venue for medium-sized concerts which would not be suitable for the new Bobcats Arena, and also high school and some college sporting events, along with local attractions in years to come. Furthermore, Cricket Arena would be ready in case Bobcats Arena may not be available for short-series (three game) playoffs in the first two rounds of the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs (as is a problem sometimes in the ECHL). The arena is not likely to be demolished, as it holds a place on the Charlotte historical register.

In June, 2006 it was announced in the Charlotte Observer that the Arena would host races from the Arena Racing USA league. The Charlotte effort is being headed by NASCAR owner Joe Gibbs along with drivers Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin.

Cricket Arena will host ECW December to Dismember on December 2, 2007.

External link

• Cricket Arena Website