Hirsch Memorial Coliseum
Sports tenants
The Hirsch was home to the professional Shreveport Mudbugs minor league ice hockey team, from 1997, until they moved to the CenturyTel Center, in Bossier City in 2000. It hosted the 1981 Atlantic Sun Conference men's basketball tournament and has hosted the Southland Conference men's basketball tournament six times. It was also home to the Shreveport-Bossier Bombers indoor football team.
The Coliseum has hosted many professional wrestling events over the years including NWA, WCW and WWE events.
From 2013 to 2015, the Hirsch was home to a professional basketball franchise through the American Basketball Association called the Shreveport-Bossier Mavericks.
In 2016, a new junior hockey team returned as the Shreveport Mudbugs in the North American Hockey League and play at George's Pond at Hirsch Memorial Coliseum.
Music events
It also has a long history as a concert venue. Most notably, Hirsch Memorial Coliseum is where the words "Elvis has left the building!" were first uttered in 1957. Not only that, but on June 7, 1975 Elvis Presley himself performed an afternoon and evening show at the coliseum. His next and final appearance at the coliseum would be on July 1, 1976, 13 months before his death on August 16 of the following year. This is also the venue in which Eddie Van Halen of Van Halen first met his future wife Valeri Bertinelli after a show in August 1980. Rush was scheduled to perform during their Roll the Bones Tour on February 22, 1992, with Primus as their opening act, but the show was cancelled due to Geddy Lee contracting laryngitis. In January 1995, it was the scene of a small scale riot, when a Pantera concert was cancelled at the last minute, because of a city ordinance that had just gone into effect, requiring seating on the floor, which the band felt created an unsafe situation for the fans and themselves.
Notable other events from Hirsch Memorial Coliseum includes Miss USA and Miss Teen USA with the latter pageant held for four occasions.