Group Tries to Tackle Turning Air Base Into NFL Stadium

One is a legendary USC football star seeking another shot at the NFL. Another is a well-connected consultant known for helping developers cut through red tape at Los Angeles City Hall. A third is an Irvine financial planner on a mission to bring pro football to his hometown.

Together, they are trying to pull off a huge upset in what has become a high-stakes political Super Bowl: Luring the National Football League back to Southern California.

Anthony Davis, Donn F. Morey and Walter Burrows want to build a football stadium at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station and told Irvine city officials earlier this month that they’ve lined up $500 million from investors willing to finance the project.

The three partners and their dream of football along the Santa Ana Freeway enter the competition as underdogs, jockeying against no less than five other stadium proposals in Los Angeles County. But they’ve convinced some community leaders that they can build the project without any taxpayer subsidies and, at the very least, have gotten the attention of developers involved in other stadium sites.

“It’s going to be a challenge, but we can pull it off. This is what America is about,” said Davis, the USC All-American who in 1972 scored six touchdowns in a game against Notre Dame.

Some sports consultants and business experts say Davis and his colleagues will need to deliver another extraordinary performance to be successful against the likes of Hollywood mogul Michael Ovitz, who is pushing a Carson stadium plan, and Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, who favors a site at the Coliseum.

While Davis, Morey and Burrows have worked in real estate for years, none have handled a deal even remotely on the scale of their stadium proposal. Except for Davis, they are largely unknown in NFL circles and are new to sports development.

In fact, the stadium marks their first business collaboration, having come together nine months ago after Burrows read a newspaper column by Irvine Mayor Christina Shea about the city’s interest in building a stadium at the southern edge of the Marine base.

Some experts believe the partners’ lack of big-name cachet could present problems. But others say their proposal has a shot--if they can make good on their promise to raise $500 million.

“Being Mike Ovitz might have some selling points because L.A. is the entertainment capital. But even if you have a lower profile, it all comes down to the business proposition,” said Max Muhleman, a Charlotte, N.C.-based sports consultant. “The bottom line is how solid the financial plan is.”

City officials are now trying to answer this question with extensive background checks on the partners and the potential investors who would pledge the $500 million. The checks are scheduled to be complete by Tuesday, when the City Council will consider the proposal. Shea said she isn’t aware of any problems that have turned up.

Irvine officials and the three partners have declined to say who the investors are or where the $500 million would come from--at least until a deal is worked out.

Davis, Morey and Burrows, who call their enterprise the Southern California Sports Group, have pledged to raise the $500 million if Irvine gives it exclusive rights to develop the stadium and help find a team owner.

The sum is expected to pay for the stadium itself. But another $500 million would be needed to lure a team, recruit players and coaches and pay for publicity and other expenses. The federal government would have to convey the land--about 440 acres--to the city for the stadium plan to have a chance.

Morey, 54, is chief executive officer of the sports group. Of the three, he has the most experience with grand-scale developments.

He worked for 15 years as a Los Angeles planning official before opening his own consulting business in Santa Monica.

His biggest project was on behalf of the Getty Center in Brentwood. Morey’s firm, Morey/Seymour & Associates, spent seven years securing city permits and approvals for the $1-billion, 110-acre landmark.

Curt Williams, director of operations for the Getty Foundation, praised Morey for convincing Los Angeles building department to assign several officials exclusively to the art complex project--a move that saved time.

“He is very good at making a development happen from a governmental point of view,” added Ted Tanaka, a Marina del Rey architectural planner. “He understands the process.”

Morey also has political ties. In the months leading up to the 1996 elections, for example, his firm contributed $4,650 to 10 Los Angeles City Council members as well as Riordan and City Controller Rick Tuttle, according to records from the city’s Ethics Commission.

Morey said he made the contributions less for business reasons than as a way of supporting “friends” at City Hall. “I think they are doing a good job, and I like to support them,” he said.

*

While Morey specializes in government affairs, Burrows is the group’s financial expert. A 12-year Irvine resident, Burrows worked for years as a real estate lender for several major banks.

His specialty was putting together financing for commercial land purchases and building construction. He also designed financing deals for major housing developments in the Inland Empire and south Orange County.

Like many others in the real estate industry, Burrows was hit hard by the economic recession of the early 1990s. He lost his job and filed for personal bankruptcy. He now runs his own financial advising firm based in Irvine.

In recent months, he has devoted most of his time to crunching numbers, meeting with investors and putting together the financing for the group’s stadium plan.

Burrows, 55, knew both Morey and Davis casually, and after reading the mayor’s newspaper column, saw the stadium as an opportunity for the three to team up.

Morey and Burrows largely work behind the scenes, leaving public affairs to Davis.

Davis, 45, went from starring at USC to a less-successful pro football career that included stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Houston Oilers as well as the Canadian Football League and World Football League.

More recently, Davis has worked as a motivational speaker and as a spokesman for Nike; he also has performed in several film and television shows and runs a small real estate business.

Davis acknowledged that most of his development experience is limited to foreclosures and new construction but said his background with the NFL is what counts.

“I’ve been in most of the NFL stadiums, so I can truly say that Irvine is a prime site,” he said.

Last fall, Davis, Morey and Burrows first toured the base site. They were impressed by both its location and the surrounding open space, where they hope to build an international sports museum complete with memorabilia displays and exhibit halls. They also see the potential for restaurants, hotels and an entertainment complex surrounding the 85,000-seat stadium.

“Instead of just coming to a day game, this could be a place where families come for an entire weekend of activities,” Davis said.

To Burrows, the El Toro site is superior to those in Los Angeles because it is a “clean piece of land.” He also said: “You don’t have the crime, or the urban decay. You don’t have to displace homes or businesses.”

But some experts are skeptical.

Robert Baade, professor of economics at Lake Forest College in Illinois, said it makes more sense to locate a new NFL team in Los Angeles because of the city’s central location in the heart of Southern California.

Added Muhleman, the Charlotte sports consultant: “Your primary fan identity generally extends in a 20- to 40-mile radius from the stadium, and that makes Irvine a problem because it is at the south end of the region. It’s going to be hard for people in Brentwood or Northridge to get to Irvine.”

Steven L. Soboroff, a close advisor to Riordan who crafted the deal for a new downtown arena set to open as the home to the Lakers and Kings in the fall of 1999, said that any stadium in Los Angeles is likely to draw fans from Orange County and across Southern California, while an Orange County stadium is not as likely to draw fans from Los Angeles and communities to the north.

Peter Ueberroth, the Newport Beach businessman and former baseball commissioner, disagreed. He said football fans are traditionally willing to travel some distance to see their team in action.

“It would be more difficult with baseball, where you have 162 games. But with football, you are only talking about a dozen games,” he said. “I’ve always believed Orange County could support a football team. This area has one of the finest fan-support bases in the country.”

The NFL is expected to award its next expansion franchise over the next year. Los Angeles, along with Houston and possibly Toronto, are considered leading contenders, but the new team probably won’t play until at least 2001.

*

Times librarian Lois Hooker contributed to this report.