January 30, 2012

Before Lebron James and Gund Arena, there was the old Richfield Coliseum.  This NBA arena, though 45 minutes from downtown Cleveland, actually had a lot of history. Perhaps most importantly, it was the site of the matchup between Muhammad Ali and Chuck Wepner; a fight that brought the Rocky Series to life. Every major musical act between the years of 1974 and 1994 must have made stops at Richfield. It was one of the earliest NBA arenas that featured luxury suites and was one of the larger NBA arenas at the time with a capacity of 20,000.

Like the Palace of Auburn Hills in Detroit, both NBA arenas were large and located in a rural setting. The absence of a proximity to the downtown area had a negative correlation on the Coliseum's attendance for many years. Ownership thought a centralized location between the cities of Akron and Cleveland would be ideal. Like so many other NBA arenas and various other sports venues, ownership later sought the construction of new venues with more luxury and club seating. Thus, the Coliseum met it's demise in 199 and stood vacant for five years after the Cavaliers had left for downtown Cleveland.