Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 19, 1994 TAG: 9405190145
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SCOTT BLANCHARD STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In 1991, the Citrus Bowl paid Tech more than $800,000 to move its Florida State game from Blacksburg to Orlando. Now, the Citrus Bowl has shown interest in moving either the 1995 or 1997 Tech home game with Miami to Orlando, for a payout of possibly $1 million or more.
Don't buy your Disney World passes yet.
``It was a great deal for us; it was the most money we've ever made [on a game],'' Tech athletic director Dave Braine said of the '91 game. ``But when our team came out on the field, and it was our home game and [the fans] stood up and started doing the tomahawk chant ...
``We sold our kids for money. That's one of the few times in my life I've ever felt bad about a decision made for money. ... For us to go any further [talking to the Citrus Bowl] it would take an awful lot, because of what transpired the last time.''
When Tech moved the FSU game, it set up a stretch of five straight road games in which Tech was 1-4 (including the 33-20 loss to FSU) during a 5-6 season.
Citrus Bowl director Chuck Rohe admitted Braine's reaction to the '95 proposal was cool, especially because the Hokies played at Miami in 1993 and play at Miami this fall thanks to a scheduling quirk in the Big East Football Conference. Moving Miami in '95 would leave Tech with only two Big East home games that year.
Rohe said the Citrus Bowl is content with its '95 lineup, which includes Duke-Florida State. He said he remains interested in bringing the 1997 Tech-Miami game from Blacksburg to Orlando and said the Citrus Bowl could increase the guarantee to around $1 million, depending on how many tickets Miami could be counted on to sell.
``Down the road, we might look at it again,'' said Rohe, a former Hokies assistant football coach.
Braine said he hopes Tech gets more national TV games (such as this fall's Thursday-night date with West Virginia on ESPN) through the Big East. Money from those games, he said, would help Tech avoid the temptation to sell home games.
Tech could use an extra million dollars, especially just having committed to spend three times that over the next three years on new women's sports. At the moment, however, Braine isn't inclined to grab ``easy'' money.
``The university would have a say-so, and our budget would have a say-so,'' Braine said. ``I just felt like we put our kids in a situation that wasn't fair. We don't have our jobs if not for them.''
by CNB