Hardy Murphy Coliseum

By Judy Wade

Many people consider the Hardy Murphy Coliseum in Ardmore an equine facility only.  It does, indeed, host a myriad of horse-related activities each year, but also a variety of non-horse events.

The first building was constructed in the mid-1930s by the Works Progress Administration. The arena was 270 feet by 130 feet, and for the first 10 years was a roofless stadium known as the Municipal Exhibition Building. During a rodeo, a bull jumped the fence, charged uphill through scattering spectators, and did a swan dive into the parking lot, where it had to be euthanized.

During the late 1940s a roof was added and a better fence separated animals and spectators. It hosted a livestock show, professional rodeos, the Ringling Brothers Circus and other civic events.

In the early 1960s, the coliseum was renamed for Ardmore native, Hardy Murphy.  Murphy was a rodeo performer and Wild West Show star whose show business career spanned three decades.

It could be said that horses ran in Murphy’s blood. Born in 1903, the grandson of a Texas horse trader, he developed his love for horses into a career of international acclaim as a horse trainer and rodeo showman. His horses, Buck and Silver Cloud, were a big part of his show, especially well-known for pantomimes of famous scenes by western artists and sculptors, even gracing the cover of The New Yorker in 1944.

Murphy loved to perform and demonstrate his skills whether it be for the Royal Court in London, spectators at Madison Square Garden or children around the world.  His favorite charity work was at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, performing for seriously or terminally ill children.

Murphy and Buck were top billing in Col. W.T. Johnson’s rodeo in Madison Square Garden for 10 years. After retiring from the circuit, he returned to Ardmore in 1943 where he began a second career as realtor, promoter, volunteer, and part-time performer for charities and civic events. He was frequently referred to as “Southern Oklahoma’s Goodwill Ambassador.”

Buck was retired in 1953 in a nationally televised show during the Fort Worth International Stock Show. Both Buck and Silver Cloud are buried on the coliseum’s grounds. Ardmore school closed for Buck’s funeral when he died at age 34, and Gene Autry was among the 10,000 admirers of Murphy and his horses who attended the ceremony.

Murphy died in 1961 at age 58.

The Hardy Murphy Coliseum fell into a period of neglect and disrepair during the early 1970s. In the mid 1980’s a group of concerned citizens organized into the Hardy Murphy Coliseum Trust and Authority and began renovating the building.

Today the sprawling complex covers 30 acres, according to Jeff Storms, manager of the Hardy Murphy Coliseum. The renovated coliseum now seats 4,000, is climate controlled, has an enclosed announcer’s booth, a fully-equipped kitchen, show office, 18,000 square feet available for trade shows, restrooms, and showers.

Two additional covered arenas, a new building, and multiple stall barns make the Hardy Murphy an ideal place for events.

“We already have the usability and functionality to compete with moderate-sized facilities around the state,” Storms said, “but, we are continually striving to make improvements.”

In addition to the graves of Buck and Silver Cloud, a historic steam locomotive, engine number 1108 sits on the coliseum grounds, commemorating a tragic event in Ardmore’s history in 1915. A railroad worker was repairing a gasoline tanker car near East Main Street when a spark ignited an explosion. Fifty people were killed, many more injured, and much of the downtown area was destroyed. A call for help went out, and engine 1108 came from Gainesville, Texas with a full head of steam, bringing life-saving medical personnel, making the 45-mile stretch of rail in record time.

A life-size buffalo sculpture also sits at the entrance. More than 100,000 people visited Hardy Murphy Coliseum last year.

“A study showed that in 2013 the coliseum events generated a $5.1 million impact on Ardmore. In 2014 that figure rose to $6.3 million; and through October of this year, it has risen to over $7 million,” Storms said.

Events are held 48 weeks of the year spanning anywhere from one to 10 days.

There is truly something for everyone to be had at some time during the year at Hardy Murphy Coliseum at 600 Lake Murray Drive.

For more information, visit hardymurphycoliseum.com, or call Jeff Storms at 580-223-2541.

This article originally appeared in the January 2016 issue of Oklahoma Farm & Ranch.