Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 2, 1994 TAG: 9402020088
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: From Associated Press reports
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
The team, which drew crowds of more than 30,000 during its heyday in the late 1970s, folded after a group of Jacksonville investors bowed out of negotiations to buy the American Professional Soccer League club.
"It's disappointing . . . and it's sad for Tampa," said team president and owner Cornelia Corbett, who reportedly was seeking about $500,000 for the Rowdies, who won the North American Soccer League championship in 1975 - the league's inaugural season.
The Rowdies were the longest continually operated pro soccer franchise in North America. The team drew a record single-game home crowd of 56,389 in 1980, but last summer attracted a total of 21,640 fans for 12 games.
by CNB