|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |
Fond farewell Pacers say goodbye to Market Square Arena
Posted: Saturday October 23, 1999 01:47 AM
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - As the big video screens went dark and a sea of confetti cascaded from the rafters, it finally hit home. The Indiana Pacers had played their final game in Market Square Arena. "I didn't know how much nostalgia this place had until tonight," said Sam Perkins, a 15-year NBA veteran starting only his second season with Indiana. "I can't pick one event from all that's happened here, but at the end, you still feel goose bumps. It's a sad moment for this place." Market Square Arena was the site of Elvis Presley's farewell and Michael Jordan's return. Mike Tyson had his Indianapolis debut there, and Hulk Hogan even lost a world wrestling title. Circuses, rock concerts, religious crusades and, of course, lots of basketball marked its 25-year history. On Friday night, the Pacers' final game there was a 97-65 preseason victory over the Utah Jazz. They will move into the new Conseco Fieldhouse for the start of the 1999-00 NBA season. "Even though it was an exhibition game, we understood the significance of it. The guys came out and played really well," said Reggie Miller, who has played his entire career with the Pacers. The game Friday night ended with a video of the arena's highlights. Most of the players stayed on the court to watch. "It doesn't hit you until right now. The video at the end made it more emotional," Rik Smits said. "I always enjoy that stuff." The 16,000-seat Market Square Arena -- a relic by current NBA standards -- was built in 1974 for $24 million, which now seems like a bargain compared with the $175 million price tag on the new 18,500-seat fieldhouse. But Pacers owners Mel and Herb Simon, millionaire shopping-mall developers, began pushing city officials several years ago to build the new arena with corporate suites and club seating. They claimed the team was losing money without such facilities to attract fans and big corporate bucks. Construction of the new fieldhouse, four blocks south of Market Square in downtown Indianapolis, began in July 1997. It will be inaugurated Nov. 6 with the Pacers' home opener against the Boston Celtics, coach Larry Bird's former team and the same club the Pacers faced in their NBA debut in 1976, two years after Market Square opened. "I never could hit a shot in here," Bird said. "But I remember the first time I saw Market Square, and I was awed by it. Coaching in here, we've had a lot of great experiences. It's always sad to leave a building like this, but the new one is not too bad." The Pacers' first home, when they still played in and dominated the old American Basketball Association, was the Coliseum at the State Fairgrounds from 1967-73. Crowds were sparse, but the Pacers' success, along with the increasing rivalry between the ABA and NBA, eventually led to the move downtown to the then-new Market Square Arena. The arena played to some notable firsts: The arena also was the site of the 1980 NCAA championship -- which moved to the new RCA Dome for the men's Final Four in 1991 and 1997 and is scheduled to return next spring. MSA also was the setting for a 50th-birthday roast for Indiana coach Bob Knight in 1990 and a memorial tribute to the late track star Florence Griffith Joyner in 1998. The state high school basketball championships were held at Market Square until 1990, when the tournament moved into the larger RCA Dome and drew a national high school record 41,000 to watch Damon Bailey and Bedford North Lawrence win the title. The World Gymnastics Championships also were at the Dome in 1991, but Market Square Arena was used for the opening ceremonies, which included remarks from then-Vice President Dan Quayle. Figure skating and bowling championships have been held in the arena. The arena has seen more than just sports. Elvis' final concert was in Market Square Arena in 1977, two months before he died. And among the final events was an appearance in August by the Dalai Lama, who spoke at the start of a 12-day visit. Now, at the dawn of the millennium, the Pacers are headed to their new home.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
