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Roughriders Are Coming to Wheeling

Arena football team to play at WesBanco Arena

WHEELING–Arena football is coming back to Wheeling.

The Richmond Roughriders are relocating to Wheeling and have signed an agreement to play their home games at WesBanco Arena, starting March 2019.

The team will be re-named the West Virginia Roughriders and will be a member of Professional Arena Football (PAF).

The Roughriders bring football back to an area that enjoyed the success of the Ohio Valley Greyhounds in 2002 and 2003 when they claimed back-to-back titles in the National Indoor Football League.

Now, WesBanco Arena Executive Director Denny Magruder, hopes to bring that same winning environment and tradition back to the Ohio Valley.

“We’re very excited to bring football back to the area,” Magruder said. “The excitement in the building the night that the Greyhounds won the championship was amazing.

“For many years, we have had inquiries from people about teams coming here but nothing made sense.

“This group contacted us about 10 weeks ago and they’ve been to Wheeling.

“I was impressed with their objectives and this is a group that can make football work again in Wheeling, West Virginia.”

The Roughriders played their home games at the Richmond Coliseum last year but with recent stadium issues, the move was the way to go.

The addition of Arena Football in Wheeling comes with many perks, as well.

“Any time that the arena can get between six and 10 events on Friday or Saturday, that puts a lot of cars in the parking garage,” Magruder said. “It puts pre-gamers in restaurants and employees back to work.”

As Roughriders’ ownership looked for a new home, it found the Friendly City to be a perfect match.

“We looked at a ton of venues up and down the East Coast,” Roughriders Owner and General Manager Gregg Fornario said. “We just fell in love with the arena itself.

“And the town is a town that we would love to be a part of. We’ve heard about the history of the Greyhounds and we want to do things the right way.

“We’re excited to be in Wheeling with a passionate ownership group and front office and we will be active in the community and in the schools.”

Before the magic can return to WesBanco Arena, there is plenty of work to be done in preparation for the upcoming campaign.

The PAF is a new league with only three teams at the moment, which includes the New England Cavalry, the Marion Mambas and the Roughriders.

Along with adding teams, scheduling games is another item on the to do list.

“This will be a regional league,” Fornario said. “We’re looking to have North, South and Central Division winners who will play in region during the season and outside the region in the playoffs.

“We’ll also have other teams announced in the weeks to come.

“We’re looking to add teams from Michigan, Ohio and Pittsburgh.”

The arrival of the Roughriders also brings opportunities to local athletes as Fornario understands the importance of the hometown favorites.

“We’re going to have multiple local tryouts,” Fornario said.

That was one concept that excited Magruder.

“One thing that impressed me is that they know that you need to have local, high quality athletes,” Magruder said. “We need name brand athletes.

“This ownership is not on a learning curve. They’ve done this. There is a lot of work to be done behind the scenes but they are willing to put in that effort.”

There will be plenty of experience coming back to lead the Roughriders this year.

Former defensive back of the West Virginia Mountaineers, New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, Ellis Lankster will return to his home state of West Virginia, while former Super Bowl Champion with the New Orleans Saints, wide receiver Robert Meachem, will also bring his talents to Wheeling.

“We have notable players on the team,” Fornario said. “Ellis Lankster was a draft pick of the Buffalo Bills and an alum of West Virginia.

“He was really excited about the move when I told him. He said ‘it’s just an hour or so from Morgantown.’

“Robert Meachem of the New Orleans Saints is also excited to be coming back to play.”

The Roughriders have only been in action for two seasons but have one undefeated season and anArena Pro Football championship to their name and an American Arena League Championship loss a season ago.

In the transition, the Roughriders bring with them 2017 APF Coach of the Year LaRon “Mookie” Zimmerman who carries a 19-2 record in his two season at the helm.

“It’s good to know about their winning tradition,” Magruder said. “But that’s not the only thing. I like what they did with players and ticket plans. They know what they are doing when it comes to marketing and selling tickets and getting involved in the community.

“George Kellas did that very well when he was here with the Greyhounds.”

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