The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Sports Arena complex is
one of the most prestigious and historic sports monuments in
America today. The two buildings have operated in tandem since
1959, but the storied history of the Complex dates back to the
early 20th Century.
LOS ANGELES COLISEUM COMMISSION
The Coliseum and Sports Arena are under the authority of the
Los Angeles Coliseum Commission, which was formed under the
Joint Exercise of Powers Act on September 25, 1945. Although
this governing body is comprised of representatives from the
City of Los Angeles, County of Los Angeles and State of California,
no taxpayer funds are used to support the facilities. The complex
is supported solely by revenue generated from these two facilities.
THE COLISEUM
The Coliseum was constructed in the early 1920's and opened
its doors to the Los Angeles public in June 1923. The first
football game was played in the stadium on October 6, 1923,
with the University of Southern California hosting Pomona College
before a crowd of 12,836. It was a modest beginning for a venue
that would later play a prominent role in college and professional
football.
The fabled history of the Coliseum spans eight decades. It is
the only facility in the world to play host to two Olympiads
(Xth and XIIIrd), two Super Bowls (I and VII), and one World
Series (1959), and along with the adjacent Sports Arena, is
credited with the migration of professional sports to the West
Coast. The complex provided a home for the Rams (from Cleveland,
1946-79), the Dodgers (from Brooklyn, 1958-61) and the Lakers
(from Minneapolis, 1960-68), and was the expansion home of the
San Diego Chargers (1960, AFL) and Kings (1967, NHL).
In 1984, the State of California and the United States Government
declared the Coliseum a State and Federal Historical Landmark
for its contribution to the historical makeup of the 31st State
of the Union as well as the United States of America.
The 92,516 seat Coliseum served as the home of the Los Angeles
Raiders of the NFL from 1982 through the 1994 season, and currently
serves as the home for the University of Southern California
football (since 1923), and international soccer competition.
Other world-class events it has hosted include UCLA football
(1933-81); numerous high school football contests, including
the famed "Shrine All-Star Game"; political rallies, including
John F. Kennedy's Democratic Presidential Candidate acceptance
speech at the Democratic National Convention in 1960; religious
conventions, including an all-time Coliseum attendance record
of 134,254 for Billy Graham in 1963 and the first ever Papal
Mass by Pope John Paul II in 1987; the 1976 Bicentennial Spectacular;
and numerous rock concerts, including five sold-out nights of
Bruce Springsteen in 1985 and the highest grossing concerts
of 1989, four sold-out nights of the Rolling Stones.
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