Omni Coliseum
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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 15,278 for ice hockey and 16,378 for basketball. It was part of the Omni Complex, now called CNN Center.
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. The Knights were the only pro team to win a championship in the building by winning the Turner Cup in 1995. 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 The Flames have since been replaced by the Atlanta Thrashers, who began play in 1999.
The Omni was also home to some legendary professional wrestling events, as it was the "home arena" for the National Wrestling Alliance's Jim Crockett Promotions and its successor, Ted Turner/Time Warner's World Championship Wrestling. In total, four Starrcades were held there, as well as parts of two NWA Great American Bash events and Slamboree 1993.
Non-sports events hosted at the Omni included the 1988 Democratic National Convention, as well as Phish's 1996 Halloween event.
The facility was demolished via implosion in April, 1997 to make way for Philips Arena.
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Categories: Landmarks in Atlanta | Atlanta stubs | National Hockey League venues | Indoor arenas in the United States | Defunct indoor arenas | World Championship Wrestling | Jim Crockett Promotions | Sports venues in Atlanta | Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States | 1996 Summer Olympic Venues | Atlanta Hawks | Professional wrestling venues | ACC Men's Basketball Tournament Venues | SEC Men's Basketball Tournament Venues | NBA All-Star Game Venues | NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four Venues | Democratic National Convention venues
