Carolina Coliseum

Carolina Coliseum
Location	701 Assembly Street; Columbia, South Carolina 29201
Owner	University of South Carolina
Operator	University of South Carolina
Capacity	12,401
Construction
Opened	November 1968
Architect	Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle, and Wolff (LBC&W)
Tenants
	South Carolina Gamecocks (NCAA) (1968–2002; as backup venue, 2013–2014); Columbia Inferno (ECHL) (2001–2008)

Carolina Coliseum is a 12,401-seat former multi-purpose arena in Columbia, South Carolina, built in 1968 by the University of South Carolina. The Coliseum was the largest arena in South Carolina at the time of its completion. It was the home of the USC men's and women's basketball teams from 1968 to 2002, as well as Columbia's main events venue until 2002, when the Colonial Life Arena, opened a block away on Greene Street.

The Coliseum was also home to the Columbia Inferno hockey team, a franchise in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL), until poor ticket sales caused the Inferno to fold.

The facility was unique at the time, being built to serve not only as an entertainment venue but also as a home to university classrooms with classes held in the lower levels. The high school commencement ceremonies of many high schools in the South Carolina Midlands were held annually in the arena as many school venues are too small for such ceremonies. Many of these have since moved to the Colonial Life Arena.

Prior to the building of the Coliseum, the Gamecocks had played in Carolina Fieldhouse from 1927 until it burned in 1968, and the Carolina Gymnasium (now the Longstreet Theater) prior to that.^[1]

The Coliseum was the host of the NCAA Basketball Tournament East Regional in 1970. Until 2002, when Greenville's Bon Secours Wellness Arena served as host, it was the only time the tournament was played in South Carolina. The Metro Conference men's basketball tournament was held here in 1989.

In 1977, the playing surface was renamed "Frank McGuire Arena" after then head basketball coach Frank McGuire. McGuire had been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame a few weeks earlier.

In 2013, a scheduling conflict with a Miranda Lambert concert at Colonial Life Arena resulted in the USC Athletics Department moving the January 17, 2013 women's basketball game against Louisiana State University to the Coliseum. This was the first use of the facility as the official backup venue for the USC teams since play began in Colonial Life Center.^[2]

Officials subsequently announced that no more games will be played in the Coliseum. In the fall of 2014, 3,000 seats were removed and the arena floor was converted into two practice courts for the Gamecock men's and women's teams. The old Coliseum playing surface was auctioned in January for $23,215.^[3]^[4]

The Coliseum hosted 34 years of concerts by artists such as Louisiana's Hank Williams Jr. in '69, Jackson 5 in '71, The Doors (sans Jim Morrison) in '72, Macon's Allman Brothers Band in '73, Santana in '73, Ike & Tina Turner, UK's Electric Light Orchestra in 1974, Aerosmith in '76, '78 and '86, Elvis Presley in '77 (Elvis died in '77), Jacksonville's Lynyrd Skynyrd in '77, Spartanburg's Marshall Tucker Band in '78, Bob Dylan in '78, Kiss in 1976 and 1979, Australia's AC/DC in 1979 and 1996, Alabama's Jimmy Buffett in 1979, Aussies Bee Gees in '79, UK's Elton John in 1980, The Eagles in 1973 and 1980, Atlanta Rhythm Section in '80, Blue Öyster Cult in '81, Prince in 1982, Van Halen in 1982 (with UK's After the Fire), Journey in '83, Canada's Rush in 1983, Houston's ZZ Top in 1983, Stevie Nicks in '83, Joan Jett in 1983, AC/DC Flick of the Switch tour 11/27/83, ^[5] UK's Duran Duran in 1984, The Grateful Dead in 1985, Bruce Springsteen in 1985, Eddie Murphy performed comedy there in '85, Alice Cooper, Texas' Edgar Winter, Ted Nugent, Barry Manilow, UK's Rod Stewart, Bon Jovi in '85 and 1989, UK's Ozzy Osbourne in '86, Run DMC in '86, Chapel Hill's James Taylor in '87, Tina Turner (with UK's Level 42) in '87, Def Leppard in '83 and '88, Aussies INXS in '88, Metallica with The Cult in '89, Mötley Crüe with Warrant in 1990, UK's Robert Plant with Atlanta's Black Crowes in '90, Athens' R.E.M. in '89, Gainesville's Tom Petty in '91, UK's Iron Maiden, Janet Jackson in 1990, Whitney Houston in '91, Garth Brooks in '92, Cleveland's Nine Inch Nails in '95 with Jim Rose Circus sideshow, R. Kelly in '95 with Coolio and Warren G, Alanis Morissette in '96, Smashing Pumpkins with Garbage in '96, No Doubt in '96 with UK's Bush (Bush came back there in '97), Widespread Panic from Athens in '96, The Wallflowers in '97, 311 in 1997, Goo Goo Dolls in '96 and 1999, Tallahassee's Creed in 2000, and many others throughout the years. Florence County's Josh Turner played the Coliseum in 2011. ^[6]

References

^ Aiken, Ron. "At 40, Does the Carolina Coliseum Have a Future? www.free-times.com". www.free-times.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2009-11-05.
^ "Gamecocks to Host LSU at Carolina Coliseum". University of South Carolina Athletics Department. November 1, 2012.
^ Shain, Andrew (July 14, 2014). "Carolina Coliseum to be converted for use by USC hoops teams". The State. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
^ Standera, Renee (July 25, 2014). "USC sells historical seats as Carolina Coliseum is reconfigured". WIS TV. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
^ http://www.ac-dc.net/archive/acdc_tour_history.php?date_id=2137
^ SC "Carolina Coliseum, Columbia, SC, USA Concert Setlists". setlist.fm. Retrieved 2022-04-15. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

33°59′37″N 81°01′57″W / 33.99361°N 81.03250°W / 33.99361; -81.03250

[1] Aiken, Ron. "At 40, Does the Carolina Coliseum Have a Future? www.free-times.com". www.free-times.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2009-11-05.

[2] "Gamecocks to Host LSU at Carolina Coliseum". University of South Carolina Athletics Department. November 1, 2012.

[3] Shain, Andrew (July 14, 2014). "Carolina Coliseum to be converted for use by USC hoops teams". The State. Retrieved 28 January 2015.

[4] Standera, Renee (July 25, 2014). "USC sells historical seats as Carolina Coliseum is reconfigured". WIS TV. Retrieved 28 January 2015.

[5] ttp://www.ac-dc.net/archive/acdc_tour_history.php?date_id=2137

[urlCarolina_Coliseum,_Columbia,_SC,_USA_Concert_Setlists_|_setlist.fm-6] SC "Carolina Coliseum, Columbia, SC, USA Concert Setlists". setlist.fm. Retrieved 2022-04-15. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

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v t e South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball
Venues	College Hall (1908–1912) Carolina Gymnasium (1912–1927) Carolina Fieldhouse (1927–1968) Carolina Coliseum (1968–2002) Colonial Life Arena (2002–present)
Rivalries	Clemson
Culture & lore	Gambling scandal Cocky "The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way" Garnet Army 2017–18 corruption scandal
People	Head coaches NBA draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearances in italics