Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers officially begin the 2018-2019 season this week with media day and the start of training camp. This season marks the Cavaliers' 25th year at Quicken Loans Arena.

Opening as Gund Arena in the fall of 1994, the venue was a state-of-the-art facility in the heart of a revitalized downtown.

With its centralized location, luxurious suites, wide concourses and comfy blue seats with cupholders, the new arena was decidedly more fan-friendly than its predecessor, the Richfield Coliseum.

But that doesn't mean the old '"Palace on the Prairie" didn't have its charms. If you lived between Cleveland and Akron, getting there was a straight shot right off I-271. Parking was a snap, though getting out was a different story. The open bowl design allowed you to walk around the arena without missing any of the action.

There were also the memories. There were plenty, from the first concert -- Frank Sinatra on Oct. 26, 1974 -- to the last Cavaliers game -- vs. the Chicago Bulls on May 3, 1994 -- and everything in between.

Perhaps you were even there when Muhammad Ali knocked out Chuck Wepner in 1975, or that time the Cavaliers shocked the Washington Bullets in the Miracle of Richfield game in 1976, or maybe when Michael Jordan hoisted the "The Shot" over the outstretched arms of Craig Ehlo in 1989.

For me, I'll always remember camping out with my cousins in the parking lot overnight, waiting in line for concert tickets to Michael Jackson's "Bad" tour and Madonna's "Who's the Girl" concert. Good times, indeed.

What are some of your favorite memories of the Coliseum? Tell us in the comments and, in case you need it, here are 30 photos to trigger your memory of the gone but not forgotten arena in Richfield.

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Associated Press/Plain Dealer Historical Photograph Collection

Nick Mileti presents a model of a sports coliseum to the National Hockey League's Board of Governors in 1972.

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Cavaliers owner Nick Mileti wasn't able to secure an NHL franchise, but the Coliseum was built as the new home for Cleveland's NBA franchise and the Cleveland Crusaders of the World Hockey Association. NHL hockey would eventually come to the Coliseum, with the Barons playing their home games there from 1976-78.

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Plain Dealer Historical Photograph Collection

A helicopter view shows construction of the Richfield Coliseum on Oct. 23, 1973.

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Plain Dealer Historical Photograph Collection/Associated Press

A look at construction inside the Coliseum in 1974. The arena officially opened on Oct. 26, 1974.

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Photo courtesy of Dennis Turchek collection and author Gene Kiczek

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Plain Dealer Historical Photograph Collection

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Plain Dealer Historical Photograph Collection/Associated Press

World heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali hits Chuck Wepner with a right during their title bout at the Coliseum on March 24, 1975

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Paul Tepley/Special to The Plain Dealer

Cavaliers guard Dick Snyder hits the game-winner against the Washington Bullets during Game 7 of the Miracle in Richfield season in 1976.

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Fans rush the court after the Cavaliers stunned the Washington Bullets to win the Eastern Conference Semifinals in 1976.

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Bill Kennedy/The Plain Dealer

Circus animals get a police escort as they march west on Ohio 303 headed for the Richfield Coliseum.

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Paul Tepley, Cleveland Memory Project

The Cavaliers practice on the Coliseum court in 1976.

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The 1981 NBA All-Star Game was held at the Coliseum.

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Plain Dealer Historical Photograph Collection

Philadelphia 76ers star forward Julius Erving received the Michelob/NBA Highest Vote Getter Award and Robert Reid, of the Houston Rockets, was named Michelob/NBA Humanitarian of the Year during NBA All-Star festivities at the Coliseum in 1981.

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Scott Shaw/The Plain Dealer File Photo

Grateful Dead fans are photographed outside the Richfield Coliseum before a concert in 1993.

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Richard J. Misch / The Plain Dealer

Stuart Giller, then president of the Coliseum in Richfield Township, jogged every day around the arena concourse.

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Plain Dealer Historical Photograph Collection

The Cavs were a laughing stock during the Ted Stepien era, but players like World B. Free helped revive the franchise, even leading them to the playoffs in 1985.

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Photo courtesy of Dennis Turchek collection and author Gene Kiczek

"No arena was more beautiful than the Coliseum, a magnificent structure in Richfield, Ohio," Sports Illustrated wrote in an article in 1979.

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Roadell Hickman/The Plain Dealer

Cavs point guard Mark Price is fouled on his way to the basket during a game against the Indiana Pacers in 1990.

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Curt Chandler/The Plain Dealer

Center Brad Daugherty and head coach Lenny Wilkins led the Cavs to the team's best seasons in the pre-LeBron era.

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Roadell Hickman, The Plain Dealer File Photograph

The Coliseum had a full-court practice facility upstairs from the main floor.

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Chicago Tribune file photo by Ed Wagner Jr.

Michael Jordan reacts after hitting the game winning basket over Cleveland's Craig Ehlo in Game 5 of the NBA playoffs May 7, 1989.

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Paul Tepley, Cleveland Memory Project

A capacity crowd saw the Cavaliers defeat the New York Knicks in 1975.

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Paul Tepley, Cleveland Memory Project

Members of the the Cleveland Force MISL team practice at the Coliseum in 1979.

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Roadell Hickman, The Plain Dealer File Photo

Cleveland Crunch fan Pete Anderko reacts to goal scored by Hector Marinaro during an Major Soccer League game in 1991.

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Phil Long

Chris Harkness (80) of the Cleveland Thunderbolts intercepts a first quarter pass as Arizona Rattlers reciever Cedric Tillman reaches back for the ball, during Arena Football action at the Richfield Coliseum, Saturday, June 4, 1994.

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U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

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A look at the demolition of the Coliseum from April 27, 1999.

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You can see a piece from the old Coliseum on display at Quicken Loans Arena. Did you know before the Coliseum was demolished, the Cavs' floor was bought by a small school in Virginia?

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Lonnie Timmons/Plain Dealer File

After sitting empty for a few years, the Coliseum was demolished in 1999.

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Chris Stephens, The Plain Dealer

Driving past the site of the Richfield Coliseum today, there is no evidence the arena ever existed. The land is now part of Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

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Do you miss the old Richfield Coliseum? https://t.co/0wgksvvaGy — joey morona (@joeyjoe) September 24, 2018

Cleveland Clothing Co. sells a T-shirt remembering the Coliseum for $28.

Share your memories of the Coliseum in the comments.