Tulsa Coliseum

Walter Whiteside, a millionaire lumberman from Duluth, Minnesota, had it constructed in 1928 at a cost of US$800,000. Whiteside's family was successful in oil, mining and lumber. Whiteside himself was the owner of Douglas Oil Company.[2] Joining forces with W. S. Stryker, he formed Magic City Amusement Co. to have an indoor arena built on Elgin Avenue and extending the entire block between Fifth and Sixth Streets on the east side of downtown Tulsa.[lower-alpha 1] Whiteside also intended to have the arena introduce winter entertainments such as ice hockey and ice shows. So, when he hired architect Leon B. Senter to design the facility, he specified that it must have the ability to cover the floor with ice within an 8-hour period. The skating oval measured 218 feet (66 m) long by 96 feet (29 m) wide. The building became the first indoor skating rink in this part of the United States.[4]

The building opened on January 1, 1929, with skating displays by the Magic City Amusement Co. (also owned by Whiteside)[2] and the first game of the new Tulsa Oilers, versus the Duluth Hornets.[5] The facility had a seating capacity of 7,500, and boasted a $25,000 organ. The building was sold to Coliseum Corporation at a sheriff's sale in 1942 and later was sold to wrestling promoter Sam Avey in 1944[5] for $185,000, and it was also known as Avey's Coliseum.[6]

Sam Avey, a native of Kingfisher, Oklahoma was promoter of vaudeville shows. He had spent six years with vaudeville companies during the 1910 decade learning the trade. Shortly after the end of WWI, he went on a tour with noted promoter Billy Sandow and his professional wrestling show.[4]

In 1924, Avey moved his family to Tulsa, intending to start a new venture for Sandow. Avey was well aware that the athletic program at Oklahoma A.& M. (now Oklahoma State University) had become notable for training prospective young professional wrestlers, but there was no venue in Oklahoma to stage public matches, which were becoming wildly popular elsewhere in the country. He met up with Whiteside and concluded that Tulsa was ripe and ready for such a venue.[4]

Pro wrestling shows bore little resemblance to Olympic wrestling, the (Greco-Roman) type that A&M students learned. The emphasis was definitely put on showmanship. Its practitioners had outlandish personalities and questionable ethics. Avey first recruited a former A&M star named Leroy McGuirk, who had become the U.S. Junior Heavyweight wrestling champ. Out of town pros jumped at a chance to take down the local favorite, who was a credible opponent. Unfortunately, McGuirk was blinded in an auto accident en route to a match in Little Rock. Avey took him out of the ring, put him to work setting up matches, and gave him a stake in Avey's company. Other notable performers who graced the Coliseum ring included "Killer" Kowalski, "Strangler" Lewis, "Farmer" Jones and Al "Spider" Galento. "Spider was especially popular because he would offer money to any man in the audience who could stay in the ring with him for more than a minute. The cash reward was one dollar a minute and $100 to any volunteer who won.[4]

The Oilers played in the American Hockey Association (AHA) from 1929 (1928–29 season) - 1942, and the United States Hockey League (USHL) from 1945 to 1951. The Oilers first disbanded in 1942, and were revived under the ownership of Avey in 1945.[6] The Oilers disbanded when the USHL disbanded in 1951.