Event Date: July 20th, 1983
Event Description: Joseph May Sell Club
Source: UPI
Heart surgeon Dr. Ted Diethrich may buy at least part ownership in the Arizona Wranglers of the U.S. Football League, a Phoenix newspaper reported Friday.
The Phoenix Gazette said Wrangler owner Jim Joseph was talking with Diethrich, director of the Arizona Heat Institute in Phoenix and the principal owner of the Chicago Blitz of the USFL.
Joseph, interviewed by the Gazette at USFL meetings in Denver before last weekend's league championship game, said he was negotiating with a pair of groups interested in buying the team. The second group consists of Bill Tatham Sr. and his son Bill Jr.. The Tathams were awarded an expansion franchise but have had trouble securing a new city after their failed bid to put a team in San Diego.
Joseph has indicated in the past that he wanted to retain a majority interest in the team, but said that goal could change if either Diethrich or the Tathams decide to purchase the club.
Diethrich confirmed that he was talking with Joseph, but did not disclose any details. Diethrich said the Blitz, which averaged 18,091 fans this season, lost about $3 million, “about double what I expected.”
In a Chicago interview at the end of the Blitz season, Diethrich indicated he would be interested in owning the Phoenix franchise because ownership of the Chicago team has interferred with his medical work. Diethrich said he spent a 'tremendous amount' of time in Chicago, tending to Blitz business at the expense of his medical practice.
As for the Tathams they are believed to have interest in the Wranglers’, but would want to “start fresh by establishing a new team identity”. The current Wranglers’ squad finished the year with a (1-17) record.
Story-(UPI)
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