Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 10, 1993 TAG: 9303100013
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
RAMPAGE OWNER'S MOVING PLANS CHECKED BY KNOXVILLE
The move of the valley's East Coast Hockey League franchise to Huntsville, Ala. - thought to be all but a done deal a week ago - apparently is off, Roanoke Valley Rampage owner Larry Revo said Tuesday.Revo said an 11th-hour proposal from the ownership of the ECHL's Knoxville Cherokees to Huntsville's Von Braun Civic Center apparently has killed his hopes of moving the Rampage to the northern Alabama city for the 1993-94 season.
"I assume that Knoxville is in [Huntsville] now," Revo said. "Yes, I thought I was in. But I think I would have been in by now [if his proposal had been accepted]."
Ron Evans, manager of the 6,600-seat arena and point man in Huntsville's negotiations, could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Revo said he thought his deal with Huntsville was "90-95 percent done" until last Friday, when Evans notified him that he had received a late proposal from John Staley, owner of the Tennessee team.
Suddenly, Revo had company on the Von Braun doorstep. And, one ECHL source said Tuesday, Staley's proposal included more beneficial financial numbers, not to mention fewer stipulations, for the Huntsville building.
"He [Evans] said that Knoxville was now in the driver's seat," Revo said. "I couldn't believe it. It all happened so fast. I was stunned, to say the least."
Revo, who bought the franchise from Vinton's Henry Brabham last summer, has been trying to relocate the club for some time. The Rampage is averaging an ECHL-low 1,515 spectators per game this season at the 3,216-seat Vinton LancerLot.
His first relocation choice was Syracuse, N.Y., but that deal fell through when Onondaga County Auditorium officials decided they didn't want to gamble on bringing in a losing club from a league foreign to most in upstate New York.
After being nixed by Syracuse, Revo aimed toward Huntsville, a longtime college hockey hotbed that has been clamoring for a professional minor-league franchise.
Last week, Revo classified negotiations between Evans and himself as "very healthy" and seemed confident that an agreement was imminent.
Then Knoxville entered the picture. And Revo apparently is the loser - again.
What does Revo do now? Does he get out his map, pick another city and start lobbying again? Does he turn toward Winston-Salem, N.C., and its 3,512-seat Joel Coliseum Annex, where he moved a couple of home games this season? Or does he perform an about-face and reconsider moving into the 8,363-seat Roanoke Civic Center?
"I really don't know what I'm going to do," he said. "I don't have any plan Bs anywhere. It's back to square one again, I guess.
"I'm going to have to look at every option. I'm going to have to look at maybe selling the franchise, which is something I didn't get into this business to do."
Revo said another option would be to suspend operations for 1992-93, giving him more time to find and cut a deal with another city. The ECHL has a clause in its bylaws that allows any franchise owner to sit out a season for a penalty of $5,000.
Revo confirmed he has received a letter from the Roanoke Civic Center Commission that stipulates March 14 as a final deadline for the two parties to reach an accord. Revo called the deadline "reasonable," but he refused to speculate on the chances of the commission and himself agreeing to a contract.