Memorial Coliseum (University of Kentucky)

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Memorial Coliseum
Image:Memorial coliseum LexingtonKY.jpg
Location	201 Avenue of Champions Lexington, KY 40506
Opened	December 1, 1950
Owner	University of Kentucky
Operator	University of Kentucky
Construction cost	$3.9 Million
Tenants	Kentucky Wildcats (Women's Basketball, Gymnastics & Volleyball)
Capacity	8,700

For other uses, see Memorial Coliseum (disambiguation).

Memorial Coliseum is an 8,700-seat multi-purpose arena in Lexington, Kentucky. The facility, which opened in 1950, is home to three women's teams at the University of Kentucky—basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics. Before Rupp Arena opened in 1976, it also housed the men's basketball team, and continued to house the university's swimming and diving team as well until UK built the Lancaster Aquatics Center in 1989.

The facility was built as a memorial to Kentuckians who had died in World War I, World War II and the Korean War. Later, the names of all Kentuckians who died in the Vietnam War were added. Originally, it had an official capacity of 11,500, making it the largest arena in the South at the time. However, the Coliseum frequently drew crowds of over 13,000 for many UK basketball games. A major renovation, completed in 1990, reduced the seating capacity to its current total of 8,700, and added an elaborate weight training facility, new offices for the basketball and athletics programs, a players' lounge, and a team meeting room. The seating is now mostly located on the sidelines, and the men's NCAA basketball championship banners still hang on the walls. The building is know for its air of great tradition. While it was the home of the UK Men's Basketball team, it hosted the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament ten times, four times as a regional site (1957, 1958, 1967, 1968) and six more as a sub-regional site (1955, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1967, 1975). As home to the University of Kentucky Wildcats, it saw 2 NCAA Men's Basketball national championship teams (1951, 1958), 2 NCAA Men's Basketball runner-up teams (1966, 1975), one NIT Men's Basketball champion (1976), and 16 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Men's Basketball regular season champions. Overall, in 26 seasons (1950-51 thru 1975-76), the University of Kentucky Wildcats Men's Basketball team posted a remarkable home record of 306-38 (.890).

The Coliseum was also the home of the Kentucky Boy's Sweet Sixteen State Basketball Tournament from 1951 thru 1964. Since then, it has hosted numerous high school basketball tournaments over the years.

The Coliseum stands across the street from the former site of Stoll Field/McLean Stadium, the football team's home before moving to Commonwealth Stadium in 1973. Prior to the building of the Coliseum, the Kentucky basketball teams played at Alumni Gymnasium, a 2,800 seat arena built in 1924 and still standing just down the street.

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Preceded by Alumni Gymnasium 1924–1950	Home of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball 1950–1976	Succeeded by Rupp Arena 1976–

Preceded by None	Home of Kentucky Wildcats women's basketball 1974–present	Succeeded by Current

v • d • e Basketball Arenas of the Southeastern Conference
Eastern	Colonial Center (South Carolina) • Memorial Coliseum (Kentucky women) • Memorial Gymnasium (Vanderbilt) • Rupp Arena (Kentucky men) • Stegeman Coliseum (Georgia) • Stephen C. O'Connell Center (Florida) • Thompson-Boling Arena (Tennessee)
Western	Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum (Auburn) • Bud Walton Arena (Arkansas) • Coleman Coliseum (Alabama) • Humphrey Coliseum (Mississippi State) • Maravich Assembly Center (LSU) • Tad Smith Coliseum (Ole Miss)