Colonial Center

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The Colonial Center

Location	801 Lincoln St Columbia, SC 29208
Broke ground	2001
Opened	November 22, 2002
Owner	University of South Carolina
Operator	Global Spectrum
Construction cost	$64 million
Former names
Carolina Center
Tenants
South Carolina Gamecocks (Men's & Women's Basketball) (2002-present) Columbia Stingers (NIFL (2007)-Future)
Capacity
18,000

The Colonial Center is a multi-purpose arena in Columbia, South Carolina, primarily home to the University of South Carolina men's and women's basketball teams. Opened in 2002 as a replacement for the Carolina Coliseum, the 18,000 seat arena is also host various events like conferences, concerts, and graduation ceremonies throughout the year. It is the largest arena in the state of South Carolina and the tenth largest college arena.

The naming rights are held by Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company of Columbia, a subsidiary of Chattanooga, Tennessee-based insurance company UnumProvident.

1 History and Use
2 Criticism & Controversy
3 Non-Basketball Events
4 Notes and References
5 External links

[edit] History and Use

The arena floor of the Colonial Center.

The arena first opened on November 22, 2002 with the season opener of the South Carolina women's basketball team. A sell-out crowd of 17,712 fans saw the 72-58 Gamecocks victory over in-state rival Clemson, with a one-dollar admission charge, commonly used by the women's basketball team to promote major games. The official grand opening took place December 2, 2002. The men's basketball team defeated Temple 66-47.

Aside from Gamecock basketball, the Colonial Center also hosts the South Carolina High School Basketball Championships each year. The facility is built to also host ice hockey games, but because of legal issues with the funding for the facility, has yet to host one.

The Colonial Center was ranked 22nd in the world in ticket sales in 2003 ^[1]. It was also ranked the #1 arena in the Carolinas and was the #2 rated university arena in the world in 2005, based on ticket sales for touring shows ^[2].

It is managed by Global Spectrum, whose Philadelphia 76ers played an exhibition game in the venue in October 2005.

Ticketing is provided by New Era Tickets, and tickets can be purchased through the Center's web site.

[edit] Criticism & Controversy

The venue was built to host future NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament games, but before the venue opened, it was banned from such use by the NCAA under a policy, enacted shortly before construction began, banning venues in South Carolina and Mississippi from hosting such events under recommendations from the NAACP. The NAACP and several other groups objected to South Carolina hosting NCAA tournament games because of a Confederate battle flag on a soldiers' memorial nearby on the South Carolina Statehouse grounds.

The arena has been criticized for being too large for Gamecock basketball. While some non-conference games attract no more than 12,000, over 15,000 typically show up for SEC games, including several 17,500+ crowds, and sellouts annually for Kentucky, and the biennial game against Clemson. The basketball program has won the past two National Invitational Tournaments.

[edit] Non-Basketball Events

Other events held at the Center have included Disney on Ice, Sesame Street, American Idols Live!, and Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Some of the arists that have performed in the Colonial Center so far are Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band (first artist to perform at venue), Britney Spears, Cher, Billy Joel and Elton John among others.

The University of South Carolina holds most of its commencement exercises in the Colonial Center. The first commencement speaker for ceremonies at the Colonial Center was President George W. Bush in 2003.

On October 9, 2006, WWE held an edition of Monday Night Raw in Columbia. The special 3-hour edition was entitled 'WWE Homecoming - Family Reunion.' The WWE's first visit came in November 2002, when the Colonial Center played host to a taping of Smackdown.

In 2007 it will be home to the Columbia Stingers of the National Indoor Football League.

[edit] Notes and References

[edit] External links

Basketball arenas of the Southeastern Conference

Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum (Auburn) • Bud Walton Arena (Arkansas) • Coleman Coliseum (Alabama) • Colonial Center (South Carolina) • Humphrey Coliseum (Mississippi State) • Memorial Coliseum (Kentucky women) • Memorial Gymnasium (Vanderbilt) • Pete Maravich Assembly Center (LSU) • Rupp Arena (Kentucky men) • Stegeman Coliseum (Georgia) • Stephen C. O'Connell Center (Florida) • Tad Smith Coliseum (Ole Miss) • Thompson-Boling Arena (Tennessee)

Atlantic Conference		Pacific Conference
Current arenas in the National Indoor Football League
BankUnited Center \| Bud Adams Equestrian Center \| Colonial Center \| Cumberland County Crown Coliseum \| Greensboro Coliseum \| Hara Arena \| Jim Brandon Equestrian Center \| John H. Lewis Gymnasium \| Lee County Civic Center \| Paul E. Reinhold Agricultural Fairgrounds \| Robarts Arena		Amador Pavilion \| Casper Events Center \| Colorado State Fair Events Center \| Cowtown Coliseum \| Cox Arena \| Denver Coliseum \| Douglas County Events Center \| Fairplex \| Ford Arena \| Industry Hills Expo Center \| Norris-Penrose Event Center \| Orange Pavilion \| San Antonio Rose Palace