Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 16, 1993 TAG: 9307160015
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Davey Allison would have been one of the first star attractions in the rebirth of the Roanoke Valley Sports Club.
The new club will begin with two September dinner programs, including one with a NASCAR theme on Sept. 22 several days before the Goody's 500 at Martinsville Speedway. Allison, the Winston Cup driver who died Tuesday after a helicopter crash, had committed to the club through one of his driving friends and foes, Jimmy Hensley of Horsepasture.
The sports club's introductory flyers, printed last week, list Allison as a speaker. Club president Dan Wooldridge said Hensley will appear, and the club is hopeful of getting the Henry County driver to find a replacement for Allison.
The sports club's 1993-94 programs will begin Sept. 2 with two guest speakers from the Charlotte Hornets' backcourt, Muggsy Bogues and Dell Curry.
\ The most accomplished basketball player in Roanoke's history has a Final Four trip, has won an NCAA championship and is a first-round NBA draftee, but he can't be elected to the sports hall of fame at the high school he led to the 1988 state title.
George Lynch didn't graduate from Patrick Henry High, having transferred to Flint Hill Prep for his senior year before success at North Carolina. Lynch didn't leave - as some other students have - because of any grudge against PH or its program. He moved because of an unsettled family situation.
The PH hall of fame requires that an inductee graduate from the school. Maybe by the time Lynch is eligible otherwise after a 10-year waiting period, he will be accepted. His accomplishments are a credit to the city and the school.
However, he is on the verge of becoming a success in another way. He was the No. 12 pick in the draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. Last year's 12th pick, guard Harold Miner, signed a five-year, $7.5 contract with Miami. Lynch could get more.
\ It's nearly certain the new Roanoke Express will skate in its East Coast Hockey League season opener Oct. 19 at the Roanoke Civic Center against the South Carolina Stingrays. ECHL commissioner Pat Kelly said former Rampage owner Larry Revo's Huntsville Blast will visit the Star City only once this season. The league schedule is undergoing final revisions.
\ The NFL has come up with four potential divisional realignments to accompany the expansion that will be announced in October, when St. Louis and Baltimore or Charlotte are expected to get franchises. Two of those have Carolina/Baltimore added to the AFC Central, making that a five-team division.
In another, Charlotte or Baltimore would move to the NFC East with Washington, Philadelphia, Dallas and the New York Giants, with Phoenix going to the NFC West. Another changes the league dramatically on a regional basis and breaks up some longtime divisional rivalries, like Cowboys-Redskins.
In that plan, Carolina/Baltimore would play in a new AFC Central with Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston and Tampa Bay. The Redskins would stay in the NFC East, which would lose Dallas and Phoenix, add Cleveland and Pittsburgh, and keep the Eagles and Giants. Dallas would go to an NFC West with the Rams, Cardinals, San Francisco and a new St. Louis club. Cincinnati would replace the Buccaneers in the NFC Central.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB