The Burton Coliseum, built in 1976, is located in

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu ...

. The arena contains a domed roof and stands 105 feet from the floor to the top of the roof. It and other buildings in the Burton Complex serve many purposes. The coliseum served as home to the

McNeese State Cowboys The McNeese Cowboys and Cowgirls are composed of 14 teams representing McNeese State University in intercollegiate athletics, including men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, and track and field. Men's sports include baseball and foot ...

and

Cowgirls A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the ''vaquero'' ...

basketball

team A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson (academic), Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interde ...

s from 1986 to 2018. The coliseum has a total

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 8,500 including 6,500-permanent seat multi-purpose

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 2,000 in temporary seating. In 2014, Burton Coliseum started hosting the semifinals and finals of the

Louisiana High School Athletic Association The Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) is the agency that regulates and promotes the interscholastic athletic competitions of all high schools in the state of Louisiana. Organization LHSAA was founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in ...

's boys basketball state tournaments. Additional uses for Burton Coliseum includes

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

events,

concerts A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or musical band, band. Concerts are held in a w ...

trade show A trade fair, also known as trade show, trade exhibition, or trade exposition, is an exhibition organized so that companies in a specific industry can showcase and demonstrate their latest products and services, meet with industry partners and cu ...

s, and conventions, Festivals, and Mardi Gras Balls. The Complex operates 314 event days annually.

Burton Complex

The Burton Coliseum was one component of a multi-building 50-acre site. Buildings in the Burton Complex include the following: *Burton Coliseum – (discussed above) **The Chalkey Room – a banquet room in the coliseum. *Burton Event Barn – A 160,000 sq ft building used for various types of events including livestock shows, flea markets, and car shows *Burton Arena – A 50,000 sq ft building used for equestrian and rodeo events *RV Park – 275 units with utilities The complex was used for numerous events including education events, western events, McNeese State basketball and rodeo competition, high school tournaments, flea markets, and livestock shows. Around 200 events were held at the complex each year. McNeeseStateU basketball v UTArlington

The late

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Conway LeBleu received

posthumously Posthumous may refer to: * Posthumous award - an award, prize or medal granted after the recipient's death * Posthumous publication – material published after the author's death * ''Posthumous'' (album), by Warne Marsh, 1987 * ''Posthumous'' (E ...

induction in 2014 into the Southwest District Livestock Show and Rodeo because of his work in securing funding when the Burton Coliseum, the home of the show, faced the possibility of closing. His efforts kept the structure in use for several years until a local maintenance tax was passed. LeBleu supported the livestock show and rodeo further by donating prize money and awards.

References

External links

Official websiteMcNeese St. Burton Coliseum website
{{Music venues of Louisiana Basketball venues in Louisiana Buildings and structures in Lake Charles, Louisiana College basketball venues in the United States Convention centers in Louisiana Indoor arenas in Louisiana McNeese State Cowboys basketball McNeese State Cowgirls basketball Music venues in Louisiana Rodeo venues in the United States Sports venues in Lake Charles, Louisiana Tourist attractions in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana Sports venues completed in 1977 1977 establishments in Louisiana 2018 disestablishments in Louisiana

Burton Complex

See also

References

External links