ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 23, 1996 TAG: 9601230073
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS REPORTS
Hampton Roads would gain the authority to build a taxpayer-financed basketball or hockey arena under a bill introduced Monday in the General Assembly.
Del. Jerrauld C. Jones (D-Norfolk) became downright John Madden-like Monday as he talked up the potential for luring an NHL or NBA franchise.
Jones waved his arms, chopped the air and raved about how an arena seating 24,000-plus could elevate the region to the big leagues.
``Sports is the thing,'' he said. ``Why can Charlotte get a team when we can't? Because we have failed to work together as a region up to this point. That's what this bill is trying to do.''
Jones is seeking to catch the wave of last week's joint Norfolk-Virginia Beach announcement that the two cities - while unwilling to shell out public money for a Canadian Football League team - might work together to snag an NBA or NHL team.
Under the bill, the Gov. George Allen would appoint a nine-member Hampton Roads Sports Facility Authority that could sell bonds for a ``stadium or other structure for the primary purpose of holding sporting events.''
Jones said the likely focus of the authority would be on construction of a 20,000- to 25,000-seat arena designed for an NBA or NHL team. The facility also could put Hampton Roads in a better position to attract ``top-tier'' concerts and shows, he said.
Jones said the arena cost could exceed $100 million.
ETC. Dungy takes job with Bucs
Tony Dungy's long and frustrating journey from the NFL's youngest defensive coordinator to a head coach has ended. The longtime assistant, interviewed but passed over by four teams in the past 10 years, will get a shot at trying to turn the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into a winner.
Dungy, 40, becomes the fourth black head coach in NFL history, behind Art Shell, Dennis Green and Ray Rhodes.
Former Winston Cup champions Rusty Wallace and Terry Labonte were among four drivers added to the lineup for the 1996 International Race of Champions (IROC) Series.
Wallace and Labonte, both IROC champions, will be joined in the four-race all-star series by 1995 Busch Grand National champion Johnny Benson, now a rookie in the Winston Cup series, and 14-time World of Outlaws sprint car champion Steve Kinser.
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1996 FOOTBALL AUTO RACINGby CNB