The Ak-Sar-Ben Race Track and Coliseum was an

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

and

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

complex in the central United States, located in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

, Nebraska. Built to fund the civic and philanthropic activities of the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben, the thoroughbred race track was built in 1919, and the Coliseum in 1929. The racetrack closed in 1995 and the arena in 2002; the facility was demolished in 2005, and is currently being redeveloped for a variety of uses, including dormitory housing for the University of Nebraska Omaha and the

Aksarben Village Aksarben Village is a mixed-use development in the central United States, located in Omaha, Nebraska. Measuring over , it is on the land of the former Ak-Sar-Ben coliseum and horse track. There is over of space for research and business offi ...

development. Ak-Sar-Ben is "Nebraska" spelled backwards. The Knights originally said they were turning Nebraska around, thus "Ak-Sar-Ben."

History

Coliseum

Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum was the premiere ice rink and concert arena in Omaha for more than 70 years. Popular acts ranging from

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

to Elvis Presley to Nirvana all performed to sold-out crowds. It was also home to the

Omaha Knights The Omaha Knights was the name of three minor league professional ice hockey teams from 1959 to 1965 and from 1966 to 1975, based in Omaha, Nebraska, at the Ak-Sar-Ben (arena), Ak-Sar-Ben Arena. The Knights were founded in 1959 as members of the ...

, a

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

hockey team from 1959 to 1975. The Knights began operations in 1959 in the IHL, and later moved to the now-defunct CHL, with teams affiliated with the

NHL's The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and both the Calgary and Atlanta Flames. The arena hosted the USHL's

Omaha Lancers The Omaha Lancers are a Tier I junior ice hockey team and are members of the Western Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Founded in 1986, the Lancers play at the Liberty First Credit Union Arena in Ralston, Nebraska. Previous ...

for its final dozen years and the Omaha Racers basketball of the CBA from 1989 to 1997. The Coliseum also hosted world-class boxing, was a major stop on the

PBR PBR may refer to: Science and technology * Passive bistatic radar * Partition boot record * Pebble bed reactor, a type of nuclear reactor * Peripheral benzodiazepine receptor, another name for translocator protein * Phosphorus bromide * Photobio ...

and attracted many popular comedians.

Horse racing

In the racetrack's glory days, the Coliseum housed a cinema-sized screen and betting windows to handle the overflow of fans. In the mid-1980s, Ak-Sar-Ben was tenth in the nation in racetrack attendance, with up to 25,000 betting $2 million per day on weekends. Punters came to the track from all around the Great Plains, as pari-mutuel betting was illegal in many of Nebraska's neighboring states such as Iowa, Missouri and Kansas. Many festivals were also held in the Coliseum annually, including a Greek Festival and River City Roundup booths. Following his death in 1959, the 1935 Triple Crown winner

was buried at the racetrack's Circle of Champions. The thoroughbred spent his final nine years at a farm outside of

Nebraska City Nebraska City is a city in Nebraska, and the county seat of, Otoe County, Nebraska, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,289. The Nebraska State Legislature has credited Nebraska City as being the oldest incorporated ...

and made promotional appearances at the Ak-Sar-Ben racetrack during the 1950s.

Closure and demolition

Horse racing at Ak-Sar-Ben ended in August 1995, just ten years after its record season of 1985. Greyhound and horse racing began in adjacent Iowa in 1986, the dogs would be legalized three years later in Kansas, and finally casino gambling began operations in Missouri in 1993: Ak-Sar-Ben's attendances never recovered, as gamblers who would previously travel to Omaha now had options closer to home. A portion of the property was sold to First Data Resources under the agreement that FDR would donate part of the land to the University of Nebraska Omaha (UNO) for its Aksarben Campus to build a new College of Information and Technology. After the remaining buildings and grandstand were torn down in early 2005, a proposal was put forth to create a mixed-use development called

. Construction began in 2006 and the first businesses opened in 2008. Baxter Arena, home to several of UNO's sports teams, opened in October 2015. Following the closure of the racetrack, simulcast facility Horsemen's Park () was opened near

Ralston Ralston may refer to: Place names United States *Ralston, California *Ralston, Iowa *Ralston, Nebraska *Ralston, Oklahoma *Ralston, Wyoming *Mount Ralston in the Sierra Nevada of California *Ralston Creek (Colorado) *Ralston Hall, Belmont, Califor ...

The horse racing industry in Nebraska is now confined to live racing dates rotating from

Fonner Park Fonner Park is a Thoroughbred horse race, thoroughbred horse racing facility located in Grand Island, Nebraska. Co-located with Eihusen Arena and the grounds of the Nebraska State Fair, it is named after its original land owner August L. Fonner, ...

in Grand Island, to the Lincoln Race Course in Lincoln, and finishing at Agricultural Park in

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

, plus a four-day meet at Horsemen's Park (the latter required to keep their simulcasting license). A fourth track, Atokad in the northeast part of the state, also holds a brief meeting each year.

References

External links