Hall of Fame players Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore played for the Colonels during their successful run. The Colonels were disbanded when the ABA merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976. The 1972-73 team advanced to the Finals again, losing to the Indiana Pacers in 7 games. The 1970-71 team played in the ABA Championship Finals, losing to the Utah Stars in 7 games. The Kentucky Colonels fielded successful teams during their tenure at Freedom Hall, winning the American Basketball Association (ABA) Championship in the 1974–75 season and reaching the ABA Finals two other times. A collegiate wrestling tournament was held at the arena in 2019.įreedom Hall has hosted campaign rallies for two U.S. Judgment Day (2000) was also held at the Freedom Hall. Freedom Hall was also one of the major stops on the Motortown (later MOTOWN) traveling music revue during the early and mid-1960s. Muhammad Ali fought his first professional fight at Freedom Hall when he won a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker. The North American International Livestock Exposition also is held there each November. Designed for the nation's premier equestrian competition, the Kentucky State Fair World's Championship Horse Show, the floor length and permanent seating were designed specifically for the almost 300-foot (91 m)-long show ring (in comparison, a regulation hockey rink is 200 feet (61 m) long, and a basketball court is only 94 feet). Charlotte Owens, a senior at DuPont Manual High School, submitted the winning entry over 6,500 others. It received its name as the result of a statewide essay contest sponsored by the State Fair Board and the American Legion. It is still used regularly, however, hosting concerts, horse shows, conventions, and basketball games.įreedom Hall was completed in 1956 in the newly opened Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center located 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Downtown Louisville. The arena lost its status as Kentuckiana's main indoor sporting and concert venue when the downtown KFC Yum! Center opened in 2010. From 2015 to 2019 it has hosted the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship Finals yearly in mid-April. The Kentucky Stickhorses of the North American Lacrosse League used Freedom Hall from 2011 until the team folded in 2013. As well as the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball team from 1956 to 2010, the arena’s tenants included the Kentucky Colonels of the American Basketball Association from 1970 until the ABA-NBA merger in June 1976, and the Louisville Cardinals women's team from its inception in 1975 to 2010. It has hosted Kiss, Chicago, AC/DC, WWE events, Mötley Crüe, Elvis Presley, The Doors, Janis Joplin, Creed, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and many more. It is best known for its use as a basketball arena, previously serving as the home of the University of Louisville Cardinals and, since November 2020, as the home of the Bellarmine University Knights. Louisville Cardinals women's basketball (NCAA) (1975–2010)īellarmine Knights men's basketball ( NCAA) (2020–present)īellarmine Knights women's basketball ( NCAA) (2020–present)įreedom Hall is a multi-purpose arena in Louisville, Kentucky, on the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Louisville Cardinals men's basketball ( NCAA) (1956–2010) For other uses, see Freedom Hall Civic Center and Freedom Hall (UWI). This article is about the venue in Louisville.
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