ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 1, 1996 TAG: 9605010063
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: ATLANTA
SOURCE: Associated Press
NFL owners voted Tuesday to allow the Houston Oilers to move to Nashville, Tenn.
``It passed,'' said Alex Spanos, owner of the San Diego Chargers, emerging from a 4 1/2-hour meeting. ``Houston is moving to Tennessee.''
Still uncertain was when the team will actually move to the Tennessee capital. The Oilers have a lease with the Astrodome through 1997.
Also, the deal is contingent on Nashville residents approving a May 7 referendum on the $292 million deal. Polls suggest overwhelming support for plans to bring the state its first major-league franchise.
The Oilers would be the seventh NFL team to switch cities since 1982 - the fourth in the past year.
Unlike the impassioned effort to keep the Browns from moving from Cleveland to Baltimore, a ``Save The Oilers'' campaign failed to generate much interest. The team has played to thousands of empty seats in recent seasons and a rally earlier this year attracted fewer than 50 people.
In a memo to the 30 NFL teams, commissioner Paul Tagliabue said the Oilers met all nine of the criteria that govern relocation, including such factors as stadium adequacy and fan support.
Oilers owner Bud Adams was rebuffed in his efforts to build a stadium to replace the 31-year-old Astrodome.
Still, the owners were reluctant to leave one of the nation's largest television markets.
``You always have concerns about moving from a market the size of Houston to one the size of Nashville,'' said Pat Bowlen, owner of the Denver Broncos. ``But Nashville has done a good job and deserves a team.''
The move is contingent on the May 7 referendum in Nashville, where voters are to decide whether to approve $80 million in city bonds needed to complete the package.
A poll published Tuesday by The (Nashville) Tennessean shows the issue has overwhelming support. Fifty-six percent were in favor of the deal, 34 percent against and 10 percent undecided. The survey had a 4 percent margin of error.
Adams reportedly wants to buy out the last two years of his Astrodome lease and play the next two seasons in Memphis, Tenn., before moving to a new 65,000-seat stadium in Nashville.
LENGTH: Short : 49 linesby CNB