Outlaws to open season at home

Thursday, Oct. 5, 2000 | 10:02 a.m.

SUN WIRE REPORTS

When the XFL begins its inaugural season in February, football fans in Las Vegas won't have to wait long to see their newest team.

The Las Vegas Outlaws will entertain the New York/New Jersey Hitmen at Sam Boyd Stadium at 5 p.m. when the 10-game season kicks off Saturday, Feb. 3.

Also that day, the Orlando Rage will entertain the Chicago Enforcers.

One of those two games will be televised live nationally by NBC. The network will decide which one.

The following day the Memphis Maniax are at the Birmingham Thunderbolts and the Los Angeles Xtreme travel to the San Francisco Demons to complete the league's first week.

"I can't think of a more exciting way to unveil our product than with these four games," said XFL president Basil V. DeVito Jr.

"In Las Vegas, Orlando and Birmingham the XFL becomes the pro football team in town and the Demons-Xtreme battle, set in beautiful Pacific Bell Park, marks the beginning of what is sure to be a great in-state rivalry."

The 2001 XFL schedule includes a 10-week regular season and a two-game playoff weekend before concluding on April 21 with the league's first championship game.

The title game will be televised by NBC, which also will telecast an XFL game in prime time each Saturday night of the regular season. Sunday XFL games will be telecast on UPN and on a national cable network.

The XFL will feature two four-team conferences, with each team playing a home-and-home series against conference foes and single games against teams outside their conference.

The Eastern Conference will include Birmingham, Chicago, NY/NJ and Orlando, while the Western Conference will be comprised of Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Memphis and San Francisco.

The XFL is jointly owned and operated by World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc.