Lubbock Municipal Coliseum was an 8,344-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of Texas Tech University, built after city voters approved $1.75 million in bonds and groundbreaking began in 1954. It opened its doors in 1956 with an ABC Pro Rodeo, kicking off more than six decades as the city’s premier gathering place for sports, concerts, and civic events.
Owned and operated by the City of Lubbock until a 2018 ownership transfer back to Texas Tech, the Coliseum closed on April 6, 2019 and was torn down that spring. For generations of Lubbock residents, it was simply “the Coliseum” — the dome-shaped home of Red Raiders basketball and the stage where national touring acts stopped on their way across West Texas.
- San Antonio Spurs played here 1970–1971. See every Spurs arena →
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Lubbock, Texas (Texas Tech University campus)
- Teams: Texas Tech Red Raiders & Lady Raiders basketball, Lubbock Cotton Kings, Texas Chaparrals (ABA)
- Opened: 1956
- Closed/Demolished: Closed April 6, 2019; demolished April–May 2019
- Capacity: 8,344
- Notable fact: Hosted the 1966 NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional, won by Texas Western en route to its historic title
A Stage for Legends
Long before it was a basketball shrine, the Coliseum was a concert hall for touring royalty. Elvis Presley headlined the venue (then branded City Bank Coliseum) on November 8, 1972, part of a long line of marquee acts — including Willie Nelson, ZZ Top, and, in one of the building’s final major concerts, Robert Plant on September 27, 2018 — that treated Lubbock as a essential stop between Dallas and Albuquerque.
Home Court and History
On the court, the Coliseum served as home to Texas Tech’s men’s and women’s basketball programs from the mid-1950s through 1999, and it briefly hosted the ABA’s Texas Chaparrals and the Lubbock Cotton Kings minor-league hockey club. Its biggest basketball moment came in 1966, when it hosted the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Regional — the games that sent Texas Western, and its all-Black starting five, toward the national championship that changed college basketball.
Explore more: Explore more historic stadiums and arenas.
For upper-deck seats. Watch line play at the stadium, or the far side of the park from the top of a lift hill.
Sherpa-lined and windproof, with a waterproof back for wet bleachers. Folds into its own pouch.
For late-season football, outdoor hockey and October park nights. Shake, pocket, and stay warm for hours.
Lubbock Municipal Coliseum FAQs
Why was the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum demolished?
In May 2018, Lubbock voters approved returning ownership of the aging 62-year-old building to Texas Tech University, which opted to demolish it rather than renovate it; the facility closed in April 2019 and came down that spring.
What replaced the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum?
The adjoining Municipal Auditorium’s role as the city’s performing-arts venue was taken over by the Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences, which opened downtown in 2020.
What was the Coliseum’s seating capacity?
The arena seated 8,344 people for basketball, concerts, and rodeo events.
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