Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, March 27, 1993 TAG: 9303270102
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Owner Larry Revo's search for a new home ended Friday when he reached an agreement on a 1993-94 lease with the 6,500-seat Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville, Ala.
"This is big relief for me," Revo said. "I was really distraught over the situation there for a while. I really don't know what I could have done if we didn't end up in Huntsville."
The only thing left for Revo is final approval of the move from the rest of the ECHL owners. Several other league owners, when contacted over the past several weeks, indicated there would be no dissenters to a Rampage move to Huntsville.
"I can't see any real opposition," Revo said. "But still a vote has to be taken. I would like to call a special meeting of the board of governors and get this thing done. We need to get down there as soon as possible and get started."
Friday's news was soothing to Revo, who likely would have had a team and no city to play in next season if the Huntsville deal had fallen through.
"It has been a tough time for me," he said. "I turn 50 years old [today], so this is just like an early birthday present."
Revo, who bought the Roanoke Valley franchise from Vinton's Henry Brabham last summer, had been looking to relocate the team since October. The Rampage, which won an ECHL-record-low 14 games, averaged a league-low 1,439 fans per game at the 3,250-seat Vinton LancerLot this season.
Revo's proposal to move the team to Syracuse, N.Y., collapsed in early February when Syracuse officials decided it wasn't in their best interests to bring in a losing club from a league foreign to most in upstate New York.
Revo then turned his attention to Huntsville. He reportedly was close to an agreement with the northern Alabama city three weeks ago, only to have the deal put on hold when Knoxville Cherokees owner John Staley entered with a proposal to Von Braun manager Ron Evans.
On March 9, Revo said he thought he had come up a loser in the Huntsville stakes, reporting that Evans said "that Knoxville was now in the driver's seat."
Staley still appeared to have the upper hand earlier this week. What happened in the last couple days that enticed Evans to go with Revo's proposal was unclear Friday.
Evans was out of town and unavailable for comment. Staley has refused to return phone calls concerning his club's possible move.
"I believed what may have swayed it was that Evans and I hit it off really well when I went down there about a month ago," Revo said. "I got to meet a lot of people in town and it was a very positive experience. Also, I think the fact that I was going to move to Huntsville helped, too. They would have had absentee ownership under Knoxville."
Revo, criticized by Rampage fans for his talk of moving the club, said he hopes a new group trying to land an ECHL expansion franchise for '93-94 will be successful.
"I wish the Roanoke Valley all the best in getting an expansion franchise for next season," he said. "I hope they get it. In fact, I will do anything I can to make that happen."
Keywords:
HOCKEY
by CNB