 The arena in 2011 | |
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| Former names | Carolina Center (2002–2003) Colonial Center (2003–2008) |
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| Address | 801 Lincoln Street |
| Location | Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 33°59′42″N81°02′14″W / 33.99500°N 81.03722°W /33.99500; -81.03722 |
| Public transit |  The Comet:Routes 28, 52X, 63, 101, 201, 301, 401, 601   AmtrakSilver Star atColumbia |
| Owner | University of South Carolina |
| Operator | Spectra |
| Capacity | 18,000 (Basketball) 19,000 (Concerts) |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 25, 2001[1] |
| Opened | November 21, 2002 |
| Construction cost | $65 million ($114 million in 2024 dollars[2]) |
| Architect | Rosser International Inc. JHS Architects[3] |
| Structural engineer | Geiger Engineers[4] |
| General contractor | Beers Construction[5] |
| Tenants | |
| South Carolina Gamecocks (NCAA) (2002–present) Columbia Stingers (NIFL) (2007) | |
| Website | |
| coloniallifearena | |
TheColonial Life Arena is a multi-purposearena inColumbia, South Carolina, primarily home to theUniversity of South Carolinamen's andwomen'sbasketball teams. Opened as a replacement for theCarolina Coliseum with the nameCarolina Center in 2002, the 18,000-seat arena is also host to various events, includingconferences,concerts, andgraduation ceremonies. It is the largest arena in the state ofSouth Carolina and the eighth largest campuscollege arena.
The naming rights were acquired in 2003 byUnum, aPortland, Maine–based insurance company, and it was renamed to theColonial Center after theColonial Life & Accident Insurance Company, a Unum subsidiary headquartered in Columbia. On July 22, 2008, the USC board approved renaming the building to the Colonial Life Arena as part of the rebranding by Unum (which by then had moved toChattanooga, Tennessee) of Colonial Life & Accident as Colonial Life.[6]
The arena first opened on November 22, 2002, with the season opener of the South Carolina women's basketball team. A near sell-out crowd of 17,712 fans saw the 72–58Gamecocks victory over in-state rivalClemson, with a $1 admission charge, at that time commonly used by the women's basketball team to promote major games. The official grand opening took place December 2, 2002. The men's basketball team defeatedTemple 66–47. On January 26, 2010 South Carolina defeated #1 ranked and undefeatedKentucky 68–62 in the arena, one of the biggest wins in South Carolina history.[7]
On January 18, 2021, as part of the university's observance ofMartin Luther King Day, the university dedicated a statue of Gamecocks great and2020WNBAMVPA'ja Wilson near the arena's main entrance.[8]
Aside from Gamecock basketball, the Colonial Life Arena also hosts the South CarolinaHigh School Basketball Championships each year. The facility is built to also hostice hockey games, and was intended to be the new home of theECHL'sColumbia Inferno. However, due to legal issues with the funding for the facility, the Inferno never played there. The franchise suspended operations in 2008, but after plans for a new arena in neighboringLexington County fell through, the franchise was finally canceled in 2014. However, annual games pitting theCarolina Hurricanes alumni againstTampa Bay Lightning alumni have been played here.
The Colonial Life Arena was ranked 22nd in the world in ticket sales in 2003.[9] It was also ranked the #1 arena inthe Carolinas and was the #2 rated university arena in the world in 2005, based on ticket sales for touring shows.[10]
It is managed by Spectra (formerly Global Spectrum), the facilities management subsidiary ofComcast Spectacor. The NBA'sPhiladelphia 76ers, then owned by Comcast Spectacor, played an exhibition game in the venue in October 2005.
In 2007, it was home to theColumbia Stingers of theNational Indoor Football League. The arena has hosted the Charlotte Bobcats and New York Knicks in the past.
Originally, the venue, like all Comcast-Spectator managed facilities, had its own ticketing policy, and therefore concerts were not controlled by the major ticketing industry firms.
Ticketing was provided byNew Era Tickets, and tickets could be purchased through the Arena's website.
Ticketing for events at the arena is now provided throughTicketmaster.
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