| The idea for the Sportscenter got
a boost from a new law enacted by the Kentucky General Assembly’s
1946 session that allowed communities to fund projects through
the issue of bonds. The city guaranteed these bonds with $300,000
received annually in profits from the municipal light plant.
A group led by John Medley, Clyde Watson, William Gant, and
Bill Thompson were instrumental in pushing the bond issue and
having the facility built as part of a veterans memorial. The
memorial was dedicated August 14, 1947. The
Memorial Recreation Center, the building that came to be called
the Sportscenter, officially opened February 5, 1949, with
the Fabulous Five of Adolph Rupp’s Kentucky Wildcats
against the Bradley Braves. Kentucky won 62-52. The facility
actually opened the night before with two high school basketball
games. Technical High School Wildcats played the Henderson
Purple Flash and the Daviess County Panthers played the St.
Francis Aces. Then Sportscenter manager Bill Thompson believed
that the community facility should be inaugurated by members
of the community.
The Sportscenter quickly became one of
the largest indoor concert and sport venues from St.Louis
and Memphis in the west to Knoxville and Cincinnati in the
east. The arena quickly became the star-studded showplace
of the Southeast in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Some
of the performers included Bob Hope, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles,
Louis Armstrong, Liberace, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Victor
Borge, Eddie Arnold, Merle Haggard, Roy Acuff, Andy Williams,
Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Kiss, etc. In sports, the Harlem
Globetrotters have made numerous visits to the Sportscenter
as well as the top touring ice shows in the 1950’s and
1960’s.
The Sportscenter is also home to local
events such as high school and college basketball. Owensboro
High School, Owensboro Catholic High School, and Kentucky
Wesleyan College play their home games at the facility. Kentucky
Wesleyan College, the UCLA of small college basketball, has
won an unprecedented 8 national championships in Division
II. Other events include graduations, banquets, meetings,
dances, trade shows, auctions, religious events, etc. A tradition
since the 1950’s is the annual Goodfellows Christmas
party that benefits under privileged children.
The Sportscenter has received two major
renovations to the facility since 1949. One in 1964 and the
latest was a multi-million dollar renovation in 1996. The
City of Owensboro owns the facility but it was contracted
out from 1979-1985 to the Owensboro Board of Education. The
City of Owensboro currently manages the facility under the
Owensboro Parks and Recreation Department. Since 1998, we
contract with the RiverPark Center in Owensboro to market
and attract national events for our facility. We are now embarking
on a more aggressive effort to attract such events.
In the past three years, the number of
national and regional events at the Sportscenter includes
the Harlem Globetrotters, the Royal Lipizzaner Stallions,
the Crabb Family Gospel Festival, ESPN’S Friday Night
Fights, the Kentucky Indiana High School Basketball All-Star
game, Kenny Rogers, Anne Murray, Fox Network telecast of the
Toughman Contest, and the Lone Star Rodeo.
With such a rich history, the Sportscenter
is excited and motivated to continue bringing quality entertainment
to Owensboro for our citizens. We look forward to our second
50 years of business as much as the memories that the first
50 years gave us. |
