Mississippi Coast Coliseum facts for kids
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| Location | 2350 Beach Boulevard Biloxi, Mississippi, 39531 |
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| Owner | Mississippi Coast Coliseum Commission |
| Operator | Mississippi Coast Coliseum Commission |
| Capacity | 11,500 (concerts) 9,150 (ice hockey) |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1975 |
| Opened | 1977 |
| Construction cost | $60 million (expansion) |
| Architect | H F Fountain Jr & Associates |
| Tenants | |
| Mississippi Coast Sharks (GBA) (1992) Mississippi Coast Gamblers (USBL) (1994) Mississippi Sea Wolves (ECHL) (1996–2005, 2007–2009) Mississippi Beach Kings (EISL) (1998) Mississippi Fire Dogs (IPFL/NIFL) (1999–2002) Gulf Coast Bandits (WBA) (2005) Mississippi Blues (ABA) (2009–2010) Mississippi Surge (SPHL) (2009–2014) |
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The Mississippi Coast Coliseum is a large building in Biloxi, Mississippi. It opened in 1977 and is used for many different events. It can hold 11,500 people for concerts and 9,150 for ice hockey games.
This arena has hosted many exciting events over the years. These include wrestling shows like WCW Beach Blast in 1993. It also held college basketball tournaments, such as the Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball tournament in 1992 and 1993. The Metro Conference men's basketball tournaments were also held here in 1990 and 1994.
Famous boxing matches have taken place here too. On November 17, 2000, two former world heavyweight champions, Larry Holmes and Mike Weaver, had a rematch. Holmes won that fight.
The very first concert at the Coliseum was by Charley Pride on November 18, 1977. The first rock band to play there was Blue Oyster Cult on April 16, 1978. The Mississippi Coast Coliseum is also famous for hosting one of America's largest crawfish festivals. This fun event happens every year over two weekends in April.
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Ice Hockey Events
The Coliseum was once home to the Mississippi Sea Wolves, an ice hockey team from the ECHL league. The arena was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005. Because of this, the Sea Wolves had to cancel their seasons in 2005–2006 and 2006–2007.
After repairs were finished, the Sea Wolves returned to play on October 27, 2007. However, the team stopped playing again on March 30, 2009. But the Coliseum still had ice hockey! The Mississippi Surge team joined the Southern Professional Hockey League and started playing there in the 2009–10 season.
Basketball Games
The Coliseum was also home to the Gulf Coast Bandits, a basketball team. They played in the World Basketball Association (WBA). Like the Sea Wolves, the Bandits also canceled their 2006 season due to hurricane damage. They did not return to play in 2007.
Another basketball team, the Mississippi Coast Gamblers, played here in 1994. They were part of the United States Basketball League. On October 13, 2013, the New Orleans Pelicans played a preseason NBA game against the Atlanta Hawks at the Coliseum. Nearly 4,000 fans came to watch the Pelicans win.
Soccer Matches
The Mississippi Beach Kings were a soccer team that played at the Coliseum. In 1998, they had a great season, winning 18 games and losing 10. Their coach, Gary Hindley, was even voted coach of the year.
The Beach Kings won their first playoff series against the Huntsville Fire. They then played in the championship game but lost a close match to the Lafayette Swampcats. The league they played in, the Eastern Indoor Soccer League, closed down the next year.
Football Games
The Mississippi Fire Dogs were an indoor football team that played at this arena. They were part of the National Indoor Football League. The team stopped playing in 2003.
Music Concerts
The Coliseum hosts an annual rock festival that locals call THE CPR FESTIVAL. It is put on by the local radio station 97.9 WCPR-FM. Many popular rock bands have performed at this event.
Bands like Three Days Grace, Hinder, and Staind have played there. In 2007, artists such as Daughtry, Saliva, and Puddle of Mudd performed. The band Depeche Mode also played at the venue during their Devotional World Tour. Country star Miranda Lambert has performed here many times, including during her Wildcard Tour in early 2020.
Wrestling Shows
WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) has held many events at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. These include popular TV shows like WWE Smackdown and WWE Raw. They also have many "house shows," which are live events not shown on TV.
In September 2013, Monday Night Raw was held at the Coliseum for the first time in 8 years. The SmackDown show usually visits the arena about once a year.
