Sudduth Coliseum, in the Lake Charles Civic Center, is a 7,450-seat multi-purpose arena in Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA. Located on Lakeshore Drive, it is the main arena of the Lake Charles Civic Center. It is a venue for hosting concerts and special events, including the 2006 Louisiana State Choir festival and Contraband Days. The center is named for former Lake Charles Mayor James Sudduth.
Perhaps the proudest accomplishment of the center was during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, when it served as a shelter for displaced residents whose homes were devastated by the storms. It also serves as a host for gun shows, professional wrestling, dance performances, professional and amateur fights, school field trips, The National Day of Prayer ceremony in Lake Charles, and about anything else a Civic Center would host. Contraband Days is a large festival held on the grounds.
The center also hosted UFC 22: There Can Be Only One Champion, as well as UFC 24. It also holds Rampage in the Cage events. It also used to be the home stadium of Lake Charles' former pro hockey team, the Lake Charles Ice Pirates who played in the Western Professional Hockey League and the Louisiana Swashbucklers of the Professional Indoor Football League. The center was authorized as the location of an American Basketball Association team, the Lake Charles Hurricanes. However, lack of funding caused the team to fold without playing a single game.
The coliseum was also the former home of the McNeese State Cowboys and McNeese State Cowgirls basketball teams from 1972â€"1986 when the teams moved to the Burton Coliseum.
Its former director, Allen "Puddler" Harris, is a former member of the bands of Ricky Nelson, Conway Twitty, and Jimmie Davis.
See also
- List of music venues
References
External links
- Sudduth Coliseum Website