John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum

John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum
Construction
"Cow Palace"


Location	Baton Rouge, Louisiana, US
Coordinates	30°24′27″N 91°10′28″W / 30.40739°N 91.17445°W / 30.40739; -91.17445
Owner	Louisiana State University
Operator	Louisiana State University Agricultural Center (LSU AgCenter)
Capacity	12,000 (Peak) 6,756 (Current)
Surface	Multi-surface (portable hardwood for basketball)
Opened	1937
Architect	Edward F. Neild
Tenants
Horse shows, Livestock shows, Rodeos (1937–Present) LSU Tigers Men's basketball (1937–1971) LSU Tigers boxing (1937–1956)

The John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum or John M. Parker Agricultural Center is a 6,756-seat multi-purpose arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It hosts local sporting events, horse shows, livestock shows and concerts.

History

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Constructed by the Works Progress Administration,^[1] it was opened in 1937 and sat 12,000 people at its peak. At the time of its construction, it was six feet larger than Madison Square Garden, which made it the biggest coliseum in the United States. It is named after John M. Parker, 27th Governor of Louisiana, who pushed to move the campus to its current location during his tenure.^[2]

WPA construction sign for the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center (1936)

When it opened in 1937, it became the primary home of the LSU Tigers basketball team, though for several years both the Gym/Armory and the coliseum were used for LSU basketball games. In 1938, the facility hosted the Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament. In the 1950s, it became the sole home of the LSU Tigers basketball team. In the 1960s, the Coliseum was home to Pete Maravich-led basketball teams and it was his prominence that led to the construction of the LSU Assembly Center which now bears his name.

The basketball team's final season playing in the coliseum was 1970–71. LSU won its final game there, defeating Auburn 114–94 on February 15, 1971.

The former LSU Tigers boxing team held matches at Parker Coliseum and the Huey P. Long Field House. The 1949 LSU boxing team went undefeated in regular season play and finished the year by beating South Carolina in front of 11,000 fans in Parker Coliseum, en route to its first and only national title.^[3]

Today, it has reverted to its original purpose as a host of agricultural events, such as rodeos, horse shows, livestock shows, and other events for the LSU AgCenter and the 4-H program.^[4] It also serves as the location for Dance Marathon at LSU, which is the only collegiate Dance Marathon program held in an agricultural center.

The rodeo scenes with Matthew McConaughey from his Oscar winning film Dallas Buyers Club were shot at the Coliseum.

References

[edit]

^ "Louisiana State University–Baton Rouge". Living New Deal. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
^ "John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum - Rediff Pages : 1188491".
^ "1949 NCAA Boxing Champ 'Pee Wee' Moss Dies, 86 - LSUsports.net - The Official Web Site of LSU Tigers Athletics". www.lsusports.net. Archived from the original on 2012-10-05.
^ "Livestock Show Office". 7 December 2016.

External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum.

Official website

v t e Louisiana State University
Located in: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Academics	LSU System College of Agriculture College of Art and Design College of the Coast and Environment College of Engineering College of Human Sciences and Education College of Humanities and Social Sciences College of Music and Dramatic Arts College of Science E. J. Ourso College of Business Graduate School LSU Laboratory School LSU School of Dentistry LSU School of Music Manship School of Mass Communication Paul M. Hebert Law Center Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College School of Veterinary Medicine University College
Athletics	Sports: LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers Baseball Basketball (Men/Women) Beach Volleyball Cross Country (Men/Women) Football Golf (Men/Women) Gymnastics Soccer Softball Rugby Swimming and Diving (Men/Women) Tennis (Men/Women) Track and Field - Indoor and Outdoor (Men/Women) Volleyball Venues: Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field Bernie Moore Track Stadium Carl Maddox Field House Charles McClendon Practice Facility Highland Road Park LSU Academic Center for Student-Athletes LSU Basketball Practice Facility LSU Football Operations Center LSU Gymnastics Training Facility LSU Indoor Practice Facility LSU Natatorium LSU Soccer Stadium LSU Strength and Conditioning facility LSU Tennis Complex Mango's Beach Volleyball Club Martin J. Broussard Center for Athletic Training Pete Maravich Assembly Center Tiger Park Tiger Stadium University Club of Baton Rouge Traditions: LSU traditions Mike the Tiger LSU Tiger Marching Band Songs of LSU "Fight for LSU" Golden Girls and Colorguard LSU Cheerleaders Tiger Girls LSU Hall of Fame LSU Sports Radio Network Tiger Athletic Foundation Bengal Punch
Campus	Greek Theatre Highland Road Park Observatory Huey P. Long Field House Louisiana Museum of Natural History LSU Business Education Complex LSU Campus Mounds LSU Hilltop Arboretum LSU Rural Life Museum LSU Tiger Band Hall Memorial Tower Mike the Tiger Habitat John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum Shaw Center for the Arts Swine Palace/Reilly Theatre
Media	KLSU Louisiana State University Press New Delta Review The Daily Reveille The Southern Review
Research	Center for Computation and Technology Grok Knowledge Base Horace Hearne Institute Louisiana Business Technology Center Louisiana Geological Survey LSU AgCenter LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans LSU Health Sciences Center Shreveport Pennington Biomedical Research Center Stephenson Disaster Management Institute
Student life	LSU Communication across the Curriculum Red Stick International Animation Festival Tiger Trails
People	Notable LSU people
History	Alma Mater Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy Old LSU Site Pentagon Barracks
Founded: 1860 Students: 31,527 Endowment: 788 million

v t e LSU Tigers men's basketball
Venues	State Field (1908–1924) Gym/Armory (1930–1937) John M. Parker Agricultural Coliseum (1937–1971) Pete Maravich Assembly Center (1972–present) LSU Basketball Practice Facility LSU Strength and Conditioning facility Martin J. Broussard Center for Athletic Training LSU Academic Center for Student-Athletes
Culture & lore	Traditions Mike the Tiger Bengal Brass One & Done
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

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History

See also

References

External links