There are several professional minor-league sports teams as well as college sports teams in the Norfolk, Virginia area.
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There are several professional minor-league sports teams as well as college sports teams in the Norfolk, Virginia area.
In April 1993, the 12,067-seat Harbor Park baseball stadium opened, hosting the Norfolk Tides Triple-A minor league baseball team. It received the honor of best minor league park in 1995 by Baseball America. [5]
From 1970 to 1976, Norfolk served as home court (along with Hampton, Richmond and Roanoke) for the Virginia Squires regional professional basketball franchise of the now-defunct American Basketball Association (ABA). From 1970 to 1971, the Squires played their Norfolk home games at the Old Dominion University Fieldhouse. In November 1971, the Virginia Squires played their Norfolk home games at the new Norfolk Scope arena, until the team and the ABA league folded in May 1976. [6]
On January 30, 1974, the city hosted its first professional basketball all-star game, courtesy of the American Basketball Association, at the Norfolk Scope. 10,624 spectators were in attendance, as Artis Gilmore won Most Valuable Player of the 1974 ABA All-Star Game. [7]
In 1997, the National Hockey League rejected a bid for the proposed Hampton Roads Rhinos to enter the league as an expansion franchise. [8]
The former Hampton Roads Admirals won three championships in the ECHL while it played from 1989 until 2000. The Admirals' ownership then acquired an expansion franchise in the American Hockey League and called it the Norfolk Admirals. In 2015, the AHL Admirals were purchased and relocated. Norfolk would then receive another ECHL team that would share that same name for the 2015–16 season. [9]
Old Dominion Monarchs and the Norfolk State Spartans play in NCAA Division I while the Virginia Wesleyan College's Marlins play in NCAA Division III. [3] [4] [10]
On March 29, 1982, Norfolk hosted the first NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship (also known as the Women's Final Four). The Norfolk Scope served as the chief venue for the event. 9,531 spectators were in attendance at this inaugural event. [11] On April 3, 1983, Norfolk hosted the second NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship at the Norfolk Scope. 7,837 spectators were in attendance. [12]
The Norfolk Scope has served as the site of many professional wrestling events, including Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Destination X and World Championship Wrestling's World War III. Norfolk Scope was also the site of an episode of WCW Monday Nitro, where several World Wrestling Federation wrestlers drove a tank to the entryway of the Scope, thus "invading" the competition.
In 1971, Norfolk built the region's first entertainment and sports complex, featuring Chrysler Hall and the 13,800-seat Norfolk Scope indoor arena, located in the northern section of downtown. Norfolk Scope has served as a venue for major events.
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the league has an affiliation agreement with one NHL team. When NHL teams do not have an AHL affiliate, players are assigned to AHL teams affiliated with other NHL teams. Twenty-six AHL teams are located in the United States and the remaining six are in Canada. The league offices are located in Springfield, Massachusetts, and its current president is Scott Howson.
The Washington Caps were an American Basketball Association team from 1969 through 1970. The franchise had previously been the Oakland Oaks. From 1970 through 1976 the team played as the Virginia Squires.
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The Virginia Squires were a basketball team based in Norfolk, Virginia, and playing in several other Virginia cities. They were members of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976.
The Norfolk Admirals were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League. They became affiliated with the Anaheim Ducks after being dropped from the Tampa Bay Lightning following their 2012 AHL championship season. The Admirals played in Norfolk, Virginia at the Norfolk Scope.
Richmond Coliseum is a defunct arena located in downtown Richmond, Virginia, with a capacity of 13,500 that was most often used for various large concerts. The arena opened in 1971 and the region is looking to replace the aging facility with a larger one. The arena was quietly shuttered in February 2019 while new proposed replacements are in development.
Berglund Center is a 10,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in the Williamson Road neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia. It was built in 1971. It was the former home to the Roanoke Dazzle basketball team, as well as the Roanoke Express and Roanoke Valley Vipers ice hockey teams. Currently, it is the home of the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs of the Southern Professional Hockey League, Virginia Tech, Radford University and Roanoke College men's ice hockey teams. The arena is also the home of the annual boys basketball games between Roanoke's two city high schools, Patrick Henry High School and William Fleming High School.
Sports in Louisville, Kentucky include amateur and professional sports in baseball, football, basketball, horse racing, horse shows, ice hockey, soccer and lacrosse. The city of Louisville and the Louisville metropolitan area have a sporting history from the mid-19th century to the present day.
The Hampton Roads Admirals were a professional ice hockey team in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). They played in Norfolk, Virginia at the Norfolk Scope Arena from 1989 until 2000, when the owners purchased an expansion American Hockey League franchise that became the Norfolk Admirals. In 2015, the AHL Admirals were relocated and the ECHL returned to Norfolk with the current Norfolk Admirals.
The Richmond Renegades were an ECHL ice hockey team in Richmond, Virginia that played in the East Coast Hockey League from 1990 until 2003. The Renegades played at the Richmond Coliseum, which they marketed in later years as the Freezer.
Old Dominion University Fieldhouse was a 5,200-seat multi-purpose arena located on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Opened in 1970, it was home to the Old Dominion Monarchs and Lady Monarchs college basketball teams until the 2002–03 season, when the Ted Constant Convocation Center opened. The fieldhouse was demolished in 2006.
The Virginia Wings were a professional ice hockey team based in Norfolk, Virginia of the greater Hampton Roads area. They were an affiliated farm team of the Detroit Red Wings, and a member of the American Hockey League for three seasons from 1972–73 to 1974–75. The Wings were previously known as the Tidewater Wings for the 1971–72 season. Their cross-state rivals in the AHL were the Richmond Robins.
Sports in Omaha, Nebraska are supported by a high attendance at events and tax support from the City of Omaha. Omaha, Nebraska is home to several professional sports teams and modern sports venues.
Sports teams in Virginia include several professional teams, but no professional major-league teams. Virginia is the most populous U.S. state without a major professional sports league franchise playing within its borders, although two of the major-league teams representing Washington, D.C.—the NFL's Washington Commanders and NHL's Washington Capitals—have their practice facilities and operational headquarters in Northern Virginia.
Orlando, Florida has a history of major events in sports. It has had a considerable measure of success in minor league sports as well, with teams winning several minor league championships.
The U.S. state of Florida has three National Football League teams, two Major League Baseball teams, two National Basketball Association teams, two National Hockey League teams, two Major League Soccer teams and 13 NCAA Division I college teams.
Rod Taylor is an American former professional ice hockey player. Taylor played twelve years in the East Coast Hockey League, scoring 689 points in 678 games. He is the second all-time career scorer in the ECHL and was inducted to the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2019, he became head coach of the Norfolk Admirals in the ECHL.
The Bakersfield Condors are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) based in Bakersfield, California. The team is owned by and affiliated with the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers. The Condors play their home games at Mechanics Bank Arena. The AHL franchise is a relocation of the Oklahoma City Barons, which joined four other AHL franchises in 2015 as the basis to form a new Pacific Division in California.
The Norfolk Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL that began play in the 2015–16 season. Based in Norfolk, Virginia, the team plays its home games at the Norfolk Scope. The Admirals replaced the American Hockey League team of the same name, which played from 2000 until 2015, after which they moved to San Diego, California, and became the current incarnation of the San Diego Gulls.
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