Adams to announce return of arena football

Arena League's Kats to play in GEC next year

by DJRamFan

By PAUL KUHARSKY
Staff Writer

A resurrected version of the Arena Football League's Nashville Kats will begin play at Gaylord Entertainment Center in February.

Titans owner Bud Adams, a founding owner in the old American Football League, beamed yesterday at the concept that he is now an owner in the new AFL.

''What goes around comes around,'' he said with a giggle. ''I think it will be great for Tennessee and Nashville to have football most of the year round.''

AFL Commissioner David Baker said he was ''tremendously heartened'' by Adams' commitment to the league, going so far as to call the new franchise a ''second Music City Miracle.''

Adams' representatives and officials from the GEC have been haggling over a lease since the AFL accepted Adams' bid for a Nashville franchise in August 2001. They finally settled on a one-year lease with two three-year options. The Kats will pay $3,500 per game and cover all the expenses of operating the facility.

They will get back 30 percent of the concessions and be able to sell signage on the dasher-boards providing those sponsors do not conflict with the GECs' regular advertising. Adams said the Kats will be able to sell only five of the building's suites for their games.

With a National Hockey League lockout that could extend into 2005 looming, the arena guaranteed itself at least eight games that will all be played on Friday or Saturday nights or Sunday afternoons. Adams said AFL games at the GEC will ''help the city out.''

The original Kats joined the AFL as an expansion team in 1997, but original owner Mark Bloom sold the team in 2001, it moved to Atlanta and became the Georgia Force.

Bloom is back, this time as a minority owner, and so is Coach Pat Sperduto. Adams hired Sperduto in in 2001 and he has worked in the Titans' offices as director of arena football operations ever since.

Sperduto said he will continue to work with offensive line coach Mike Munchak throughout Titans training camp, then gradually disconnect from the NFL team.

Bob Flynn, who has 14 years of AFL experience, is the team's general manager. He said his primary role will be building a base of ticket buyers.

Details of the team's expansion draft and the league schedule will be sorted out at an AFL meeting Aug. 17. AFL teams have 24-man rosters, and each team protected 16 players in the last expansion draft.

The Kats will also be able to build by signing free agents. Sperduto said some familiar names could be Kats again when training camp opens in January.

While there could be some overlap between administrative departments of the Titans and Kats, Adams said he will add staff to his AFL team as Sperduto and Flynn determine what they need.

Paul Kuharsky is a staff writer for The Tennessean. He can be reached at...
- Channel: ARENA
-08-03-2004, 11:18 AM
Play ball? Adams, GEC close to deal to bring back Kats in '05

by DJRamFan

By John Lombardo
Nashville Business Journal
Updated: 8:00 p.m. ET July 04, 2004Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams is nearing a deal to put an Arena Football League franchise back in Nashville for play next season, league officials said last week.

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Adams owns the rights for an AFL Nashville franchise and has been working to complete a deal with the Gaylord Entertainment Center for an arena team to begin play there in 2005.

Adams bought the Nashville club rights in 2002 and has completed paying a reported $4 million expansion fee. League officials say the lease negotiations are the only remaining obstacle for the club to begin play.

The AFL Nashville Kats played at the GEC from 1997 to 2001 until the team was relocated to Atlanta by then-owner Virgil Williams to become the Georgia Force. The Force this season was sold to Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank for an undisclosed sum.

"Nashville has been continuing to work on finalizing a lease agreement, and it is our understanding that they are close to accomplishing that goal," said league spokesman Chris McCloskey.

Gaylord Entertainment Center General Manager Hugh Lombardi was unavailable for comment. Gerry Helper, the Nashville Predators' senior vice president for communications, returned Lombardi's calls and says nothing has been finalized with the GEC.

"We have wanted to have them all along and Hugh has been actively trying to put something together," Helper says, adding that both sides have talked recently, but have determined not to speak publicly about the discussions.

"The goal is to negotiate a deal for the Kats to play in Nashville in 2005," Helper says.

The expected Nashville deal would give the AFL 20 teams next season, with additional expansion still possible. Other markets that may see teams for 2005 include Boston and Washington.

The Nashville deal also would give the AFL another NFL owner in its ranks, with Adams joining Blank, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson and Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford in owning stakes in AFL teams.

The AFL concluded its 2004 season this past weekend, when the San Jose SaberCats beat the Arizona Rattlers 69-62 to win ArenaBowl XVIII.
- Channel: ARENA
-07-05-2004, 02:31 PM
Remember The Titans / Stl vs Tenn / Preseason Game 1

by dgr828

ARE ~ YOU ~ READY ~ FOR ~ SOME ~ FOOTBALL?!!!

Football is finally here, again. This week the Saint Louis Rams prepare for their first preseason matchup, as they'll travel to Nashville to take on the Titans. ( Rams @ Titans, Sat. Aug 9, 8:00 ET)

REMEMBERING THE TITANS

This is the Tennessee Titans 49th season in the National Football League.
Beginning as the Houston Oilers in 1960 in the old AFL. The Oilers won 2 AFL championships before the NFL-AFL merger.

The Oilers relocated to Tennessee in 1997, first playing in Memphis for one season before moving to Nashville.

For two seasons the team was known as the Tennessee Oilers before changing its name to Titans in 1999.

The 1999 season would see the Tennessee Titans and the Saint Louis Rams matchup in Superbowl XXXIV (Rams 23 - Titans 16).

Jeff Fisher is still the Titans Head coach. Jeff started as HC for the Houston Oilers in 1994. The Rams were still in Los Angeles, moving to Saint Louis in 1995.

The Tennessee Titans play their home games at LP Field, formerly known as 'The Coliseum' (2002-06), also formerly known as Adelphia Coliseum (1999-2002).
Adelphia went bankrupt in 2002 and lost the naming rights.
The current naming rights deal with Nashville-based Louisiana-Pacific was inked June 6, 2006.
Louisiana-Pacific, which markets itself as "LP Building Products" is paying $30 million over ten years for naming rights.
Nashville's nickname "Music City" and Louisiana-Pacific's acronyn "LP" led to the stadium's nickname of "The Album", capacity is slightly under 69,000.

2007 Titans
Tennessee finished the season 10-6, winning their final three games.
The Titans lost the AFC Wildcard game 17-6, against the San Diego Chargers.l

Current Roster
QB - (10) Vince Young, (5) Kerry Collins

RB - (25) LenDale White, (28) Chris Johnson ( 24th pick in 2008 draft)

FB - (45) Ahmard Hall

WR - (19) Justin McCareins, (12) Justin Gage

TE - (83) Alge Crumpler

LT - (71) Michael Roos

C - (68) Kevin Mawae

LDE - (90) Jevon Kearse

K - (2) Rob Bironas

P - (15) Craig Hentrich

Bud Adams is the owner of the Titans the only owner in its franchaises history. Adams was one of the founding fathers of the old AFL, that mergered with the NFL.

Remember the Titans vs the Rams next Saturday Night!
- Channel: RAMS NATION TALK
-08-03-2008, 10:52 AM
Nashville Kats return for 2005

by DJRamFan

NASHVILLE, TENN. - What goes around comes around. The Nashville Kats will return to action in January 2005 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center. The addition of the Kats to the Nashville sports landscape will mean that area football fans have the opportunity to enjoy the sport on a yearlong basis, with the Titans season running from August through January and the Kats from February to June.

Commissioner Baker on Kats' return

K.S. �Bud� Adams, Jr., a founding member of the AFL (American Football League) in 1959, and owner of the Titans/Houston Oilers franchise for 45 years came full circle on Aug. 18, 2001, when his application to purchase an AFL (Arena Football League) team for Nashville was accepted.

�I am thrilled that we were finally able to put an Arena League team on the field for the football fans in the Mid-South,� said K.S. �Bud� Adams, Jr. �One of the things I did when the original Nashville arena team was sold and moved in 2001, was to hire their coach, Pat Sperduto, to work for the Titans until we were able to negotiate a lease with the Gaylord Entertainment Center. Now that things are in place I will hand the head coaching duties of the Kats over to Pat.�

Pat Sperduto spent three seasons as head coach of the Kats from 1999 - 2001, produced a 32-18 record, three playoff appearances and two ArenaBowl berths. As a player and coach, Sperduto has advanced to the ArenaBowl on five occasions and won three Arena Championships with Tampa Bay.

In December of 2003, Bob Flynn was hired to be the General Manager of the new arena team and will handle all aspects involved in the administration of a team, including tickets, marketing and promotions. Flynn is a 14-year veteran of the Arena League with stops in Los Angeles and Orlando. During his tenure in Orlando, Flynn was part of an operation that played in four ArenaBowls and winning a championship in 1998.

The Kats also will have additional stockholders, including the Kats original ownership group (Corner Partnership), led by Mark Bloom.

Tickets for the games will range from $5 to $99 per game with season ticket packages starting at $45 for the nine-game home season (eight regular season games and one post season game). Starting today, the team will begin taking orders for season tickets either by calling the Kats ticket office at 615-565-4700 (ticket office fax number is 615-565-4212) or by going to titansonline.com and obtaining an on-line order form. A $50 per seat refundable deposit is required to reserve seats. Priority seating will be based on the date that the deposit is received. For former Kats season ticket holders, every effort will be made to locate their seats near their previous seats, but exact placement cannot be guaranteed.

�Our goal in structuring our ticket prices was to create exciting and affordable entertainment that is accessible to families and young adults,�...
- Channel: ARENA
-08-02-2004, 03:59 PM
Titans K Nedney out for opener, maybe for season

by DJRamFan

Sept. 8, 2004
SportsLine.com wire reports

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee kicker Joe Nedney will miss the Titans' season opener Sunday at Miami because of a hamstring injury that might put him out for the season.

The Titans listed Nedney as out on Wednesday's injury report. He was hurt Tuesday while kicking a ball as it fell off a tee during a special teams session.

Nedney was on the ground face-down before being helped by trainers. He walked off the field on his own, but had an MRI exam on Tuesday night.

The kicker played only part of the first half of the Titans' 2003 season opener before tearing the ACL in his right, non-kicking leg. That forced punter Craig Hentrich into emergency duty, and he kicked four of five field goals in a victory over Oakland in the game.

But Tennessee signed the NFL's career scoring leader Gary Anderson as Nedney's replacement for the season. Anderson was 27-of-31 on field goals, including a 46-yarder for a 20-17 victory over Baltimore in an AFC wild-card game in January.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2004, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved
- Channel: NFL TALK
-09-08-2004, 01:13 PM

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Adams to announce return of arena football

Adams to announce return of arena football

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