THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 25, 1995 TAG: 9510250583
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: HARRY MINIUM and ED MILLER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
The Shreveport Pirates, who are considering a move to Norfolk, are coached by NFL Hall of Famer Forrest Gregg and quarterbacked by former Atlanta Falcon Billy Joe Tolliver. But beyond those two, the Pirates have few familiar names.
After starting the season 4-2, the Pirates lost 11 of their last 12 to finish 5-13, last in the five-team South Division, made up entirely of U.S.-based expansion teams. The other U.S.-based teams in the league are Baltimore, Memphis, San Antonio and Birmingham.
Shreveport was 3-15 in 1994 - its first year in the CFL, which expanded to the United States in 1993.
The league requires Canadian teams to carry 20 Canadian players on their 37-man rosters, but there are no such restrictions on the U.S.-based clubs. The rule is not popular with the Canadian coaches, who say it gives the U.S.-based teams an advantage.
Most CFL teams employ wide-open offenses. Shreveport averaged more than 26 points per game, but gave up better than 28. Tolliver completed 252 of 429 passes for 3,440 yards and 14 touchdowns. His favorite target was fellow Texas Tech product Wayne Walker, who caught 51 passes for 790 yards.
The team's leading rusher was former University of Miami player Martin Patton, who ran for 1,040 yards, third in the league.
The Pirates play in 42,000-seat Independence Stadium, which was re-configured to CFL dimensions. The Pirates sold 10,000 season tickets in 1994 but just 6,000 this year. Season-ticket prices ranged from $125 to $240, with a specially priced package of $250 for a family of four.
CFL ticket prices average about $15.
The average operating budget for a CFL team is in the $6 million to $10 million range, a fraction of an NFL team's budget. The league has a salary cap of $2.5 million Canadian dollars per team, with one ``marquee'' player excepted.
Owner Lonie Glieberman said the team would probably keep its nickname, although he said he is open to other suggestions, including adopting the moniker of the old Norfolk Neptunes, the last professional team to play at Foreman Field. by CNB