Event Date: April 17th, 1992
Event Description: Gold Rush!
Source: Mile High Sports Report
The United States Football League is heading back to Denver.
U.S.F.L. commissioner Harry Usher awarded a conditional expansion franchise to a Colorado-based group headed up by the Ron Blanding Consortium, the original owner of the Denver Gold.
"This is an exciting time for the United States Football League and the city of Denver," Usher said. "I am guardedly optimistic and excited at the same time."
Blanding's group, which will pay a $15-million expansion fee, must still secure a lease agreement for Mile Stadium, which is set to host Major League Baseball starting in 1993.
"The stadium agreement is the condition and that is why we're calling this a conditional franchise," Usher said. "I believe that the job of the U.S.F.L. and the commissioner is to find the business leaders, to find the community leaders and to find the sports leaders. It's now in their capable hands to make sure we bring spring football back to the Denver area in a stadium and a facility that the U.S.F.L. and the fans here deserve."
This marks another attempt by the Blanding Group to land a U.S.F.L. franchise for Denver. Three years ago, Blanding was part of another group that was regarded as the front-runner among bids to land an expansion franchise for Denver. But the Denver bid was rejected in favor of Pittsburgh and Oklahoma City.
While this would be the U.S.F.L.'s second stint in Denver, league officials are confident Blanding's group can succeed based on the fact that the team always compiled great attendance figures. the competition with baseball could hurt initially, but league officials are confident that the “true football fans will return.”
The franchise could begin play as early as 1993.
more to come.............
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