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{{Infobox stadium
|stadium_name      = Richmond Coliseum
|nickname          = 
|image             = [[File:Richmond Coliseum.jpg|250px|The Richmond Coliseum]]
|location          = 601 East Leigh Street <br> [[Richmond, Virginia]], 23219
|broke_ground      = 1969
|opened            = August 21, 1971
|owner             = City of [[Richmond, Virginia]]
|operator          = [[SMG (property management)|SMG]]
|construction_cost=[[United States dollar|$]]24 million<br>(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|24000000|1969}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}})
|architect         = [[KlingStubbins|Vincent G. Kling and Associates]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virginiamemory.com/blogs/out_of_the_box/tag/richmond-coliseum/|title=Out of the Box - Richmond Coliseum|first=TJ|last=Rowland|work=virginiamemory.com|accessdate=12 October 2016}}</ref>
|seating_capacity  = 13,553 (concerts)<br>11,992 (basketball)<br>11,088 (hockey)
|tenants=[[Virginia Squires]] ([[American Basketball Association|ABA]]) (1971–1976)<br>[[Richmond Robins]] ([[American Hockey League|AHL]]) (1971–1976)<br>[[VCU Rams]] ([[Colonial Athletic Association|CAA]]) (1971–1999)<br>[[Richmond Spiders]] ([[Southern Conference|SoCon]]) (1971–1972)<br>[[Richmond Rifles]] ([[Eastern Hockey League|EHL]]) (1979–1981)<br>[[Richmond Renegades]] ([[ECHL]]) (1990–2003)<br>[[Richmond Speed]] ([[AF2]]) (2000–2003)<br>[[Arena Racing USA]] (2002–present)<br>[[Richmond RiverDogs]] ([[United Hockey League|UHL]]) (2003–2006)<br>[[Richmond Bandits]] ([[American Indoor Football|AIFL]]) (2005–2006)<br>[[Richmond Renegades (SPHL)|Richmond Renegades]] ([[Southern Professional Hockey League|SPHL]]) (2006–2009)<br>[[Richmond Raiders]] ([[American Indoor Football|AIFA]]/[[Southern Indoor Football League|SIFL]]/[[Professional Indoor Football League (2012)|PIFL]]) (2010–2015)<br>[[Richmond Roughriders]] ([[American Arena League|APF/AAL]]) (2017–2018)
}}
'''Richmond Coliseum''' is an [[arena]] located in [[Richmond, Virginia]]. It is a venue most often used for various large concerts. Holding 13,500 people, the arena opened in 1971, and the region is looking to replace the aging facility with a larger one.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://wtvr.com/2018/02/20/replace-richmond-coliseum/ |title=City asks for plan to replace Richmond Coliseum, one group replies |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=20 February 2018 |website=wtvr.com |publisher=[[WTVR-TV]] |access-date=22 April 2018}}</ref>

==History==
[[Image:RichmondColiseumDG.jpg|thumb|200px|Interior of arena, 2010]]
Until [[John Paul Jones Arena]] opened in 2006, the Richmond Coliseum was the largest sports arena in Virginia. The [[Virginia Commonwealth University]] Rams men's basketball team played in the arena until the 7,500-seat [[Stuart C. Siegel Center|Siegel Center]] opened on the VCU campus in 1999.

[[Elvis Presley]] performed a concert at the coliseum on April 10, 1972 with (mostly backstage) footage being used in the film ''[[Elvis on Tour]]'' which documented Presley's spring tour of that year.

The Richmond Coliseum was the former part-time home of the [[Virginia Squires]] of the [[American Basketball Association]]. The Squires played there in addition to [[Roanoke Civic Center]], [[Norfolk Scope]] and [[Hampton Coliseum]] (all within the Commonwealth of [[Virginia]]) from 1970 until just before the [[ABA–NBA merger]] in 1976. The Coliseum also hosted the [[Southern Conference]] men's basketball tournaments in 1973 and 1974.

The [[Sun Belt Conference]] men's basketball tournament was held there in 1988. The [[Colonial Athletic Association]] men's (NCAA) collegiate basketball tournament has been contested at the Richmond Coliseum since 1990. On March 1, 2006, a deal was signed to keep the tournament in Richmond until 2012. The Coliseum served as the primary home for the [[MEAC Men's Basketball Tournament]] between 1998 and 2005, with some games played at the [[Arthur Ashe Athletic Center]].

In 1994, the Coliseum hosted the Women's NCAA Division I Basketball Championship. [[Charlotte Smith (basketball)|Charlotte Smith]] of the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|University of North Carolina]] sank a buzzer-beating three-pointer to defeat [[Louisiana Tech University|Louisiana Tech]], 60–59, in the final. The Richmond Coliseum also held the men's NCAA Tournament 1st and second rounds there in 1990 and 1996.

In 1997, a transformer fire caused electrical problems and forced events to be canceled or postponed that year.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hessler |first=Warner |date=26 January 1997 |title=Admirals Again Stop Richmond |url=http://articles.dailypress.com/1997-01-26/sports/9701260005_1_hampton-roads-admirals-renegades-adrenalin |work=[[Daily Press (Virginia)]] |location=Newport News, Virginia |access-date=22 April 2018 }}</ref>

It has been a regular stop for [[professional wrestling]] promotions through the years, including the old [[National Wrestling Alliance|NWA]] ([[Jim Crockett Promotions]]) Mid-Atlantic territory, and more recently, [[WWE]].  In recent years, it hosted the fifteenth [[WWE|WWF]] [[In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell]] pay-per-view in 1997, ''[[Armageddon (2006)|WWE Armageddon]]'' on December 17, 2006, and hosted the televised portion of the [[2010 WWE Draft]]. It held ''[[WWE Friday Night SmackDown]]'' on November 16, 2010. It held ''[[WWE Raw]]'' on Monday, June 6, 2011 featuring WWE Hall of Famer [[Stone Cold Steve Austin|Steve Austin]] to announce the winner of ''[[WWE Tough Enough]]''. It also held ''Monday Night Raw'' again May 21, 2012, immediately following [[Over the Limit (2012)|Over the Limit]] in which [[John Cena]] lost a match against [[John Laurinaitis]], with Laurinaitis only winning after The [[Big Show]] intervened. It also held WWE Friday Night SmackDown on December 30, 2012, the final WWE event of the year. It hosted the December 30th, 2013, the July 14, 2014 and the May 18, 2015 editions of Raw. On September 11, 2016, it hosted the return of [[Backlash (2016)|Backlash]].

The Coliseum has also been a site for the [[Professional Bull Riders]]. In 1998 and 1999, a [[Bud Light Cup Series]] event known as the [[Lane Frost]] Memorial was held in the Coliseum; the PBR returned in 2007 to host minor-league tour stops sponsored by former bull rider Greg Potter.

On October 22, 2008, it hosted a rally for presidential candidate [[Barack Obama]], drawing over 13,000 people. A similar crowd was drawn for the 2009 [[Republican Party of Virginia]] convention.

==Future replacement==
In 2016, the [[Virginia General Assembly]] passed a bill, signed by governor [[Terry McAuliffe]], authorizing the [[Richmond Metropolitan Transportation Authority]] to build a replacement, as a way to get regional cooperation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.richmond.com/news/local/article_7570dfb1-f7a3-57e3-ad4d-8b3ebb7177ab.html|title=House passes bill to allow regional construction of new Richmond coliseum|work=richmond.com|accessdate=12 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?161+sum+HB1237 |title=LIS - Bill Tracking - HB1237 - 2016 session |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=1 April 2016 |website=virginia.gov |access-date=22 April 2018}}</ref> {{As of|2018|04}} no plan has been yet approved.

==Layout==
The Richmond Coliseum is laid out on six levels. In order from lowest to highest they are the event level, the mezzanine, the lower concourse, the upper concourse, the 300 level and the ring. The event level is where the event floor (and ice rink) is located, as well as all the support rooms for events and the building. Team locker rooms, star dressing rooms, Exhibition halls, the Coliseum Club and the kitchens are located on the event level. The Clay Street tunnel, one of the innovative features of the coliseum, is on the event level and allows vehicles, including tractor trailers and monster trucks, to pull into the coliseum. It is accessed at the intersection of Clay Street and Eighth Street. The tunnel provides storage for shows and parking for coliseum personnel. The mezzanine is where the administrative offices for the coliseum are located. The Leigh Street entrance is on this level. The lower concourse is the access for all lower level seating and suites. The Fifth Street and Sixth Street entrances are located on this level, as well as exits to the areas above Clay Street and Leigh Street. The upper concourse is the access for all upper level seating and the 300 level is access to the highest seats on either radius of the coliseum. The ring is where the spotlights are operated and is the access to the catwalk.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.richmondcoliseum.net}}
* [http://www.virginiamemory.com/blogs/out_of_the_box/2010/09/01/we-cant-all-age-gracefully/ "We Can't All Age Gracefully"]

{{Music venues of Virginia}}
{{Richmond Spiders men's basketball navbox}}
{{VCU Rams men's basketball navbox}}
{{Richmond Sports}}
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[[Category:1971 establishments in Virginia]]
[[Category:American Basketball Association venues]]
[[Category:Arena football venues]]
[[Category:College basketball venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Basketball venues in Virginia]]
[[Category:Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Richmond Spiders basketball]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1971]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Richmond, Virginia]]
[[Category:Virginia Squires]]
[[Category:VCU Rams basketball]]
[[Category:Indoor arenas in Virginia]]