Nebraska Coliseum
Construction



Address	1350 Vine St. Lincoln, NE 68588
Owner	University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Operator	University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Capacity	4,030
Broke ground	1924
Opened	February 6, 1926; 98 years ago (1926)
Construction cost	$435,000 ($7.47 million in 2022 ^[1])
Architect	Ellery Davis & Walter Wilson
Tenants
Nebraska Cornhuskers (NCAA) Men's basketball (1926–76) Women's basketball (1974–76) Volleyball (1975–90, 1992–2013) Wrestling (1942–90, 1992–2013)

The Nebraska Coliseum (sometimes referred to as the NU Coliseum or The Coliseum) is an indoor coliseum on the campus of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was the home of Nebraska's men's basketball team from 1926 to 1976 and volleyball team from 1975 to 2013. Since volleyball moved to the Bob Devaney Sports Center in 2013, the Coliseum has been primarily used for student recreation, and occasionally hosts wrestling meets.

History

The possibility of constructing a new multi-use venue on campus at the University of Nebraska was proposed in 1924 by John Selleck of the school's Athletic Board. The building that would become the Coliseum, located just east of Memorial Stadium, was designed by Ellery Davis and Walter Wilson, who also designed Memorial Stadium, Morrill Hall, and Love Memorial Library.^[2] The first event at the arena was a 25–14 men's basketball loss to Kansas on February 6, 1926. NU's women's team did not play at the Coliseum until 1974, and both moved to the NU Sports Complex (later renamed the Bob Devaney Sports Center) when it was completed in 1976. The NSAA Boys and Girls State Basketball Championship was held in the Coliseum until it also moved to the Devaney Center, and later to Pinnacle Bank Arena.

Nebraska vs. Iowa at the Nebraska Coliseum on Nov. 21, 2012

After the completion of the NU Sports Complex in 1976, the Coliseum primarily served as the home venue of Nebraska's volleyball team, undergoing numerous renovations to tailor the facility specifically to the needs of the program. NU compiled an all-time record of 511–36 at the 4,030-seat Nebraska Coliseum, losing just three home matches in thirty-three seasons of conference play. NU has hosted at least one NCAA Division I tournament match every year since 1984, including a 52–4 postseason record at the Coliseum. Nebraska set a national record with their eighty-eighth consecutive home win in 2009,^[3] a streak that ended at ninety when UCLA defeated NU in front of an NCAA regular season-record crowd of 13,870.^[4]

The Coliseum was one of few collegiate arenas designed specifically for volleyball. It was noted for its classical architecture and intimate atmosphere. At the Coliseum, the Cornhuskers began a streak of 285 consecutive sellouts that continues at the Devaney Center, an NCAA record for any women's sport.^[5] The arena was the subject of a CBS Sports documentary in 2011.^[6] In 2008, the AVCA's Kathy DeBoer described the Coliseum as "the epicenter of volleyball fandom".^[7]

The Coliseum is no longer the primary home venue for any of NU's athletic programs, though it is used as an extra practice facility and as office space by Nebraska's gymnastics teams. It is attached to Cook Pavilion and is used as part of the university's City Campus recreation center.^[8]

Events

The Coliseum hosted various non-sporting events early in its history, including an Elvis Presley concert in 1956, an address by then-Vice President Richard Nixon in 1960, and a speech by United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy during his 1968 presidential campaign, just two months before his assassination.^[9]

References

^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved May 28, 2023.
^ "After 87 years, Nebraska Coliseum closes its doors".
^ "Huskers Sweep Creighton; Set NCAA Mark". Huskers.com. September 1, 2009.
^ "Huskers Fall in Front of NCAA Record Crowd". NU Athletics. September 13, 2009.
^ "Huskers Sweep Bears, 3–0". NU Athletics. Retrieved 2020-06-14.
^ "Nebraska Coliseum". NU athletics. Retrieved December 19, 2011.
^ "NCAA site should rotate". USA Today. 2008-12-16. Retrieved 2008-12-17.
^ "Proposed $14 million training facility for NU gymnastics to go before Board of Regents | Gymnastics | journalstar.com".
^ "After 87 years, Nebraska Coliseum closes its doors".

University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Located in: Lincoln, Nebraska

Academics

College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
College of Architecture
College of Arts and Sciences
College of Business
College of Dentistry
College of Education and Human Sciences
College of Engineering
- Peter Kiewit Institute
Hixson–Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts
College of Journalism and Mass Communications
College of Law
University of Nebraska Medical Center

Athletics

Teams	Nebraska Cornhuskers Baseball Men's basketball Women's basketball Beach volleyball Bowling Men's cross country Women's cross country Football Men's golf Women's golf Men's gymnastics Women's gymnastics Rifle Soccer Softball Swimming & diving Men's tennis Women's tennis Men's track & field Women's track & field Volleyball Wrestling Crew (club) Curling (club)
Rivalries	Football: Colorado (Buffalo Head) Iowa (Heroes Trophy) Kansas Kansas State Miami (FL) Minnesota ($5 Bits of Broken Chair) Missouri (Victory Bell) Oklahoma Wisconsin (Freedom Trophy) Basketball: Creighton Volleyball: Penn State
Venues	Barbara Hibner Soccer Stadium Bob Devaney Sports Center Bowlin Stadium Haymarket Park Memorial Stadium Pinnacle Bank Arena Former: Buck Beltzer Stadium Nebraska Coliseum Nebraska Field Pioneers Park Nature Center
Conferences	Big Ten WIUFA (1892–97) Big Eight (1907–18, 1921–96) Big 12 (1996–2011) Rifle only: Patriot Rifle Great America Rifle (2004–21)
Other	Academic honors and awards Athletic Hall of Fame Cornhusker Marching Band Herbie Husker Lil' Red Nebraska School Activities Association Olympians "Dear Old Nebraska U" "Hail Varsity" "In Heaven There Is No Beer" "Mr. Touchdown, U.S.A."

Campus

People

Research

Student life

Founded: 1869
Students: 25,108
Endowment: $1.7 billion

v t e Nebraska Cornhuskers men's basketball
Venues	Grant Memorial Hall (1896–1926, 1924–1926) State Fairgrounds Coliseum (1921–1923) Nebraska Coliseum (1926–1976) Bob Devaney Sports Center (1976–2013) Pinnacle Bank Arena (2013–present)
Rivalries	Creighton
Culture & lore	Herbie Husker Lil' Red "Dear Old Nebraska U" "Hail Varsity"
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	1896–97 1897–98 1898–99 1899–1900 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 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

v t e Nebraska Cornhuskers women's basketball
Venues	Nebraska Coliseum (1974–1976) Bob Devaney Sports Center (1976–2013) Pinnacle Bank Arena (2013–present)
Culture & lore	History
People	Head coaches
Seasons	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

40°49′17″N 96°42′09″W / 40.821490°N 96.702375°W / 40.821490; -96.702375