MEMORIAL COLISEUM
For 26 years, the pulsating cries of "Rip 'em Up, Tear 'em Up, Give 'em Hell Wildcats," rang through one of the grandest of all basketball palaces  UK's Memorial Coliseum.
In 1941, when Dr. H. L. Donovan became president of the University, one of his first recommendations was for a building "that will properly take care of our athletics, our health service, physical education and recreation." From this beginning came the plan that culminated in the construction of 11,500-seat Memorial Coliseum, an unparalleled edifice costing $3,925,000 by the time it was completed in 1950.
A great many persons freely suggested that the arena would prove to be a "white elephant" which would never be crowded to anywhere near capacity by the sport that then was considered little more than an innocuous winter-months pasttime.
But the hardwood game blitzed the nation and Kentucky's teams forged to the national forefront in such a crowd-pleasing manner that the "huge" hall soon could not begin to accomodate the large number of fans seeking to whet their new-found interest, in fact, the situation soon developed to the point where only the student body and faculty were admitted and for several years about all that Kentuckians at large knew of their state University's famed cage teams consisted of information gleaned from the radio and newspapers.
The Wildcat basketball teams got off to a fine start in the Coliseum, winning every game played in the building for the first five seasons there. When Georgia Tech upset Kentucky, 59-58, on Jan. 8, 1955, it marked the first time the Wildcats had lost on their home court since Jan. 4, 1943, dating back to the Alumni Gym days. Between those two dates, Kentucky won 129 straight basketball games al home, a record that still stands in the NCAA record books.
Veteran UK radio announcer Cawood Ledford remembers that first loss at the Coliseum.
"When the game was over, nobody moved," said Ledford. "Everyone sat in absolute stunned silence. I would say it was a good five minutes before anyone made a move to get up. But Kentucky sure didn't lose very many times there."
Indeed the Cats did not. In 26 years there, Kentucky came away a loser only 38 times in 346 games.
From the early 60's on, the sale of UK basketball season tickets has been closed to the public with priority holders taking all the allotment other than student seating. When the Wildcats moved into Rupp Arena for the 1976-77 season, the cynics once again labeled it a "white elephant." But they underestimated the fervor displayed by Kentucky fans. The only seats available are ones that the students don't use.
But while Rupp Arena affords UK the largest b u i I t-fo r-ba s ketba 11 facility in the country with 23,000 seats, old-timers will tell you that the new building doesn't match the atmosphere of Memorial Coliseum. The character of great tradition permeates the air with near spiritual force, even today, when the building serves as the Wildcats' primary practice facility.
The huge building, which serves as a memorial to the nearly 10,000 Kentuckians who lost their lives in World War II and the Korean conflict, covers an entire city block and contains as much space as a seven-story office building. Situated along Avenue of Champions, the Coliseum still houses the UK Athletics Association offices and is the "home" to many Wildcat athletic teams.
The challenge of the sport,
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And a tribute to those who thrive on it.
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