Latilleon
Git Buck.
Posts: 21,611
Joined: Mar 2004
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I Root For: Memphis
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RE: Greg Gaston helped sneak the Colts out of Baltimore
(05-14-2014 02:09 PM)BinghamptonNed Wrote: (05-14-2014 02:06 PM)k2tigers Wrote: (05-08-2014 04:52 PM)KRB Wrote: That is why the Die hard Memphis folks would not support the Oilers here. Hell Nashville hadn't even been mentioned as pursuing a team. We were absolutely, positively, screwed. I loved the Colts they were my favorite team. I've never cared that much about the NFL since that day. I'm not a fan of the Irsay family.
Me either. I'm telling you, we were not that far away from landing the Colts back then. The Liberty Bowl wasn't considered as "inappropriate" as it was during the 93 expansion race. Check this old piece out - that Malmo meeting alluded to in thearticle was where Irsay left the Memphis group high and dry. We were going to offer him the proverbial kitchen sink. Use your mouse to scroll down the article.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=88...323,208531
our having a 'pretty nice' empty stadium was perfect for the NFL .. they coerced their current cities with the threat of moving to Memphis and it was all the more credible since 1) we WANTED a team and 2) we had a functioning stadium sitting there ready to go ...
More importantly, the Liberty Bowl was ok for the 1993 NFL, when all the stadiums except for Dolphins stadium sucked.
We were competing for the future and four bids that all included new (in the case of Jax, virtually new) stadiums.
Within fifteen years, I every NFL stadium will be replaced or the team left town (except KC and Buffalo. Raiders moved back to an old stadium that was renovated. NOLA Super Dome was heavily renovated). Since our failing bid, the Atlanta Falcons will soon have had two new stadiums since the Liberty Bowl was renovated in 1987.
How didn't Fred Smith and Billy Dunavant not realize we HAD to have a new stadium within three years of getting the team?
Edit: KC spent $400 million renovating Arrowhead. San Diego is also in an old stadium that may have had renovations.
(This post was last modified: 05-14-2014 04:31 PM by Latilleon.)
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| 05-14-2014 04:19 PM |
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Greg Gaston helped sneak the Colts out of Baltimore
