THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 23, 1997 TAG: 9701230318
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: 54 lines
A 25-year-old law student at Regent University in Virginia Beach has been named general manager of the Outer Banks Dare Devils.
Ben Ackison will handle the day-to-day business operations of the new college summer league team, which will play against teams from Raleigh, Durham, Wilson, Rocky Mount and Wilmington.
A graduate of James Madison University and a former wide receiver on the football team, Ackison currently works for Norfolk-based Global Sports Management, where he has been employed in all areas of sports management.
Former Hampton Roads hockey executive Blake Cullen owns the team, which will begin play this summer. Representatives of the league will meet Feb. 6 in Raleigh.
Ackison said Wednesday he is excited about his new job.
``Judging solely from the raw numbers that turned out for the Babe Ruth World Series, there is a great baseball tradition there,'' Ackison said. ``We're bringing in a higher level of baseball.''
Ackison said his first priority is selling the new team to the community, both on the Outer Banks and in the Albemarle region.
``We want to establish a strong relationship with the local community,'' Ackison said. ``We want to be a part of the community, and not a tourist attraction. We want to draw tourists, but we're gearing our effort to the community.''
The team will play a 50-game schedule, with 25 home dates at Manteo High School's Coy Tillett Memorial Field.
``Looking at the quality of that field, plus the fact that they've had state championship-caliber teams at Manteo High School tells us that there is a great commitment to baseball. That's not an ordinary high school field,'' said Ackison, who added that any projections on attendance for the new team would be premature.
The new Dare Devil general manager is expected to be in Dare County today as the team sets up shop.
``We've already reserved a phone number,'' Ackison said. ``We'll be working on getting vans to transport the team, and things like that.''
Ackison will also be busy recruiting a sales force and building exposure for the new team. Housing and summer employment for team players will also be a major concern. Players will live with local families and will be able to hold part-time jobs during the season.
``This will be different from the Babe Ruth World Series,'' Ackison said. ``It won't be eight, nine or 10 days. This is for the entire summer. And we have to find them jobs for spending money. This is an NCAA-sanctioned league, and we're going to strictly abide by NCAA rules. We can't pay these players.''
Ackison said the team's field manager, Old Dominion University Assistant Coach Jayson Nave, has almost completed his roster, made up of 20 college underclassmen. Players will come from the Atlantic Coast Conference, Ivy League, the Southeastern Conference, the PAC-10 and other colleges.