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OUTLAWS
TRIVIA |
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| As
part of the league's expansion strategy, the
USFL commissioned a report from Communications
Research which analyzed 17 potential expansion
cities to determine which among them might be
most viable for a 1984 expansion team. |
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| San
Diego, the intended home for the franchise that
ultimately became the Outlaws, was seen as
viable thanks to average "buying
income," strong cable TV penetration in the
market and year-round good weather. |
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| Tulsa,
by contrast, wasn't even looked at by the firm
as a potential site. Had it been analyzed,
its more than likely the city would have been
placed in the report's list of "Not
Viable" cities. |
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Constructed
in 1930 with 14,500 seats, Skelly Field
was built as the home of the University of
Tulsa's Golden Hurricane football club.
In 1938 the university traded the facility
to Tulsa Public Schools in exchange for an
open lot, but leased the field back from
the school system. In 1947 Skelly
Field was rechristened Skelly Stadium.
Despite Tulsa not being known as a hotbed
of pro football, the USFL's Oklahoma
Outlaws weren't the first pro team to play
at Skelly - that distinction belonged to
the Houston Oilers and Dallas Texans, who
met in an AFL pre-season contest in August
1960. In 1965 Skelly Stadium was
enlarged to increase its seating capacity
to over 40,000, and three years later
ownership of the facility was returned to
the University of Tulsa.
Having been rebuffed by the city of San
Diego in their efforts to place their USFL
franchise there for 1984, the William
Tathams (Sr. and Jr.) instead placed the
team in Tulsa and Skelly - and drew an
average attendance that was 7,000 less
than UT's had been in 1982. Needless
to say the Outlaws weren't around long -
in 1985 the team called Phoenix home.
Today, Skelly Stadium continues to serve
as home for the Golden Hurricanes, albeit
with a slightly reduced seating capacity
of 35,542. |
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SKELLY
STADIUM |
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Tulsa,
Oklahoma |
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