The first public event held at the Ford Center was an
Evansville IceMen hockey game on November 5, 2011, when the IceMen defeated the
Fort Wayne Komets 3–1. The first concert was held four days later on November 9, 2011, by
Bob Seger and his
Silver Bullet Band. The
Evansville Purple Aces played their first basketball game on November 12,
2011, beating the
Butler Bulldogs 80–77 in overtime. In its first year, the new arena also hosted concerts for
Elton John,
Lady Antebellum,
Reba, the
Trans-Siberian Orchestra,
Steel Panther with
Judas Priest, and
Cirque du Soleil's performance of Quidam. The Ford Center played host to a game in the 2012
College Basketball Invitational, in which the Aces lost to the
Princeton Tigers 95–86. The Ford Center also played host to the 2013
GLVC basketball championships and the
NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship eight times, in 2014, 2015, 2019, and 2021 through 2025. In September 2014, the Ford Center hosted
Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA)
Division 1 International playoffs, hosted by local
roller derby league,
Demolition City Roller Derby, featuring teams from America, England and Canada. In honor of the event, Evansville mayor
Lloyd Winnecke declared the week of the event to be "Roller Derby Week" in the city. ==History and construction==