In Part 1 of "The Arena Origin Story" we touched on the nascent days of hockey in Omaha, looking at how the The Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum became the hub for pucks in the area.Whether or not that piece of property -- nestled in the middle of Omaha -- is "hallowed ground" for the sport is yet to be seen. But there is no denying that the area holds an important place in the city's sports landscape.
The Spokes on the Wheel
With the Omaha Lancers finding a foothold at Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum in the late 80s, hockey's passionate fans came roaring to the fore. A rough start to the franchise's history was succeeded by teams with excellent records, and capacity crowds to cheer on the boys.
It only stood to reason that other interested parties would stand up and take notice.
Not only would rumblings once again surface regarding the possibility of UNO Hockey, but a minor league hockey team's owner would even propose building a 10,000-seat arena in Omaha.
The Land of Our Dreams
In November of 1990, the Ak-Sar-Ben board of governors decided to put its 340 acres of property up for sale.
As I mentioned in Part I, the proceeds from horse racing on the property had declined throughout the 1980s, and those charged with its care started looking for other opportunities.
When the decision was made to sell, it was done with the idea that only select civic entities would even be considered.
An Omaha World-Herald article on Nov. 20, 1990 stated: "A new owner would be prohibited from using the land and buildings for any commercial activity..."
Obviously, that didn't quite end up being the case, and the Aksarben property is today a vibrant "mixed-use" development with commercial, residential, and educational facilities.
UNO was one of the educational entities on the short list for the sale. Local leaders felt there was merit in the idea that the property would allow for UNO's landlocked campus to have expansion opportunities.
Another entity that Aksarben's leadership found acceptable as a buyer was Douglas County, and board member Steve McCollister started devising a plan for the property.
McCollister proposed many possibilities for the property, and the idea of UNO as a major participant was definitely at play. In addition, he proposed building a new sports arena:
"The number of seats hasn't been determined but probably would be between 8,000 and 15,000," McCollister said. "Omaha's City Auditorium Arena seats 9,300; the Bob Devaney Sports Center in Lincoln seats 14,300." -- Omaha World-Herald, Jan. 5, 1991
There was a certain amount of debate as to where the city should build a new sports arena. Some local politicians (such as then-Mayor P.J. Morgan) favored downtown Omaha as a locale. Others were pushing for the soon-to-be available Aksarben property.
The sale of Aksarken had the resultant effect of putting all the various plans in limbo.
"Hockey at UNO?"
That sentence started out an Omaha World-Herald article published on March 22, 1991.
UNO had just released a 20-year master plan, and hockey was listed as a possible addition to athletics.
[UNO Athletic Director Bob] Gibson said several people have asked him about UNO adding hockey. He said the success of the Omaha Lancers is probably one reason why.
"I don't think there's any question that has something to do with it," he said. "This is a hockey city."
The article itself was little more than a "tease," but it showed the concept was on UNO's radar.
Douglas County Makes Its Pitch
Douglas County Commissioner Steve McCollister wrote an editorial (published in the Omaha World-Herald on Jan. 8, 1992) titled "How Purchase of Ak - Sar - Ben Would Add to Quality of Life."
The plan would see the county purchasing the property, and the Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben continuing as a foundation (using proceeds from the sale for charitable work within the community).
McCollister also wrote: "It is important to stress that it is not what Ak - Sar - Ben is today that is exciting; it is what it can be in 10 or 20 years. This is not an offer to buy a racetrack."
The vision that McCollister had is largely what we have seen the Aksarben development become (albeit with a significant commercial component).
Mayor Daub Enters the Picture
In April of 1995, Mayor Hal Daub started talking about redevelopment possibilities at Aksarben. Debate was swirling as to whether the property -- which in its heyday had been known for horse racing -- should be used for "non-gambling" uses, or whether casino gambling should be allowed on the property.
Daub focused on redevelopment centered around educational uses for UNO. He commented on the topic in the April, 21, 1995, issue of the Omaha World-Herald.
Mayor Daub said Friday that a conference center, a sports arena and an engineering college for the University of Nebraska at Omaha are among the redevelopment options that are under consideration for Ak - Sar - Ben.
Daub said the plan could include a 6,000-seat sports arena for hockey and basketball and a conference center for use by the city's medical schools and other educational institutions.
He said his personal view was that an engineering college "should offer undergraduate and graduate study, as well as continuing education classes."
(Note: Hal Daub currently serves on the University of Nebraska Board of Regents, and was one of the board members who approved the bonds to fund the UNO Community Arena adjacent to the Aksarben redevelopment).
McCollister voiced similar views the following week, and expressed his concerns about the property being turned over to "gaming" interests. He also reiterated the notion of the property being used for future UNO facilities.
Many discussions have been held over the years about uses as varied as UNO facilities and parking, amphitheaters, soccer fields, amateur and collegiate hockey to Shakespeare on the Green. -- Omaha World-Herald, April 28, 1995
In the final sum game, the "non-gambling" interests won out, and the road toward the ongoing Aksarben redevelopment we see today was forged.
It is fascinating to see how the property has developed in a fashion similar to those early visions.
It wasn't easy getting from there to here, and the notion of UNO having a new sports arena -- let alone a hockey team -- seemed like a faint dream.
While local leaders were ruminating on the future of sports, entertainment, and conventions in the area (along with the dealings at Aksarben, Mayor Daub was laying the groundwork for riverfront redevelopment downtown), UNO Athletic Director Don Leahy was laying the groundwork for D-I hockey at the university.
The "Don" of a New Era
The concept of D-I hockey at UNO was again floated publicly as Don Leahy returned to UNO for another stint as athletic director. This time, Leahy would pull it off.
Leahy's installment as AD was covered in the Aug. 11, 1995 issue of the Omaha World-Herald:
Don Leahy, introduced as UNO's new athletic director in a press conference on Thursday, said he had come up with the idea during his previous stint as athletic director at the school, from 1974 through 1985.
"Shortly after I arrived, I went to Ronald Roskens -- who had hired me -- with a plan to start hockey at UNO," Leahy said. "He said he liked it, but because of the timing and some possible problems involved, we decided to put it on hold."
Leahy had come to UNO from Ak - Sar - Ben's executive staff, where his responsibilities included working with the Omaha Knights of the Central Hockey League.
Now, more than 20 years later, UNO Chancellor Del Weber is enthused about the possibility, Leahy said.
But coming up with the funding -- and finding a place to play -- are different problems.
"I would think it would be extremely difficult for us to play at Ak - Sar - Ben, with another hockey team (the Omaha Lancers) and a basketball team (Omaha Racers) already there," he said. "But that will be part of our investigation. I haven't looked into it yet, but we're going to look at every option."
Another option would be renovation at the City Auditorium that would include ice for hockey.
Leahy had been brought in to revitalize athletics. There was considerable hand-wringing regarding UNO Athletics in the early 1990s, and it wasn't a pretty period.
I was a UNO student at the time, and there were some in Omaha who were even suggesting that the university drop athletics altogether.
Leahy -- and hockey -- proved to be the elixir that would fix an ailing athletic department.
(Note: That was part of my motivation for sending Bridget over to UNO to stand in line for hockey season tickets in May of 1996. I saw our school doing something positive for athletics, and thought it was important to support them in the effort).
Looking back, it is fascinating to consider Leahy's connection to the Omaha Knights organization, and his previous employment with Ak-Sar-Ben.
Even though the UNO Hockey program has yet to play a game in the area, Aksarben is inextricably tied to the program, and it almost seems like UNO building a new home there was predetermined from the inception.
But as we all know, the program would take a few detours on its road to the UNO Community Arena...
Next time: Part 3
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