The arena lost its status as Kentuckiana's main indoor sporting and concert venue when the downtown KFC Yum! Center opened in 2010. It is still used regularly, however, hosting concerts, horse shows, conventions, and basketball games.
History
Interior of Freedom Hall, c. 1963
Freedom Hall was completed in 1956 in the newly opened Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center located 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Downtown Louisville.[3] It received its name as the result of a statewide essay contest sponsored by the State Fair Board and the American Legion. Charlotte Owens, a senior at DuPont Manual High School, submitted the winning entry over 6,500 others.[4] Designed for the nation's premier equestrian competition, the Kentucky State Fair World's Championship Horse Show, the floor length and permanent seating were designed specifically for the almost 300-foot (91 m)-long show ring (in comparison, a regulation hockey rink is 200 feet (61 m) long, and a basketball court is only 94 feet). The North American International Livestock Exposition also is held there each November. Muhammad Ali fought his first professional fight at Freedom Hall when he won a six-round decision over Tunney Hunsaker.[citation needed] Freedom Hall was also one of the major stops on the Motortown (later MOTOWN) traveling music revue during the early and mid-1960s.
The Kentucky Colonels fielded successful teams during their tenure at Freedom Hall, winning the American Basketball Association (ABA) Championship in the 1974–75 season and reaching the ABA Finals two other times.[7] The 1970–71 team played in the ABA Championship Finals, losing to the Utah Stars in 7 games. The 1972–73 team advanced to the Finals again, losing to the Indiana Pacers in 7 games. The Colonels were disbanded when the ABA merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976. Hall of Fame players Louie Dampier, Dan Issel and Artis Gilmore played for the Colonels during their successful run. Hall of Fame Coach Hubie Brown coached the Colonels Championship team.[8]
In 1984 the facility was refurbished, including lowering the floor to allow maximum capacity to increase from 16,664 to 18,865 for basketball.[9] It was the full-time home of Cardinal men's basketball from the 1957–58 season to 2010, with the team winning 82% of home games in 50+ seasons. The University of Louisville was ranked in the Top 5 in attendance for the past 25 years, with 16 of the last 19 years averaging more than 100% of capacity.
In addition to being the home of the Cardinals, Freedom Hall has hosted NCAA tournament games ten times, including six Final Fours between 1958 and 1969. The arena has also hosted 11 conference tournaments, nine Metro Conference Tournaments and two Conference USA tournaments—2001 and 2003. It has also hosted the Kentucky Boys' High School State Basketball Tournament (also known as the Sweet 16) 23 times, including every year from 1965 to 1978. In 1984, the floor of the arena was lowered about 10 feet (3.0 m) to increase the capacity of the arena from 16,613 to its current figure. In the 1996–97 season Freedom Hall averaged an attendance of 19,590 surpassing arena capacity. Freedom Hall hosts the Championship tractor pull every February during the National Farm Machinery Show.
On the lower level is the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame where an engraved bronze plaque honors each inductee.[10]
The University of Louisville men's basketball team played their final game at Freedom Hall in front of a record crowd of 20,138 on March 6, 2010, against Syracuse University, the #1 ranked team in the nation. Louisville won in an upset 78–68.
The arena began to gain new tenants in 2012 with the addition of the Kentucky Stickhorses, and in 2013, with the addition of the Kentucky Xtreme.[11][12] However, the Kentucky Stickhorses folded in 2014 after the lack of wins and the lack of attendance. The Kentucky Xtreme were suspended mid-season with other teams playing the remainder of their season. In 2020, the Bellarmine University Knights selected Freedom Hall as their home for men's and women's basketball,[13] and played there for four seasons before returning home games to the on-campus Knights Hall effective in 2024–25.[14]
^"Records: Home/Attendance". 2010–11 Louisville Cardinals Women's Basketball Media Guide. University of Louisville Sports information. p. 159. Archived from the original(PDF) on July 15, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011. Freedom Hall has hosted a lot of concerts as well! Including everything from ACDC, Mötley Crüe to Elvis Presley to Led Zeppelin. The women's team used Freedom Hall as its primary home from its first season, 1975–76, through 1980–81. It then began using a series of smaller arenas, both on campus and off, for nearly two decades, though it used Freedom Hall at least once every season except in 1993–94. The team again made Freedom Hall its primary home starting in 1998–99.
