Kansas Coliseum was an entertainment complex in unincorporated

Sedgwick County, Kansas Sedgwick County ( county code: SG) is located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 523,824, making it the second-most populous county in Kansas. Its county seat is Wichita, the most populous city in the stat ...

, United States. It was located north of Wichita at the intersection of

I-135 Interstate 135 (I-135) is an approximately auxiliary Interstate Highway in central and south-central Kansas, United States. I-135, which is signed as north–south, runs between I-35 and the Kansas Turnpike in Wichita north to I-70, ...

and 85th Street North. It hosted sporting events, concerts, shows, and consisted of four pavilions, an RV park, and the 9,686-seat Britt Brown Arena, named for Harry Britton (Britt) Brown Jr., of Wichita, the former owner of ''

The Wichita Eagle ''The Wichita Eagle'' is a daily newspaper published in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is owned by The McClatchy Company and is the largest newspaper in Wichita and the surrounding area. History Origins In 1870, ''The Vidette'' was the fi ...

'' newspaper. Arena capacity could be configured for up to 12,200 people.

History

Kansas Coliseum was opened in 1977. Two brass plaques (one located on the lower level, by the box office windows and the other up on the main concourse) read: "Dedicated September 1978, for the promotion of agricultural, educational, and cultural benefits, on behalf of the people of the world, by the citizens of Sedgwick County, the board of the county commissioners, the

Kansas State Park and Resources Authority The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) is a state cabinet-level agency led by a Secretary of Wildlife and Parks appointed by the Governor of Kansas. The Office of the Secretary is located in Topeka, the state capital of Kansas. A se ...

, the

Economic Development Administration The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides grants and technical assistance to economically distressed communities in order to generate new employment, help retain exist ...

and the Ozark Regional Commission of the United States Department of Commerce and the Kansas Coliseum Corporation." It hosted NCAA Men's Basketball tournament first and second-round games in 1981 and 1994. The

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

basketball teams played the 2002–03 season there while the Shockers' on-campus home,

Charles Koch Arena Charles Koch Arena is a 10,506-seat multi-purpose arena in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is located on the southeast corner of 21st and Hillside on the campus of Wichita State University in northeast Wichita. The arena is home of the Wichi ...

, was undergoing major renovations. It was the home of the now-defunct

Wichita Wings The Wichita Wings were a professional indoor soccer franchise based in Wichita, Kansas. The Wings were admitted to the Major Indoor Soccer League as an expansion team on August 21, 1979.

indoor soccer team, who played in the MISL and NPSL between 1979 and 2001. The Kansas Coliseum was the home venue for the

Wichita Stealth The Wichita Stealth was an arena football team. They played their home games at the Kansas Coliseum in Wichita, Kansas. They originally began play in the original incarnation of the Indoor Football League as a 2000 expansion team known as the W ...

, Wichita Aviators, and Wichita Wild indoor/arena football teams between 2001 and 2008. It also was home to the

Wichita Thunder The Wichita Thunder are a minor league hockey team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team played in the Central Hockey League from 1992 until 2014, and then in the ECHL since the 2014–15 season. From 1992 until December 2009, the Thunder played in ...

ice hockey team that played in the Coliseum from 1992 to 2009. The Wichita Thunder now plays in the

INTRUST Bank Arena Intrust Bank Arena is a 15,004-seat multi-purpose arena in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is located on the northeast corner of Emporia and Waterman streets in downtown Wichita. The arena is the second largest indoor arena in the state of ...

in downtown Wichita, Kansas. The last Wichita Thunder hockey game ever played at the Kansas Coliseum was on January 9, 2010, in front of a home crowd of 5,556. The Thunder lost the game 3–1 to the Odessa Jackalopes. Brent Ottmann would be the last Thunder player to score a goal in the building at 2:05 of the 1st period, and Kenny Bernard of Odessa scoring the last goal ever at 19:53 of the 3rd period. The final event to take place inside the Arena was the RV and Boat show on February 20, 2010. On February 22, 2010, The Britt Brown Arena closed its doors. The arena ceased hosting events, while the neighboring

Kansas Pavilions Kansas Pavilions was a public events complex located in unincorporated Sedgwick County, Kansas near the Wichita suburb of Park City, Kansas, USA. It hosted a number of equestrian, livestock, dog and car shows, as well as swap meets and flea mark ...

portion of the complex remained open until late 2016. On January 10, 2012, the entire Coliseum complex was sold by Sedgwick County to aviation research developer Johnny Stevens for a sum of $1,462,487.12. The Britt Brown Arena was transformed into an aerospace testing facility for the

National Institute for Aviation Research Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

Events

Concerts

Other events

Monster Jam Monster Jam is a live motorsport event tour operated by Feld Entertainment. The series began in 1992, and is sanctioned under the umbrella of the United States Hot Rod Association. Events are primarily held in North America, with some additiona ...

Thunder Nationals – January 13–15, 2006 and January 9–11, 2009

References

External links

Kansas Coliseum
{{Wichita Buildings and structures in Sedgwick County, Kansas County government buildings in Kansas Sports venues in Kansas Basketball venues in Kansas Defunct indoor soccer venues in the United States Defunct arena football venues Defunct indoor arenas in the United States Defunct indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Event venues established in 1977 Wichita State Shockers men's basketball Wichita Thunder 1977 establishments in Kansas Sports venues completed in 1977 2010 disestablishments in Kansas Arena football venues Defunct college basketball venues in the United States Indoor arenas in Kansas