FREEMAN COLISEUM: A TIMELINE OF MEMORIES
By: Wendy McCauley

What memories do you have of Freeman Coliseum? Take a minute and reflect back on your high school graduation, a concert with your favorite rock group, the Junior League Rummage Sale, the Alzafar Shrine Circus with your kids, a boxing match with your father…

The Freeman Coliseum is representative of so many different memories to so many San Antonians. Over the past 52 years Freeman Coliseum has been host to thousands of events varying from three-ring circus acts to concerts and boxing events.

Certainly, the most memorable to San Antonians is the San Antonio Livestock Show and Rodeo. The Rodeo has been a tenant of Freeman Coliseum since it hosted its first Rodeo in 1950. Millions of locals and visitors alike have attended not only the Rodeo, but the many events that the San Antonio Livestock Exposition (S.A.L.E.) hosts in association with the Rodeo throughout the year.

For several decades the Coliseum generated profit from very few events annually. Rodeo was the primary revenue generator, supplemented by horse and dog shows, cattle auctions and furniture auctions.

In the 60s, it is said that such celebrities as Elvis Presley, Lawrence Welk and Roy Rogers performed at Freeman Coliseum. Additional events included home and automotive shows, Holiday on Ice, Chamber of Commerce Annual Meetings, Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, Pittsburgh Symphony with Van Cliburn, Duke Ellington Review, Policeman's Benefit Ball, Ice Capades and the Harlem Globetrotters.

In the 70s, concerts began to be the hot attraction. Jack Orbin and Stone City Attractions brought in 10 major rock concerts in 1977 alone, bringing San Antonians by the thousands. KISS and Rod Stewart were two of the talented groups to play that year.

From the late 70s to mid 80s, Freeman Coliseum made significant physical changes to the building in order to accommodate additional events of interest to the community. In 1979 air conditioning was installed to allow a variety of events at the Coliseum with a more comfortable atmosphere for guests. In the 80s Freeman Coliseum grossed its first million from the variety of events held in the Coliseum.

In the music scene, the 80s brought Rap and Rock stars such as Salt 'N' Peppa's "Wrappin Tour", a Run DMC concert, "Dope Jam", and other timely acts such as Milli Vanilli, New Edition and Menudo in concert.

When the Hemisfair Arena was demolished in the early 90s, chairs were removed from the facility to replace the original red, yellow and green wooden chairs in the Coliseum. The 90s have brought in current, popular music acts such as Green Day, Queensryche, Bush, and No Doubt.

Freeman Coliseum was proud to be a part of the 1998 NCAA Final Four, hosting the NABC All-Star Game in March. In addition, the Coliseum is scheduled to host events for the Pan American Games that the San Antonio Sports Foundation is currently working to bring to San Antonio in the year 2007.

In 1993, a Chiller was installed and an area of the concrete arena floor was restructured to include coils under the concrete, altering the floor to become capable of making ice. This year the Freeman Coliseum is home to the Central Hockey League (CHL) team, the San Antonio Iguanas. Hockey opens yet another window of memory-making opportunities to the San Antonio community. The original San Antonio Iguanas were introduced as San Antonio's first hockey team in 1994 and San Antonio sports hasn't been the same since.

Other events held in the past and annually include low rider car shows, WWF Wrestling matches, religious ceremonies, Harlem Globetrotters basketball, arts & crafts shows and hunting and fishing expositions.

In a sense, the Coliseum can be used as a barometer of time. As the communities tastes change with time so do the nature of events hosted by the Freeman Coliseum. Looking ahead, the Coliseum team is eager to serve the community and play host to the San Antonio Spurs AT&T Center.