# Blackham Coliseum

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**Blackham Coliseum** is a multipurpose arena in [Lafayette, Louisiana](/source/Lafayette,_Louisiana). It was built on the [University of Louisiana at Lafayette](/source/University_of_Louisiana_at_Lafayette) campus in 1949 as the home to the then-named [SLI](/source/University_of_Louisiana_at_Lafayette) Bulldogs, now called the [Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns men's basketball](/source/Louisiana_Ragin'_Cajuns_men's_basketball) teams. The arena was named for Stafford Morgan Blackham, former dean of the Department of Animal Husbandry at SLI, and as such it was built to host livestock exhibitions as well as athletics (in a similar manner to the usage of LSU's [Parker Coliseum](/source/John_M._Parker_Agricultural_Coliseum)).[1] It replaced the 1,500-seat [Earl K. Long Gymnasium](/source/Earl_K._Long_Gymnasium) as home to the athletics teams. It remained the home for the men's team until the [Cajundome](/source/Cajundome) was completed in 1984. The women continue to play the majority of their games at Earl K. Long. Blackham hosted the [Southland Conference](/source/Southland_Conference) men's basketball tournament in 1982.

In the 1960s, it became popular as a venue for pop concerts where acts like [The Supremes](/source/The_Supremes), [James Brown](/source/James_Brown) and [Jackie Wilson](/source/Jackie_Wilson). [The Supremes](/source/The_Supremes) played to soldout audiences on their "Symphony Tour 1965".

Today it is still in use, seating 5,500 for basketball and up to 9,800 for [concerts](/source/Concerts). It also features 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2) of space at the main arena, with two barns adding 46,500 square feet (4,300 m2) of space. Altogether, the three buildings can also be used for trade shows, rodeos and conventions. In the fall of 2009, the revived [Louisiana IceGators](/source/Louisiana_IceGators_(SPHL)) began play there as a member of the [Southern Professional Hockey League](/source/Southern_Professional_Hockey_League).[2]

In April 2009, the venue held its first heavy metal concert, the 2009 No Fear Music Tour featuring [Lamb Of God](/source/Lamb_of_God_(band)), [As I Lay Dying](/source/As_I_Lay_Dying_(band)), [Children of Bodom](/source/Children_of_Bodom), [God Forbid](/source/God_Forbid) and [Municipal Waste](/source/Municipal_Waste_(band)).

The venue serves as home to the Grammy-styled, annual Le Cajun Music Awards Festival held every August by the Cajun French Music Association, an association of [Cajun music](/source/Cajun_music) enthusiasts for the preservation of the Cajun music, language, heritage and culture. [\[1\]](https://web.archive.org/web/20070203055855/http://www.cajunfrenchmusic.org/music/lecajun.htm)

## See also

- [List of convention centers in the United States](/source/List_of_convention_centers_in_the_United_States)

## References

1. L [UL Lafayette: About Us: University History: Buildings](http://www.louisiana.edu/AboutUs/History/Buildings.shtml#blackham) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20120306085330/http://www.louisiana.edu/AboutUs/History/Buildings.shtml#blackham) March 6, 2012 at the Wayback Machine

1. Foote, Kevin (May 15, 2009). ["IceGators to skate again; join the discussion"](https://web.archive.org/web/20090519181330/http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20090515/NEWS01/905150326). Lafayette Daily Advertiser. Archived from [the original](http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20090515/NEWS01/905150326) on May 19, 2009. Retrieved May 15, 2009.

## External links

- [Lafayette Convention and Visitors Commission - Blackham Coliseum](https://web.archive.org/web/20110322233521/http://www.lafayettetravel.com/meetingplanners/conventionandfacilities/blackhamcoliseum/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Blackham Coliseum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackham_Coliseum) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackham_Coliseum?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.