Birmingham, AL/Stamford, CT, August
1, 2000
The XFL, a new professional football league jointly owned
and operated by World Wrestling Federation Entertainment,
Inc. (NMS: WWFE) and NBC, announced today that Birmingham,
Alabama will be home to an XFL team when the league begins
play in February 2001. The XFL also announced today that Tim
Berryman will be the team's Vice President and General Manager,
Gerry DiNardo will be the Head Coach, and Bob Gates will serve
as Player Personnel Director. The Birmingham franchise, which
will be named at a later date, will play five regular-season
home games at Legion Field.
"Birmingham has been left out of the professional football
mix for much too long. We believe that it is a strong football
market and we're excited about having the XFL play here,"
said Basil V. DeVito, Jr., President of the XFL. "Birmingham
has knowledgeable fans that know their football, and were
confident that they will enjoy and appreciate the product
that we put on the field."
Tim Berryman joined the XFL from Arkansas Sports Entertainment
where he was Co-founder, Co-owner, and General Manager of
the Arkansas RiverBlades (East Coast Hockey League) and the
Arkansas Twisters (arenafootball2). There he wrote business
plans, commissioned market feasibility studies, and oversaw
all aspects of the Twisters launch including facility lease,
ticket pricing, marketing, and budgets. From 1995-1998, Berryman
was the Co-founder, Co-Owner, and Vice President of Entertainment
Ventures Associates, the company that brought the Louisiana
IceGators of the East Coast Hockey League to Louisiana in
1995. From 1984-1995, Berryman held various marketing and
executive positions with Americas Research Group and Xerox
Corporation. A former linebacker for the Canadian Football
Leagues Ottawa Rough Riders and Toronto Argonauts, Berryman
was the first player selected in the Canadian Football League
draft in 1976.
Gerry DiNardo was the Head Coach at Louisiana State University
from 1995-1998. There he took the Tigers to three straight
Bowl victories from 1995-1997. Prior to his four years at
LSU, DiNardo was the Head Coach at Vanderbilt from 1991-1994,
where he was named SEC Coach of the Year and Kodak Regional
Coach of the Year in 1991. From 1982-1990, DiNardo was the
Assistant Coach at Colorado University, which won the National
Championship in 1990. In addition to winning a National Championship
as an Assistant Coach, DiNardo also won one as a player for
University of Notre Dame in 1973. He was an offensive guard
for the Fighting Irish from 1972-1974.
Pro Personnel Director Bob Gates brings 37 years of football
experience on all levels of competition to the XFL. Most recently,
Gates held the position of Football Operations Manager with
the London Monarchs of NFL Europe. Prior to that he served
as Assistant General Manager of the Birmingham Fire of the
World League of American Football. Gates has also served as
a scout for both the National Football League and Canadian
Football League.
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