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Friday, December 19, 2008 7:10 PM EST
Football team GM, mayor huddle up, discuss game plan
By John T. Eberth
Olean Times Herald
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| Lawrence "J.R." Bennion, general manager and head coach of the Southern Tier Diesel football team inks an agreement as Olean mayor David Carucci watches Dec. 18. The deal will bring the team to Bradner Stadium in 2009. Photo by Darrell Gronemeier |
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OLEAN - When J.R. Bennion started searching for a new home for his Southern Tier Diesel football team, he went looking for a football town.
He found Olean.
Mr. Bennion is the owner, general manager and coach of Southern Tier Diesel, part of the Northeastern Football Alliance. On Thursday, he signed a one-year agreement with Mayor David Carucci to bring the team to Bradner Stadium for its 2009 season, which runs from April to October.
No money will change hands. In return for a free place to play, the team will cover the city under its liability insurance and allow the city to keep all revenue from home-game ticket sales. Mayor Carucci estimates the team will draw 300 people for each of its five home games at Bradner, an estimated $7,500 total for the city.
He said it will cost the city around $1,000 for the season to line the field an pay the electric bill for stadium lighting. Mayor Carucci predicted the team will draw people to its games and turn out to be a boon to downtown.
“People are going to come here for the games, some of them are going to stay overnight. They’re going to get a room and they’re going to eat in our restaurants,” he said.
Southern Tier Diesel has called Victory Park in Wayland, N.Y. its home for years. But the high schools are more likely to field soccer teams than football teams and Southern Tier Diesel recruits many players from high school football teams.
Mr. Bennion said he started thinking about a move to Olean because players from the region played for Southern Tier Diesel in the past. He said he also believes there are more people in the Olean area who would be likely to attend a Southern Tier Diesel home game and support the team in general.
“The area is more densely populated and it’s got more football schools in the region,” he said.
Early indications are Olean may be a good fit for the team. Mr. Bennion said he’s already got a list of 40 players from the area interested in playing for Southern Tier Diesel. For the last several weeks, the team has posted notices in the Times Herald’s sports section looking for players.
Mr. Bennion wouldn’t release the list until the team’s roster is finalized. Mayor Carucci said he looked it over and noticed the names of several area high school football standouts, names likely to draw fans to Bradner Stadium. People interested in playing for the team or helping it in other ways are encouraged to call Mr. Bennion at (607) 661-0536.
The team’s season begins in April. They’ll play five home games at Bradner, the first in July. Mayor Carucci said while Southern Tier Diesel will own the team, a new name will be chosen for it before practice begins at Bradner.
“We’re going to have a contest to name the team,” he said.
People can send suggestions for a team name to Mayor David Carucci, P.O. Box 668, Olean, NY 14760 or by e-mail to dcarucci@cityofolean.org. Submissions will be accepted until Jan. 15. Whoever wins the contest will get a free season pass.
Mr. Bennion said no one on the team will be paid and everyone buys their own equipment. Many of the players are in college, and a paycheck would force them to choose between college sports and the semi-pro team.
“Nobody in this league is paid because it would violate NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) rules,” he said. “The guys in the league play for the love of the game.”
Mr. Bennion himself played football at Alfred State College, but marriage and a baby cut short his college football career.
Mayor Carucci said he was wrong in calling the deal signed Thursday a contract in an e-mail he sent Common Council members.
“It’s a rental agreement, not a contract,” he said. “I sent an e-mail to the aldermen apologizing for calling it a contract.”
Alderman Frank Steffen, D-Ward 7, objected to Mayor Carucci signing the agreement within 24 hours of alerting the council to the deal. Mr. Steffen said while he’s for bringing the team to Bradner, he thinks the mayor should have discussed the deal sooner with the council. He also questioned whether the mayor can sign the deal without council approval.
But Alderman Michael Kayes, D-Ward 2, sent an e-mail to his fellow council members Thursday, saying he sees no problem with the mayor’s action.
“I just feel it falls under the same rules as someone renting one of the parks,” Mr. Kayes said this morning. “I think this has potential to bring people here who have no idea what Olean is like. I’d love to see it work, just to bring a little more attention to the city and maybe some business downtown.”
(Contact reporter John Eberth at jeberth@oleantimesherald.com)
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