Omni Coliseum
The Omni
Location	100 Techwood Drive, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Opened	1972
Closed	1997
Demolished	1997
Owner	City of Atlanta
Tenants
Atlanta Flames (NHL) (1972-1980) Atlanta Hawks (NBA) (1972-1997) Atlanta Knights (IHL) (1992-1996) 1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament 1996 Summer Olympics (basketball)
Capacity
16,378 basketball 15,278 ice hockey

The Omni Coliseum, usually called The Omni, from the Latin "for all", was an indoor arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. Completed in 1972, the arena sat 16,378 for basketball and 15,278 for ice hockey. It was part of the Omni Complex, now known as the CNN Center. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 100 × 100 pixelsFull resolution (100 × 100 pixel, file size: 4 KB, MIME type: image/gif) The Omni arenas logo, 100x100 This is a logo of an organization, item, or event, and is protected by copyright and/or trademark. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 320 × 240 pixelsFull resolution (320 × 240 pixel, file size: 74 KB, MIME type: image/gif)http://nhlfr. ... “Atlanta” redirects here. ... // World Artistic Gymnastics Championships: Mens all-around champion: Ivan Ivankov, Belarus Womens all-around champion: Svetlana Khorkina, Russia Mens team competition champion: China Womens team competition champion: Romania June 8 — Enschede Marathon, Netherlands Mens Winner: Dmitriy Kapitonov (RUS) 2:12:09 Womens Winner: Carla... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... The Atlanta Flames were a National Hockey League (NHL) team based in Atlanta, Georgia from 1972 to 1980. ... “NHL” redirects here. ... Regular Season* October 16 The Toronto Maple Leafs Norm Ullman tallies his 1,000th point. ... The 1979-80 NHL season was the 63rd season of the National Hockey League. ... The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... “NBA” redirects here. ... The 1971-72 NBA Season was the 26th season of the National Basketball Association. ... The 1996-97 NBA season was the 51st season of the National Basketball Association. ... The Atlanta Knights and later Quebec Rafales (rafales being French for winds) were an International Hockey League franchise during the 1990s. ... The International Hockey League (IHL) was a professional ice hockey league in the United States and Canada from 1945 to 2001. ... // August 1 — Olympic Marathon, Barcelona (Spain) Womens Winner: Valentina Yegorova (EUN) 2:32:41 August 9 — Olympic Marathon, Barcelona (Spain) Mens Winner: Hwang Young-Cho (KOR) 2:13:23 October 11 — Enschede Marathon, Netherlands Mens Winner: Willie Mtolo (RSA) 2:13:39 Womens Winner: Natalia Repescko... // June 16 — Enschede Marathon, Netherlands Mens Winner: John Mandu (KEN) 2:15:14 Womens Winner: Mieke Pullen (NED) 2:41:13 July 28 — Olympic Marathon, Atlanta, Georgia (USA) Womens Winner: Fatuma Roba (ETH) 2:26:05 August 4 — Olympic Marathon, Atlanta, Georgia (USA) Mens Winner: Josia... The 1977 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament involved 32 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the National Champion of Mens NCAA Division I college basketball. ... The 1996 Summer h Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. ... This article is about the sport. ... Ice hockey, known simply as hockey in areas where it is more common than field hockey, is a team sport played on ice. ... The following is a list of indoor arenas. ... This article is about the state capital of Georgia. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... ARENA may refer to either: Nationalist Republican Alliance, a political party in El Salvador. ... This article is about the sport. ... Ice hockey, known simply as hockey in areas where it is more common than field hockey, is a team sport played on ice. ... The CNN Center is the world headquarters of the Cable News Network (CNN). ... The CNN Center is the world headquarters of the Cable News Network (CNN). ...

History

This arena was an architectural marvel when first constructed, combining innovative design for the roof, seating, and the structure itself. The logo is based on the unique seating arrangement. Its exterior was supposed to "surface rust" to seal itself, making a solid steel structure that would last for decades.

The Omni was noted for its distinctive roof, often joked about as looking like an egg crate, it was home to the NBA Atlanta Hawks from 1972–1997, the NHL Atlanta Flames from 1972–1980 (now the Calgary Flames), and the IHL Atlanta Knights (1992-1996). The Knights were the only pro team to win a championship in the building by winning the Turner Cup in 1994. The arena also hosted the 1977 NCAA Final Four, won by Marquette University over North Carolina in what was Warriors' (their nickname at the time) coach Al McGuire's last game, one SEC and three ACC men's basketball tournaments, the 1978 NBA All-Star Game, the 1993 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four, and the volleyball matches for the 1996 Summer Olympics. The Flames have since been replaced by the Atlanta Thrashers, who began play in 1999 after the Omni was demolished and Philips Arena was built. The roofs of Olomouc, Czech Republic. ... The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... The 1972-73 NBA Season was the 27th season of the National Basketball Association. ... The 1996-97 NBA season was the 51st season of the National Basketball Association. ... The Atlanta Flames were a National Hockey League (NHL) team based in Atlanta, Georgia from 1972 to 1980. ... Regular Season* October 16 The Toronto Maple Leafs Norm Ullman tallies his 1,000th point. ... The 1979-80 NHL season was the 63rd season of the National Hockey League. ... The Calgary Flames are a professional hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and play out of the Pengrowth Saddledome. ... The International Hockey League (IHL) was a professional ice hockey league in the United States and Canada from 1945 to 2001. ... The Atlanta Knights and later Quebec Rafales (rafales being French for winds) were an International Hockey League franchise during the 1990s. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... For the article about International Humanitarian Law, click here. ... See also: 1976 in sports, other events of 1977, 1978 in sports and the list of years in sports. // Auto racing Stock car racing: NASCAR Championship - Cale Yarborough Cale Yarborough won the Daytona 500 USAC Racing - Tom Sneva wins the season championship Indianapolis 500 - won by A.J. Foyt. ... The playoff term Final Four was originally popularized to refer to the final four teams in the NCAA Basketball Tournament; these are the champions of the tournaments four regional brackets, and the only teams remaining on the tournaments final weekend. ... Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the United States of America. ... The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public, coeducational, research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. ... Al McGuire was the coach who led the Marquette University Mens Basketball team from 1964-1977. ... The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a college athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern part of the United States. ... The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is one of the oldest collegiate athletic leagues in the United States. ... The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. ... For the ball used in this sport, see Volleyball (ball). ... The 1996 Summer h Olympics, formally known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and informally known as the Centennial Olympics, were held in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. ... The Atlanta Thrashers are a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... This article is about the year. ...

The Omni was also home to many legendary professional wrestling events, as it was the "home arena" for many of WWE's rival promotions, starting with Georgia Championship Wrestling. After they were sold, the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions and its successor, Ted Turner/Time Warner's World Championship Wrestling used the building many times. In total, four Starrcades were held there, as well as parts of two NWA Great American Bash events and Slamboree 1993. In actuality, The Omni wasn't the "home arena" for Jim Crockett Promotions, it was the Greensboro Coliseum. When Turner bought out JCP in 1989, the Omni became the "home arena" for the NWA/WCW. For the video game, see Pro Wrestling (video game). ... World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ... Georgia Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion whose self-titled TV program aired in the 1970s and 1980s on U.S. cable channel TBS (Turner Broadcasting System). ... National Wrestling Alliance logo The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is the largest governing body for a group of independent professional wrestling promotions and sanctions various NWA championships. ... Jim Crockett Promotions was the name of a professional wrestling promotion owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. ... For other persons named Ted Turner, see Ted Turner (disambiguation). ... Time Warner Inc. ... For the Australian professional wrestling promotion, see World Championship Wrestling (Australia). ... Starrcade was the primary supercard of the NWA and World Championship Wrestling from 1983-2000. ... The Great American Bash was an annual summer PPV in the NWAs Jim Crockett Promotions and then in WCW. After WCW was sold to WWE, WWE took over the promotion of the event. ... Slamboree was a professional wrestling pay-per-view event from World Championship Wrestling held from 1993 through 2000 that was held in the month of May. ...

The Omni was frequent host to musical acts over the course of its lifetime, with performers and bands such as Elvis Presley, Van Halen, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul, Tom Petty, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, The Police, The Who, R.E.M., and Phish. The Police's "Synchronicity Concert" was filmed at the Omni in November 1983. Def Leppard's live home video "In the Round, In Your Face", was filmed at the Omni in December 1987. “Elvis” redirects here. ... This article is about the band Van Halen. ... This article is about the American entertainer. ... Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, activist, and pop icon. ... Paula Julie Abdul (born June 19, 1962) is an American multi-platinum selling Grammy Award-winning singer, dancer, television personality, jewelry designer, and Emmy Award-winning choreographer. ... Thomas Earl Tom Petty (born October 20, 1950) is a singer and guitarist. ... Bon Jovi is a hard rock band originating from Sayreville, New Jersey. ... Def Leppard are an English hard rock band from Sheffield who formed in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. ... This article is about the rock band. ... The Who are an English rock band that first formed in 1964, and grew to be considered one of the greatest[1] and most influential[2] bands in the world. ... R.E.M. is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980 by Bill Berry (drums), Peter Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass guitar), and Michael Stipe (vocals). ... This article is about the band. ...

Among the other non-sports events hosted at the Omni was the 1988 Democratic National Convention. The 1988 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia from July 18–21, 1988 to select a candidate for the 1988 United States presidential election. ...

Problems

One of the problems with the building was that some of the innovations were not successful. The worst was that the exterior never ceased rusting to seal itself. By the mid 1990s, the rusting exterior had holes big enough that a chain link was installed in a number of locations to keep people from crawling though the wall to see events. In the late-'80s and early-'90s, a growing number of NBA and NHL teams starting constructing new arenas with better amenities for their high-end customers, such as luxury boxes, club level seating and massive club concourses in order to increase their revenue streams. Some of these new arenas had as many as 200 luxury boxes, compared to the Omni which had only had 16 boxes and no club level at all, thus putting the Atlanta Hawks at a competitive disadvantage. It was also a disadvantage to the city of Atlanta; until the Georgia Dome was built in 1992, the Omni served as its largest indoor facility in terms of seating capacity. Although the Omni hosted many events, it lost more than its share due to its smaller seating capacity and lack of amenities, especially when compared to new buildings constructed in other cities, which often seated over 19,000 people. Despite quite enjoyable seating and viewing for the fans, the structure had the outward appearance of looking very dated and "old" by that time (although the arena was only 20 years old), so there was a collective effort by many parties to build a replacement. This was also stemmed by the desire of Ted Turner to own an NHL franchise after being burned before over a decade ago when the successful and popular Atlanta Flames (they constantly outdrew the Hawks when they were sharing the building; many of their attendance records didn't fall until the mid-late '80s) were sold to Canadian businessmen and moved to Calgary. However, the only way the league would approve an expansion team to him was with the guarantee of a new arena. In 1997, the Omni was demolished and Philips Arena was constructed on the same site, with its completion in 1999. The National Basketball Association of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the NBA, is the premier professional basketball league in North America. ... NHL can also be an abbreviation for National Historic Landmark or Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. ... The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... The Georgia Dome is a domed stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia that is owned and operated by The State of Georgia who operates The Dome, The Georgia World Congress Center, and Centennial Olympic Park. ... For other persons named Ted Turner, see Ted Turner (disambiguation). ... NHL can also be an abbreviation for National Historic Landmark or Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. ... The Atlanta Flames were a National Hockey League (NHL) team based in Atlanta, Georgia from 1972 to 1980. ... The Philips Arena is a indoor arena in Atlanta, Georgia. ...

Trivia

The scoreboard from the Omni hangs in the pavillion of the Phillips Arena.

External links

Coordinates: 33°45′24″N, 84°23′46″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...