We Lost the Kats, But Still Have Pat
Charliy Nash
Wednesday September 26, 2001
Seems like I’ve heard that somewhere before. I was in Baltimore for the most brutal franchise relocation in professional sports history. Instead of knowing that their team was leaving, Colts fans woke up one morning to the sight of moving vans slipping away from the Colts complex under the cover of early morning fog. This just a few days after an inebriated Bob Irsay, then owner of the Colts, swore to TV news crews, “I’m not moving the G** D*** team to Indianapolis!” Many fans in Baltimore were understandably soured on football, and the moving company whose trucks came to symbolize the move went out of business.
The uncertainty of the Kats future meant that Nashville fans never got closure on this exciting and frustrating season. The Arena Bowl was held in Grand Rapids. The rumored post season gathering never materialized. Attempts to keep the Kats in their original home drug out and fans grew more frustrated as they were unable to get current information.
 Pat Sperduto was interviewed during Arenabowl XV weekend. He may be back sooner than expected. Image courtesy of |
Several teams have been courting Kats head coach Pat Sperduto. Casey Wasserman wanted him in Los Angeles. Jerry Jones wanted him in Dallas. Turning down both of these positions, Sperduto has signed on with Bud Adams to be the Head of Football Operations for Nashville’s new Arena Football team. Adams reportedly wants the new franchise up and running as soon as possible. He is currently looking for alternative venues for the games if a better deal cannot be reached with the Gaylord Entertainment Center, where the Kats have played all of their home games.
Sperduto gives the new team a link to the team that fans loved. Many of the Kats players have a strong loyalty to their now former coach. Several Kats are now free agents, and many more will be before the new team is formed. Many of the Kats stars have deep Nashville roots. Nobody should be surprised to see some familiar names appear as Sperduto begins to assemble the new team from scratch.
Fans in Baltimore have pushed memories of the Colts aside and have flocked to Ravens. Arena Football fans in Chicago and Detroit have embraced their new teams. Fans in Nashville would have eventually gotten behind their new team, but now that Pat Sperduto is a part of that team the healing has already begun.
Charliy Nash has covered both incarnations of the Nashville Kats, and now has make the 2 hour drive to Huntsville for an Arena Football fix. He also covers the Tennessee Titans as a blogger for nfl.com and still hopes this will eventually lead to a paying gig.
