NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



Charlotte Checkers

Checkers front office builds on success

April 21, 2005 - ECHL (ECHL)
Charlotte Checkers News Release


CHARLOTTE, NC – The Charlotte Checkers announced today that head coach and general manager Derek Wilkinson and president Jeff Longo have signed two-year extensions with the organization. The announcement was made by Checkers owner and CEO, Carl Scheer.

“In Jeff and Derek, we have signed two of the finest young executives in the ECHL,” said Scheer. “Their consummate leadership abilities will guide the Checkers as we move forward into this new era.”

In his first full season as head coach and general manager, Wilkinson has lead the Checkers to their first playoff appearance in three seasons. Finishing the 2004-05 campaign with an overall record of 39-26-7, the Checkers won 24 of 36 games at home and finished third in the East Division. Down 2-0 in the best-of-five American Conference quarterfinals against the Columbia Inferno, WilkinsonÂ’s team notched three straight victories including a come-from-behind overtime win last night to clinch the series. The accomplishment marks only the third time in the teamÂ’s 12-year history that the Checkers have advanced to the second round of the playoffs.

The driving force behind a 10% increase in attendance this season, Longo came to Charlotte after spending six seasons with the San Diego Gulls (WCHL). During LongoÂ’s tenure with the Gulls, San Diego was named Organization of the Year in 2000 and 2003, and led the league in attendance for each of LongoÂ’s six seasons. The Charlotte Checkers under Longo have seen a 35% increase in group tickets, a 30% increase in corporate sales, and a doubling of the amount of mini-season ticket sales.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Charlotte Checkers advance to play the Gwinnett Gladiators in the best-of-five American Conference Semifinals. Games 1 and 2 will be held Sunday, April 24th and Monday, April 25th at Gwinnett (an Atlanta suburb). The Checkers return home to host the Gladiators at Cricket Arena for Games 3 and 4 on Wednesday, April 27th and Thursday, April 28th at 7:00 p.m. For playoff tickets, please call the Checkers Playoff Headquarters at 704-342-4ICE or visit www.gocheckers.com. Tickets may also be purchased at the Cricket Arena box office, the Coliseum box office, or by calling Ticketmaster at 704-522-6500.

Check out the Charlotte Checkers Statistics

• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...

ECHL Stories from April 21, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central