It was the first time the ArenaBowl was held at a neutral site. The game was less than a success, as a modest crowd of 10,822 -- the smallest in ArenaBowl history -- turned out to watch the Colorado Crush edge the Georgia Force, 51-48.
The larger-than-life opera singer also gave the first classical concert at the Thomas & Mack Center on March 3, 1985, the second of a nine-stop tour of the U.S. and Canada.
The opening night of the Thomas & Mack Center left two visiting basketball teams leaving with defeats, which would become a common theme and serves as a natural introduction to our countdown.
It might have taken a while to get built, but the building has become a storied venue in Las Vegas and one to be feared by visiting college basketball teams.