One hundred years at the Coliseum: Much more than a sports venue

Construction for the Los Angeles Coliseum was completed on May 1, 1923. Capacity at the time: 75,000. The stadium was designed by architects John and Donald Parkinson and cost $954,873 to build. The Coliseum officially opened its doors on July 2, 1923.

Highlighting some of the bigger events to be held at the venue, some commemorated with plaques displayed at the Coliseum, now 100 years old:

The first memorial plaque, displayed on July 2, 1923, honors the opening of the Coliseum: “Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 1921-23, conveyed and erected by the Community Development Association.” It then lists the 26 members of the association (including then Los Angeles Times publisher Harry Chandler), the architects and the contractors. Plaque displayed 1932.

(Photos by Associated Press; photo illustration by Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)

Oct. 6, 1923: First football game. The USC Trojans defeated Pomona College 23-7. Attendance: 12,836.

1925-40: “Howard Harding Jones (1885-1941). Head football coach of USC from 1925 to 1940. His code — Conviction ... Courage ... Fair play ... And the will to win.” Plaque displayed 1955.

Sept. 29, 1946: Rams first game at Coliseum. When the Cleveland Rams moved to Los Angeles, the Coliseum Commission made it part of the contract that the team had to be integrated. The team signed UCLA star Kenny Washington on March 21, 1946, making him the first Black player signed to the NFL after World War II. Washington broke the NFL’s color barrier when the Rams opened the season with a 25-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 29, 1946. Attendance: 30,500.

Sept. 6, 1946: The Rams play a night game against the Washington Redskins at the Coliseum.

(Los Angeles Times)

Aug. 6, 1960: Chargers first game. The newly formed Los Angeles Chargers took on the New York Titans in their first game AFL game. The Chargers won, 27-7. Attendance: 27,778.

Jan. 15, 1967: Super Bowl I. It wasn’t called the Super Bowl at the time. It was had the alluring title of “AFL-NFL World Championship Game.” The NFL champion Green Bay Packers defeated the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs, 35-10. Attendance: 61,946.

Jan. 15, 1967: Packers’ Bart Starr throws a first quarter pass complete to Elijah Pitts during Super Bowl game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

(Ben Olender)

Jan. 14, 1973: Super Bowl VII. The AFC champion Miami Dolphins defeated NFC champion Washington Redskins 14-7 to complete an undefeated season. Attendance: 90,182.

Nov. 30, 1974: “The Comeback” (USC vs. Notre Dame). The Trojans erased a 24-point deficit and routed the defending national champion Fighting Irish 55-24. With the Trojans trailing 24-0, Anthony Davis scored with 10 seconds left in the first half. He then ran back the opening kickoff of the second half 102 yards for a touchdown. The Trojans, led by Davis, scored 55 points in 17 minutes of game time.

(Photos by Associated Press; photo illustration by Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)

April 18, 1958: Dodgers first game. The Dodgers made their L.A. debut by beating the San Francisco Giants 6-5. Attendance: 78,672, at the time a major league record. The Dodgers used the Coliseum as their home field while Dodger Stadium was being constructed.

May 7, 1959: Roy Campanella Night. An exhibition game between the Dodgers and the New York Yankees to honor former Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella, who was paralyzed the year before in an auto accident. Attendance: 93,103, which set a record for attendance for a baseball game.

An aerial photo of the Coliseum during opening ceremonies for the first Dodgers game played in Los Angeles. The Dodgers beat the Giants 6–5 in front of a crowd of 78,672.

(Los Angeles Times)

Aug. 3, 1959: MLB All-Star game. The first All-Star game played west of St. Louis. The American League defeated the National League 5-3. Attendance: 55,105.

1959: “Dodgers World Series Champions. In the 1959 season after an inspiring home stretch drive, the Los Angeles Dodgers finished first in the National League and went on to win the World Series in six games against the Chicago White Sox. During the fifth game of the World Series, Los Angeles set a world record for baseball attendance at 92,706. This plaque placed to commemorate a fine team effort which made possible an auspicious start for Los Angeles in Major League Baseball.” Plaque displayed 1961.

March 29, 2008: The Dodgers celebrated their 50th anniversary in Los Angeles with an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox won 7-4 before a baseball record crowd of 115,300. The left-field wall was 201 feet from home plate and the left-field screen was 60 feet high.

(Photos by Associated Press; photo illustration by Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)

July 30-Aug. 14, 1932: “Mildred ‘Babe’ Didrikson (1912-1956). One of America’s great woman athletes. Accomplishments in the Xth Olympiad Games in 1932: 80 meter hurdles - Champion Olympique. Javelin throw - Champion Olympique. High jump - silver medal. ‘To assure victory, you first must have the will to win.’ ” Plaque displayed 1961. ... The Coliseum hosted the opening and closing ceremonies along with the equestrian, field hockey and track and field events. The iconic victory podium that athletes stand on when receiving their medals was done for the first time at the Coliseum.

July 8, 1972: Super Bowl of Motocross. The event was the first motocross race held inside a stadium. Attendance: 29,290. Marty Tripes, 16, won the event.

July 28-Aug. 12, 1984: Joan Benoit Samuelson. She made history by winning the first women’s marathon at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. Summer Olympics. Plaque displayed 2017. ... The Coliseum becomes the only U.S. stadium to host the Olympic Games twice. The Coliseum hosted the opening and closing ceremonies and the track and field events.

July 27, 2017: Manchester City vs. Real Madrid: The International Champion’s Cup sets “unbreakable attendance record” at 93,098. It was the largest crowd to witness a soccer match in the 94-year history of the stadium and unlikely to be broken because in 2018 the Coliseum would be undergoing a $270M renovation which will reduce capacity to approximately 78,500.

Feb. 6, 2022: NASCAR Clash at the Coliseum. NASCAR kicked off the start of their 74th season with the Busch Light Clash at the Coliseum as the inside of the stadium was transformed into a car racing venue. Entertainment was provided Pitbull and Ice Cube. After 150 laps, Joey Logano crossed the finish line first to win the event. Estimated attendance: 60,000.

(Photos by Associated Press; photo illustration by Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)

Oct. 1, 1935: Franklin D. Roosevelt speech. In President Roosevelt’s first visit to Los Angeles as president, he spoke from his car to a crowd of 70,000 at the Coliseum, stating “No state has a finer record in the great task of putting the strong arm of government behind the less fortunate members of society.”

July 15, 1960: “In honored memory of John F. Kennedy (1917-1963). 35th President of the United States. July 15, 1960, John F. Kennedy accepted the nomination of the Democratic party for president at this approximate location. ‘My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you — Ask what you can do for you country.’ Inaugural Speech January, 1961.” Plaque displayed 1964.

Sept. 8, 1963: “Evangelist Billy Graham’s crusade for Christ. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, August 15th to September 8th, 1963. This plaque commemorates the 1963 crusade for Christ with a total attendance of 920,927 highlighted by the concluding session on Sunday, September 8th. Citizens from every walk of life occupied every seat and spilled onto the playing field grass to establish a record turnstile attendance for a single event in the Coliseum of 134,254. An additional 20,000 people were estimated to have listened on loudspeakers in Exposition Park. ‘My sermons were simple but so was Christ’ —Rev. Billy Graham.” Plaque displayed 1965.

May 31, 1964: The Coliseum was hosting the “Religious Witness for Human Dignity” event, with Martin Luther King Jr. as the keynote speaker. King said, “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to open the floodgates of opportunity and allow now an avalanche of justice to pour upon us. Now is the time to get rid of segregation and discrimination. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children. This is the challenge of the hour.” Attendance: 14,893.

September 15, 1987: “His Holiness Pope John Paul II. Commemorating the first Mass to be celebrated by a Pope in California. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, September 15, 1987. His Excellence Archbishop Roger M. Mahony and the Church of Southern California welcoming the Holy Father on his second pastoral visit to the United States of America. Unity in the work of service.” Plaque displayed 1987.

June 20, 1990: “Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. President of the Republic of South Africa 1994-1999. Nobel Peace Prize 1993. June 20, 1990, Nelson Mandela appeared in the Coliseum after 27 years of political imprisonment. ‘We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom.’ Inaugural speech, May, 1994.” Plaque displayed 2014.

(Photos by Associated Press; photo illustration by Tim Hubbard / Los Angeles Times)

August 20, 1972: Wattstax was a benefit concert organized by Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the 1965 riots in the African-American community of Watts, Los Angeles.

June 4, 1977: The Funk music festival consisted of notable acts Parliament Funkadelic, Rick James, The Isley Brothers and Rufus with Chaka Khan. Attendance: 42,771.

April 7-8, 1979: California World Music festival lineup included Aerosmith, Cheech and Chong, AC/DC, Ted Nugent and Van Halen. Estimated attendance over two days: 45,000.

Oct. 9, 11, 1981: The Rolling Stones (Prince gets booed off the stage). The Rolling Stones’ “Tattoo You” tour made a stop at the Coliseum for two shows. Opening act: Prince. Unfortunately, Prince wasn’t well known at the time and his persona did not exactly match The Rolling Stones’ persona. The crowd booed him off the stage, throwing bottles and trash at him.

1985, 1988: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. The Coliseum has hosted a hall of fame list of rock concerts, including many by Springsteen, who first performed there twice. Plaque displayed 2016.

July 23, 1988: The “Monsters of Rock” tour was headlined and hosted by Van Halen and also included Metallica, the Scorpions, Dokken and Kingdom Come. During Metallica’s performance, a riot broke out, leading to a dozen arrests. Estimated attendance: 77,000.