Freedom Hall is a
multipurpose arena in Louisville,
Kentucky
, on the grounds of the Kentucky
Exposition Center
, which is owned by the Commonwealth of Kentucky
. It
is best known for its use as a
basketball
arena, serving as the home of the
University of Louisville Cardinals
men's and women's teams since 1956 and as home of the
Kentucky Colonels of the
American Basketball
Association from 1970 until the
ABA-NBA merger in June 1976.
History
Freedom
Hall was completed in 1956 in the newly opened Kentucky Fair
and Exposition Center
located 5 miles south of Downtown Louisville. In 1984 the
facility was refurbished, including the lowered of the floor to
allow maximum capacity to increase from 16,664 to 18,865 for
basketball. It has been the full time home of Cardinal men's
basketball since the 1957/58 season, with the team winning 82% of
home games in 50 seasons. U of L has ranked in the Top 5 in
attendance for the past 25 years, with 16 of the past 19 years
averaging more than 100% of capacity.
In addition to being the home of the Cardinals, Freedom Hall has
hosted
NCAA
Tournament games ten times, including six
Final Fours between 1958 and 1969. The arena has
also hosted 11 conference tournaments, nine
Metro Conference Tournaments and two
Conference USA tournaments—2001 and
2003. It has also hosted the Kentucky High School State Basketball
Tournament (also known as the Sweet 16) 23 times, including every
year from 1965-1978. In 1984, the floor of the arena was lowered
about 10 feet to increase the capacity of the arena from 16,613 to
its current figure. In the 1996-97 season Freedom Hall averaged an
attendance of 19,590 surpassing arena capacity. Freedom Hall hosts
the Championship tractor pull every February during the National
Farm Machinery Show.
Another famous event that occurs at Freedom Hall is the
Kentucky
State Fair World's Championship Horse Show. In fact, Freedom
Hall was designed for this event. The
North American
International Livestock Exposition also is held there each
November.
In November 2008 the
Louisville Fire
of
af2 ceased operations. The Louisville Fire
was an Arena Football team who played in Freedom Hall.
On the lower level is the
Kentucky Athletic Hall of
Fame Walls of Fame where an engraved bronze plaque honors each
inductee.
May 2009 Monday Night Raw was visting Freedom Hall.
Image:Freedom Hall.jpg|Freedom Hall at a distance
Image:FreedomHall3.jpg|2008
Image:FreedomHall2.jpg|2008
| UofL Men's Basketball
Attendance by Year |
| Year |
Average Attendance |
Games |
Percent of capacity |
| 1997/98 |
18,669 |
14 |
98.96% |
| 1998/99 |
19,055 |
14 |
101.0% |
| 1999/00 |
19,180 |
15 |
101.2% |
| 2000/01 |
17,457 |
16 |
92.53% |
| 2001/02 |
18,929 |
19 |
100.3% |
| 2002/03 |
19,037 |
18 |
101.0% |
| 2003/04 |
19,443 |
15 |
103.1% |
| 2004/05 |
18,746 |
17 |
99.36% |
| 2005/06 |
18,316 |
22 |
97.09% |
| 2006/07 |
18,488 |
20 |
98% |
| 2007/08 |
19,481 |
17 |
103.3% |
See also
References
- Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame - Walls of Fame at
Freedom Hall
External links
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search