Equestrians and Fans Bid Farewell to Iconic Jim Norick Arena in Oklahoma City

One may not think of barrel racers as the "sentimental type," but many emotional posts have surfaced over the past week on social media. The historic Jim Norick Arena is being demolished and replaced with the OG&E Coliseum.

For many trainers and competitors, the arena with seating for roughly 11,000 people held countless memories. From the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) to the Oklahoma City Futurity, the overhang reading "Gateway of Champions" has watched the best in the business run down its alley for 60 years.

The Jim Norick Arena was completed in 1965 as a part of the State Fair Park in Oklahoma City, Okla. At the time, it was the largest indoor facility in Oklahoma City and was named for the mayor at the time of its construction.

The home of the Oklahoma City Blazers (hockey) team from 1965 to 1972, the Jim Norick also housed the biggest event in professional rodeo for 13 years. The NFR was held in the arena from 1965 to 1978.

From Professional Bull Riders events to a sold-out crowd at a 1970 Elvis Presley concert, the Jim Norick was a piece of history. During demolition of the building, the original bucking chutes were uncovered.

Throughout the years, they had been covered by an announcer's platform and a new set of chutes were moved to a different location in the arena. These gates opened for some of the legends of our sport, such as Larry Mahan and Jim Shoulders.

The Oklahoma State Fair posted an incredible story on Facebook regarding the missing number two chute gate:

"Freckles... Brown was 46 in 1967 and nearing the end of his hall-of-fame career when he drew the bull Tornado, a bull weighing close to 2,000 pounds, that had never been ridden before. Many on the circuit considered Tornado unrideable. Riding out of chute #2, Freckles took the challenge and proved them wrong on that fateful night by staying on the back of the twisting, turning, jumping Tornado for the full 8 seconds. Over 200 professional bull riders had tried but failed to make the buzzer while on the back of Tornado. This man versus beast match-up is considered one of the best in rodeo’s history and lives on known as “The Ride.” If you are a music fan, you might like to know this legendary ride was memorialized in song by Red Steagall and the Boys in the Bunkhouse titled, oddly enough, Freckles Brown. Give it a listen."

That gate was removed and sent to Jim Shoulders, who owned Tornado. The remaining gates will now be proudly displayed at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum (Oklahoma City, Okla.), the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and the American Quarter Horse Association (Amarillo, Texas).

The arena held a special place in all of western history, not just rodeo. In 2024, Kaci O'Rourke earned a spot in the record books as the first woman to win the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Reining Futurity, held in the Jim Norick.

As we bid farewell to an incredible chapter, we will forever remember the Jim Norick and all of the "once-in-a-lifetime" occurrences one arena can hold.