Arena football announcement set for today

Wednesday, November 17th 1999, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- It looks like Oklahomans will have another football team to keep up with. The Arena Football League's former Portland Forest Dragons are scheduled to hold a news conference today at the Myriad Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City. Memphis businessman Ed Gatlin, who owns the club, said he lost nearly two million dollars the past two years the team was in
Oregon.

Gatlin says a lease to play eight home games, beginning in late April, at the Myriad was the only thing standing in the way from announcing the move. Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys says negotiations are still
going on. But talks apparently are going well enough that Gatlin will be in town today to make the announcement.

Oklahoma City was awarded an Arena-Two football franchise this past summer. Humphreys took a delegation to Albany, New York, in August in an effort to lure an
established A-F-L franchise to the city.

Humphreys says he's not sure what process will be established to name the team.