Winston-Salem War Memorial Coliseum was a 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 ...

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

. The arena, which opened in 1955, held 8,200 people and was eventually replaced by the

Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum The Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum (also known as LJVM Coliseum, Joel Coliseum or simply The Joel) is a 14,407-seat multi-purpose arena, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Construction on the arena began on April 23, 1987, and it opened ...

in 1989. It was home to the

Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball The Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball team represents Wake Forest University in NCAA Division I college basketball and competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Wake Forest made the Final Four in 1962 and through the years, the ...

team from 1956 to 1989, though from 1959 onward the Deacons played many of their games at the

Greensboro Coliseum The Greensboro Coliseum Complex, commonly referred to as Greensboro Coliseum (the first and biggest building on the site), is an entertainment and sports complex located in Greensboro, North Carolina. Opened in 1959, the complex holds eight venu ...

as well.

Carolina Cougars

The Coliseum was home to the

Carolina Cougars The Carolina Cougars were a basketball franchise in the American Basketball Association that existed from 1969 through 1974. The Cougars were originally a charter member of the ABA as the Houston Mavericks in 1967. The Mavericks moved to North Ca ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

during some, but not all, of the team's tenure in North Carolina from 1969 through 1974. The

Houston Mavericks The Houston Mavericks were a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA). They played in the upstart league's first two seasons, from 1967 to 1969. Their home arena was the Sam Houston Coliseum. In 1947–48, there was an unrela ...

relocated the franchise to North Carolina in 1969. The Cougars were a "regional franchise," playing "home" games in Winston-Salem Memorial Coliseum,

, the original

Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles' Coliseum (which was called Charlott ...

and Raleigh's

Dorton Arena J. S. Dorton Arena is a 7,610-seat multi-purpose arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina, on the grounds of the North Carolina State Fair. It opened in 1952. Architect Maciej Nowicki of the North Carolina State University Department of Architec ...

and

Reynolds Coliseum William Neal Reynolds Coliseum is a multi-purpose arena located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, on the campus of North Carolina State University. The arena was built to host a variety of events, including agricultural expositions and N ...

. Hall of Fame Coach Larry Brown began his coaching career with the Cougars in 1972.

Billy Cunningham William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the ''Kangaroo Kid'' for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the ...

was the ABA MVP for the Cougars in the 1972–73 season. Despite a strong fan base the Cougars were sold and moved to St. Louis in 1974, becoming the

Spirits of St. Louis The Spirits of St. Louis were a basketball franchise based in St. Louis that played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1974 to 1976. This was the third and last city of a franchise that had begun as a charter member in 1967 as the ...

Hockey

The arena also hosted the Winston-Salem Polar Twins when they played in the Southern Hockey League and the Carolina/Winston-Salem Thunderbirds of the

Atlantic Coast Hockey League The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) was a minor league hockey organization that operated between 1981 and 1987. The league was founded by Bill Coffey. The Bob Payne Trophy was awarded to the team who won the league playoff championship. Acc ...

. In addition, it was the site of the

MEAC men's basketball tournament The MEAC men's basketball tournament (popularly known as the MEAC tournament) is the conference championship tournament in basketball for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The tournament has been held every year since 1972. It is a sing ...

from 1980 to 1982.

Wake Forest Basketball

Wake Forest moved its entire home basketball schedule to the Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem for the 1956-57 season, although the team did play two games in the facility one year earlier. The historic building was not popular with Deacon followers in its final years, but no one could argue with the success Wake Forest teams had here. The Demon Deacons won 250 games in Memorial Coliseum and lost only 94 for an impressive 72.7 winning percentage. The Coliseum, which has been leveled and replaced by a parking lot adjacent to LJVM Coliseum, had a capacity of 8,200. Here are some notable games at the old Coliseum (Source
Wake Forest Media Guide
: *February 12, 1962:

Len Chappell Leonard R. Chappell (January 31, 1941 – July 12, 2018) was an American basketball player. He played for 10 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the American Basketball Association (ABA) and was selected to one NBA All-Star Ga ...

scores a then school record 50 points against

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. *December 11, 1966:

North Carolina State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

and Wake begin what becomes the longest game in

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

history after the lights at the Coliseum are blackened due to a transformer fire with 10:02 remaining in the first half. The two teams resumed the game on February 23 with State taking a 101–75 win. *February 15, 1969: Charlie Davis scores a school record 51 points in a game against

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. *December 17, 1985: Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues ties a school record he set earlier in the month for the most steals in one game, 8, vs.

Georgia Southern Georgia Southern University (GS or Georgia Southern) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia. The flagship campus is in Statesboro, and other locations include the Armstrong Campus in Savannah and the Liberty Campus in Hin ...

References

American Basketball Association venues Carolina Cougars arenas Defunct college basketball venues in the United States Wake Forest Demon Deacons basketball venues Sports venues in Winston-Salem, North Carolina 1955 establishments in North Carolina Sports venues completed in 1955 1989 disestablishments in North Carolina Sports venues demolished in 1989 Indoor arenas in North Carolina {{NorthCarolina-stadium-stub