RetroSeasons recaps past sports seasons through stories, photos, videos, and stats from every team, league, and stadium in history. Coverage includes the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, as well as vintage media from defunct teams and leagues.
Opened in October 1971, the Roanoke Civic Center was also the former home of the American Basketball Association (1967-1976) professional basketball franchise Virginia Squires. The Squires played there (in addition to the Norfolk Scope, Richmond Coliseum and Hampton Coliseum; all within the state of Virginia) from 1971 to 1972. The Virginia Squires used the Civic Center for only one season due to low attendance, before folding in 1976. Elvis Presley performed there in 1972, 1974, 1976, and was due to return in 1977, about a week after his death. It hosted 251 professional wrestling events between 1975 and 2013. WCW held Fall Brawl (1994) there and Monday Nitro on March 31, 1997. WWE brought Monday Night Raw on December 1, 1997, May 6, 2013, and November 17, 2014. The 1977-1981 Southern Conference men's basketball tournaments were held there as well.
From 2001 to 2006, professional basketball was active again at the Roanoke Civic Center, with the National Basketball Association's D-League franchise, the Roanoke Dazzle. College basketball was also recently contested there, in the form of the Big South Conference men's basketball tournaments in 2001 and 2002. The Metro Conference men's basketball tournament was held here in 1991. When both the Dazzle and Vipers folded after the 2005-06 season, the Roanoke Civic Center was left with 60 open dates to fill for the upcoming fall and winter. Eventually, nearly two-thirds of these open dates were awarded to the Virginia Tech, Radford University and Roanoke College hockey clubs, the arena's primary tenants until 2016, when the Mississippi Surge relocated to Roanoke, becoming the Rail Yard Dawgs.
Opened in October 1971, the Roanoke Civic Center was also the former home of the American Basketball Association (1967-1976) professional basketball franchise Virginia Squires. The Squires played there (in addition to the Norfolk Scope, Richmond Coliseum and Hampton Coliseum; all within the state of Virginia) from 1971 to 1972. The Virginia Squires used the Civic Center for only one season due to low attendance, before folding in 1976. Elvis Presley performed there in 1972, 1974, 1976, and was due to return in 1977, about a week after his death. It hosted 251 professional wrestling events between 1975 and 2013. WCW held Fall Brawl (1994) there and Monday Nitro on March 31, 1997. WWE brought Monday Night Raw on December 1, 1997, May 6, 2013, and November 17, 2014. The 1977-1981 Southern Conference men's basketball tournaments were held there as well.
From 2001 to 2006, professional basketball was active again at the Roanoke Civic Center, with the National Basketball Association's D-League franchise, the Roanoke Dazzle. College basketball was also recently contested there, in the form of the Big South Conference men's basketball tournaments in 2001 and 2002. The Metro Conference men's basketball tournament was held here in 1991. When both the Dazzle and Vipers folded after the 2005-06 season, the Roanoke Civic Center was left with 60 open dates to fill for the upcoming fall and winter. Eventually, nearly two-thirds of these open dates were awarded to the Virginia Tech, Radford University and Roanoke College hockey clubs, the arena's primary tenants until 2016, when the Mississippi Surge relocated to Roanoke, becoming the Rail Yard Dawgs.
