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58-586: The original incarnation of the Kats launched in 1997 and were the first tenant of Bridgestone Arena (then known as Nashville Arena). The Kats were first coached by Eddie Khayat , who won AFL Coach of the Year honors in 1997. After two seasons, Khayat was succeeded by Pat Sperduto , who coached the team to back-to-back appearances in ArenaBowl XIV and ArenaBowl XV . Despite on-field success, unfavorable lease conditions led to

116-471: A cost of $ 5 million, the venue was the first public assembly hall in the Mid South with air conditioning . The venue was built on the site of Bijou Amusement Company ’s former Bijou Theatre as part of an urban renewal plan. Bijou Theatre was frequented by African American audiences prior to desegregation . The structure contains a 306-foot diameter bowl with a spherically curved, clear-span roof. Within

174-410: A deal with Adams during the summer of 2004. Following the new agreement, Adams announced that the expansion Kats would begin play for the 2005 season and would return to the arena the original team called home. While the majority of the new team was owned by Adams, country music singer Tim McGraw was brought in as a minority investor. McGraw, his wife Faith Hill , and their children were often seen on

232-470: A result. No events were affected by cleanup and repairs. On November 25, 2022, a water main beneath Demonbreun Street ruptured, spilling thousands of gallons of water into the arena. Two Predators games were postponed as a result, and a college hockey game planned for Bridgestone Arena was moved to another facility in Nashville. Nashville Municipal Auditorium The Nashville Municipal Auditorium

290-412: A stage at the north end of the arena floor and hanging a curtain behind the stage and another to conceal the upper deck. The arena also features 43,000 square feet (4,000 m ) of space in a trade show layout. Nate Bargatze set the attendance record on April 15, 2023, with 19,365 fans in attendance. The previous record (19,292) had been set six weeks earlier by Morgan Wallen . Kacey Musgraves set

348-605: Is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Nashville, Tennessee , United States. Completed in 1996, it is the home of the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League . Designed by HOK Sport (now Populous ) in conjunction with the Nashville-based architecture/engineering firm Hart Freeland Roberts, INC., it was designed at an angle on the corner of Broadway and 5th Avenue in Nashville in physical homage to

406-634: Is an indoor sports and concert venue in Nashville, Tennessee . It opened October 7, 1962 with both an arena and exhibition hall. The former exhibition hall has been permanent home to the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum since 2013. Nashville Municipal Auditorium has been home to the Nashville Kats of the Arena Football League since 2024. It was previously home to various teams, most notably

464-600: The Albany Firebirds , Orlando Predators and Wilkes-Barre . Shortly after switching leagues, head coach Dean Cokinos quietly left the team with no explanation. During the schedule revival, Jeff Fisher announced the search for a new head coach. On October 18, 2024, Nashville Arena Sports, LLC, owners of the Kats, filed a lawsuit in Chancery Court For Davidson County, Tennessee , against chairman Chuck McDowell seeking an alleged delinquent payment which

522-755: The Belmont Bruins of the National Collegiate Athletic Association from 2001 to 2003. The venue has hosted major events including the CMA Awards (1967), Volunteer Jam (1976–1985), WrestleWar (1989), No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie (1989), Starrcade (1994–1996), In Your House (1995), U.S. Figure Skating Championships (1997), SuperBrawl (2001). Slammiversary (2007), Lockdown (2012), CMT Music Awards (2022) and Ric Flair's Last Match (2022). Designed by Marr & Holman and constructed by Nashville Bridge Company in 1962 at

580-505: The FBI and IRS due to suspicion of fraudulent activities, and the company subsequently filed for bankruptcy and was liquidated. Sommet's founder, Brian Whitfield, was eventually convicted of fraud, including using some of the fraudulent funds to secure the arena naming rights. The building briefly resumed using the Nashville Arena moniker until February 23, 2010, when it was announced that

638-750: The Georgia Force . The Public Address Announcer for the Nashville Kats from 1999 to 2001 was Chip Hoback. Hoback went on to announce the Georgia Force games at the Gwinnett Center. Shortly after the original team's departure from Nashville, Bud Adams , the owner of the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League , purchased the rights to an expansion franchise in Nashville (along with

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696-658: The Orlando Predators and assistant to his brother Jon , then head coach of the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers , which played in the AFL off-season. Khayat was succeeded as Kats' head coach by Pat Sperduto for the balance of the team's time in Nashville (including the second incarnation of the team). The Kats were the league's Organization of the Year for their inaugural year of 1997, and were in the playoffs for every season of their relatively brief existence. The team's success in

754-745: The Southeastern Conference and the Ohio Valley Conference . Nashville will serve as a primary venue for the SEC men's basketball tournament nine times between 2015 and 2025 (2015–2017, 2019–2021, and 2023–2025) after the SEC signed a long-term agreement with the Nashville Sports Council in 2013. It hosted the 2014 NCAA Women's Final Four , the 2018 SEC women's basketball tournament and will host again in 2022 and 2026. In odd-numbered years,

812-516: The naming rights . As a result, many in the Nashville media quickly reverted to calling the facility by its original name. With the beginning of the 2006 season, the Predators began referring to the arena by its original name as well. In doing so, the team replaced the "Gaylord Entertainment Center" wordmark on the center ice circle with the original "Nashville Predators" wordmark from the inaugural season. The "Gaylord Entertainment Center" name, however,

870-632: The 2005 season (the first season of the revived team). The team was not mentioned as a possible addition to the resurrected AFL in 2010, though fans have been clamoring for a return of the Kats in some form to the renamed Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. In 2014, a new indoor football team began play at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium as the Nashville Venom in the Professional Indoor Football League , bringing

928-771: The Champions XXXV in 1997, and SuperBrawl Revenge in 2001. Masato Tanaka won his only ECW Heavyweight Championship by defeating Mike Awesome at the venue during an ECW on TNN taping in December 1999. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling held their first events at the venue in June 2002 before moving to Tennessee State Fairgrounds . The venue also hosted TNA Wrestling 's Slammiversary 2007 and Lockdown 2012 . The venue hosted Ring of Honor Wrestling television tapings between 2016 and 2020, and AEW Dynamite broadcasts between 2019 and 2022. Ric Flair's Last Match took place at

986-456: The Kats identity). Initially, Adams was unable to negotiate a lease with the Nashville Predators to return the team to then- Gaylord Entertainment Center (now called Bridgestone Arena and formerly Nashville Arena) on terms he deemed to be adequately favorable. Because Nashville Municipal Auditorium and Vanderbilt's Memorial Gym , the only other sizable indoor venues in Nashville, were unsuitable for arena football (Municipal Auditorium's floor

1044-660: The NWA's inaugural WrestleWar event, WrestleWar '89: Music City Showdown , which featured the Pro Wrestling Illustrated Match of the Year between Ric Flair and Ricky Steamboat . It hosted WWF's No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie pay-per-view special in December 1989, WWF's SummerSlam Spectacular broadcast in August 1992, as well as WWF In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks in 1995. The venue hosted WCW's Starrcade 1994 , Starrcade 1995 , Starrcade 1996 , Clash of

1102-605: The Predators had signed a naming rights deal with Nashville-based Bridgestone Americas, Inc., the North American subsidiary of Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone . The arena became known as Bridgestone Arena. In the summer of 2007 a number of renovations were made to what was then called the Sommet Center at a cost of several million dollars. Renovations included changes to concession stands and public areas, as well as major changes to infrastructure. The most obvious change

1160-527: The Year Award. This is the fourth time the venue has been nominated. The first was in 1998 as the Nashville Arena, and then in 1999 and 2000 as the Gaylord Entertainment Center. In 2017 it was named loudest arena in sports. When completed in 1996, the venue was known as Nashville Arena. In 1999, the arena was renamed Gaylord Entertainment Center after a 20-year, $ 80 million naming rights contract

1218-630: The arena hosted a Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Premier Series event every year (except in 2005 and 2006) through 2019 and again in 2021. The event moved to the Arena in 2002 after having previously occupied the Municipal Auditorium from 1993 through 2001. Since 2022, Bridgestone Arena is the home venue of the Nashville Stampede; one of ten bull riding teams of the PBR Team Series held during

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1276-489: The arena hosted a Southern Professional Hockey League preseason game between the only other Tennessee pro hockey franchise, the Knoxville Ice Bears , and their cross-border rivals Huntsville Havoc on October 20. Bridgestone Arena has a seating capacity of 17,159 for ice hockey , 19,395 for basketball, 10,000 for half-house concerts , 18,500 for end-stage concerts and 20,000 for center-stage concerts, depending on

1334-487: The arena was regularly one of eight sites to host the first and second rounds of the men's NCAA Basketball Tournament for the first ten years of its existence, though it was taken out of the rotation for several years, partly due to the obsolete octagonal mid-1990s-style scoreboard that hung above the arena floor. It was replaced in the summer of 2007 by a new $ 5 million scoreboard and digital control room. The NCAA Tournament returned to Nashville in 2012. Beginning in 2002,

1392-489: The configuration used. It has also hosted several professional wrestling events and a boxing card since its opening. The seating configuration is notable for the oddly-shaped south end, which features two large round roof support columns, no mid-level seating, and only one level of suites, bringing the upper-level seats much closer to the floor. The arena can be converted into the 5,145-seat Music City Theater, used for theater concerts and Broadway and family shows, by placing

1450-554: The excitement of professional indoor football back to Music City. Although this team won the championship of its league in its initial season as a member, it vanished (along with the league as a whole) after the 2015 season. On November 1, 2023, the revival of the Arena Football League announced the return of the Nashville Kats and new ownership structure. The team is co-owned by Tamara Dadd Alan, Founding Partner and CEO; Nancy Eckert, Founding Partner and COO/General Counsel; and Chuck McDowell, largest individual stakeholder and Chairman of

1508-568: The facility is an underground exhibition hall and an arena with two tiers of spectator stands. The first event at the venue was a Church of Christ revival on October 7, 1962. The week-long revival from October 7–14 drew more than 90,000 people. The walls of the upper and lower concourses are decorated with enlarged ticket stubs from events and concerts the venue hosted between 1962 and 2010. $ 3.2 million in renovations were completed in 2017 to satisfy venue promoter Live Nation , including modernized seating and dressing room areas. The venue

1566-460: The first row of sideline seats along the south endzone. As a tie-in with McGraw, the PA system played his hit " I Like It, I Love It " following a Kats touchdown. The second incarnation of the Nashville Kats began play in 2005 at the then- Gaylord Entertainment Center , the home of the original Kats team. When the Kats were revived, they reclaimed the history of the original Kats from the Georgia Force. This

1624-443: The franchise in December 2001 to Virgil Williams, an Atlanta businessman, for nearly $ 10 million. The team's departure from the Nashville market was not related to lack of success neither on the field, nor at the box office, where they were a superior draw to several ongoing Arena football teams, but rather their inability to negotiate a favorable lease with the Predators. Following the move to Atlanta, this team would be rechristened

1682-463: The franchise. Jeff Fisher , former Tennessee Titans Head Coach, is a partner and President of Football Operations for the organization (also now-commissioner of the league). Sports talk host Greg Pogue also serves as Partner and Vice President of Community Relations. The team played at Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, with one game at F&M Bank Arena in Clarksville . They made it to

1740-660: The historic Ryman Auditorium , the original home of the Grand Ole Opry . Bridgestone Arena is owned by the Sports Authority of Nashville and Davidson County and operated by Powers Management Company , a subsidiary of the Nashville Predators National Hockey League franchise, which has been its primary tenant since 1998. The Predators hosted the NHL Entry Draft here in 2003 and 2023; it

1798-534: The naming rights agreement. As part of the suit, the Predators stated intentions to seek a new title sponsor for the arena. Unlike the Gaylord parting-of-ways, Sommet Group's name was stripped from all signage inside and outside the arena as soon as the team was legally allowed to do so. The arena reverted to the Nashville Arena name after a Nashville Sports Authority meeting approving the change on December 3, 2009. On July 6, 2010, Sommet Group's headquarters were raided by

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1856-485: The naming rights to the arena, and it became known as Sommet Center. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The company had previously been the corporate title sponsor for the Predators during the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs . The agreement had lasted little more than two years when the Predators sued the Sommet Group on November 25, 2009, for breach of contract, alleging the latter had failed to make numerous payments under

1914-466: The playoffs led to consecutive appearances in the ArenaBowl (XIV and XV) each of the original team's final two seasons, although they were unable to win the AFL's championship in either appearance. After being unable to reach favorable agreements with arena management which was controlled by the venue's primary tenant, the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League , majority owner Mark Bloom sold

1972-549: The record for the highest attendance for a female headliner with 18,373 fans during the Oh, What a World: Tour. Besides hosting the Nashville Predators, because of its location near Music Row and Nashville's role as the center of country music , Bridgestone Arena has seen many other famous performers and events: Tasha Layton Jon Reddick Terrian The Bridgestone Arena was nominated for the 2007 Pollstar Concert Industry Venue of

2030-561: The road, it took until week 8 for the franchise to record another victory. But after that, the Kats won their next five games, and finished the season with a 6–9–1 record. The 41–41 tie at the Dallas Desperados on April 8 was only the second in AFL history, and prompted the League to change its overtime rules to eliminate ties before the start of the 2006 season. Nashville finished the 2006 regular season with an 8–8 record; good enough to earn

2088-473: The sale of the team and relocation to Atlanta in December 2001, then becoming the original Georgia Force . The second incarnation of the Kats joined the league as an expansion team in 2005, again coached by Sperduto and again playing at Bridgestone Arena (during this period known as Gaylord Entertainment Center, briefly renamed Nashville Arena, and then named Sommet Center). This second incarnation played three seasons before folding in 2007. The third incarnation of

2146-464: The semi-finals for ArenaBowl XXXIII , only to lose to the eventual champion Billings Outlaws 35-32. On September 4, 2024, the Kats, along with the other seven surviving members of the collapsed AFL, joined the newly-formed Arena Football One . Jeff Fisher was named permanent commissioner of the new league while maintaining his position with the Kats. They will play in the East Division along with

2204-704: The summer and autumn in the United States. The venue has also hosted numerous concerts and religious gatherings. Beginning in 2006, the Country Music Association Awards have been held in the arena, after the awards show moved from the Grand Ole Opry House with a one-year stop in New York City at Madison Square Garden in 2005. Due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout , the Predators did not host any games that season until January 19, 2013. Instead,

2262-494: The team a playoff berth. The Kats lost in the opening round to the Chicago Rush . The Kats finished the 2007 season with a 7–9 record and just missed the playoffs after a Utah Blaze win in the final week of the season. On October 10, 2007, after months of speculation, owner Bud Adams decided to shut down operations. While ticket sales had been good initially, the team struggled at the box office following its poor performance in

2320-578: The team colors of the Tennessee Titans. New team uniforms also adopted the Tennessee Titans color scheme, going from the dark blue/silver/white combination of the original team to a new scheme including "Titans" light blue/red/white. The new team also introduced a new in-arena mascot named Kool Kat , a cat clad in a jersey and shorts that often performed daredevil stunts during breaks in the game. Sperduto also returned as head coach. The new Kats' first season started horrendously. After an opening victory on

2378-498: The team, coached by Dean Cokinos , began play in 2024 at Nashville Municipal Auditorium . In 2025, they will become inaugural members of the newly-formed Arena Football One . The team began as the Nashville Kats in 1997. The franchise was that of charter Arena team the Denver Dynamite , which had not played since 1991. The original Kats played in the then-named Nashville Arena (AKA "The Alley") in downtown Nashville. The team

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2436-545: The venue in July 2022. The venue hosted the 1994 Coca-Cola National Gymnastics Championships. The Professional Bull Riders sponsored Bud Light Cup events at the venue from its inception in 1994 until 2001. In 2002, the event was moved to Bridgestone Arena . The venue hosted the 1997 U.S. Figure Skating Championships . The venue hosted Tuff Hedeman Championship Bull Riding All Star Shootout on June 10, 2009. Strikeforce Challengers: Woodley vs. Saffiedine took place at

2494-538: The venue on January 7, 2011. The third incarnation of the Nashville Kats of the Arena Football League began play at the venue in 2024. In 1967, the auditorium hosted the Country Music Association 's first CMA Awards event, before the ceremonies moved to the Ryman Auditorium the following year. The 3rd GMA Dove Awards were held at the venue on October 9, 1971. David Bowie 's performance at

2552-530: The venue on November 30, 1974, was released in part on I'm Only Dancing (The Soul Tour 74) . Charlie Daniels Band staged their annual Volunteer Jam concerts at the venue from 1976 to 1985. Ted Nugent 's July 1977 performance at the venue was released in part on Double Live Gonzo! . The Grateful Dead 's April 22, 1978 concert at the venue was released as the live album Dave's Picks Volume 15 . Auditions for Season 2 (2003), Season 14 (2015), and Season 18 (2020) of American Idol were held at

2610-463: The venue. Eventual Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard was discovered at the 2003 audition. The 35th GMA Dove Awards were held at the venue on April 28, 2004. Due to the damage at Grand Ole Opry House because of the May 2010 Tennessee floods , the venue hosted the June 8, 2010 edition of the Grand Ole Opry . The 29th Stellar Awards were held at the venue on January 18, 2014. Carrie Underwood filmed

2668-399: The video for her song " Cry Pretty " at the venue in 2018. The 2022 CMT Music Awards were held at the venue on April 11, 2022. President Donald Trump appeared on March 15, 2017, for a rally and speech. According to a public address announcement in the venue, thousands more were unable to attend leaving empty seats in the upper level. This announcement was highly controversial as there

2726-667: Was also the location for the 2016 NHL All-Star Game . In 1997, it was the venue of the United States Figure Skating Championships , and in 2004 hosted the USA Gymnastics National Championships . It was the home of the Nashville Kats franchise of the Arena Football League from 1997 until 2001, and hosted the team's revival from 2005 to 2007, when the Kats franchise folded. The arena has hosted college basketball events, including both men's (2001, 2006, 2010) and women's tournaments of

2784-610: Was an arrangement similar to the one made in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes . The revived logo was almost identical to the original logo. The noteworthy exceptions were the ball (which was drawn as the lighter colored, brown-with-blue-stripe ball used in the AFL at that time) and the color scheme of the logo, which was slightly modified to mirror

2842-509: Was completed in Summer of 2016. In the summer of 2019, the scoreboard above center ice was replaced with a new model known as "FangVision" which measures 12 feet (3.7 m) high and 34 feet (10 m) wide, along with the replacement of urinals in the men's toilets with waterless versions. Twice in the building's history, event level space (located below street level) has sustained significant flood damage. In early May 2010, downtown Nashville

2900-480: Was heavily impacted by a major flooding event . Located 0.3 miles away and uphill from the bank of the Cumberland River , Bridgestone Arena escaped heavy damage, but drainage system backups caused several inches of standing flood water to seep into the building. The Predators had been eliminated from the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs the week prior, and the arena's schedule was mostly clear for the remainder of May as

2958-647: Was home court for the NCAA Belmont Bruins basketball teams from 2001 to 2003 while Striplin Gym was demolished to make way for Curb Event Center . The venue hosted the Ohio Valley Conference basketball tournament in 1989 , 1994 , 1995 , 1996 , 2008 , 2011 , 2012 , 2013 , 2014 , 2015 , 2016 and 2017 . It currently hosts the annual Magnet Madness basketball game between rivals Hume-Fogg High School and Martin Luther King Magnet . The venue hosted

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3016-897: Was loaned to the franchise. The suit alleged that McDowell failed to pay on a signed $ 2.5 million ( USD ) promissory note to the club. They are also seeking to have McDowell expelled from the franchise ownership group. Jeff Fisher announced that the team still plans to play in the league's inaugural season with its current owners despite this latest legal challenge. Running backs Wide receivers Defensive linemen Defensive backs Special teams Front office Head coaches Offensive coaches The following Kats players were named to All-Arena Teams: The following Force players were named to All-Ironman Teams: The following Kats players were named to All-Rookie Teams: Bridgestone Arena Bridgestone Arena (originally Nashville Arena , and formerly Gaylord Entertainment Center and Sommet Center )

3074-493: Was named for the 1967 hit "Nashville Cats" by The Lovin' Spoonful . The team's logo featured an anthropomorphic tabby wearing a 1950s-style leather jacket, holding the neck of a guitar in one paw and juggling a football with the other. The Kats were initially coached by Eddie Khayat in 1997 and 1998, with the assistance of future Washington Football Team coach Jay Gruden as offensive co-ordinator in his first-ever coaching position. Gruden then returned to active play with

3132-419: Was renovated at a cost of $ 2.6 million. During the summer of 2011, a new NHL-mandated ice and dasherboard system was constructed and installed in the arena. In addition, the south side of the upper concourse was redesigned as a "fan zone". The wall separating the arena and that part of the upper concourse was removed. In the summer of 2015, the Predators began replacing all of the arena's seating. This project

3190-430: Was signed between the Predators and Nashville-based Gaylord Entertainment Company , which at the time was a minority owner of the team. In February 2005, it was announced that the Predators and Gaylord (which had earlier sold its stake in the team) had reached an agreement terminating any further involvement between them, and that the Gaylord name would remain on the building only until a new purchaser could be found for

3248-444: Was still displayed on the building's exterior signage at that point. The facility was officially renamed Nashville Arena again, and all Gaylord signage was removed from the building's exterior on March 16, 2007. On May 18, 2007, Sommet Group, a Franklin -based collection of companies whose services included human resources administration, payroll processing, software development, computer repair, insurance, and risk management bought

3306-465: Was the August 2007 replacement of the original center-hanging scoreboard (at a cost of $ 3.6 million ) with a new scoreboard made by ANC Sports . The original analog scoreboard had become outdated and was no longer supported by the original manufacturer, making parts difficult to come by. The new scoreboard is referred to as the "megatron" by arena and Predators staff. In addition, the TV–media control room

3364-416: Was too small to contain the field of play as its ice hockey rink had always been of less-than-regulation size and Vanderbilt had a "dry" no-alcohol policy for on-campus athletic events), Adams explored the idea of building his own mid-size arena (roughly 10,000 seats) to host the Kats and compete with the Gaylord Entertainment Center for concerts and smaller sporting events. Ultimately, the Predators agreed to

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