The Tupelo T-Rex was a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

team in the

Western Professional Hockey League The Western Professional Hockey League (abbreviated WPHL) is a defunct minor professional ice hockey league. The WPHL operated from 1996 to 2001 with teams based in the southern United States, primarily Texas and Louisiana. The league started with ...

and played their home games at BancorpSouth Center from 1998 to 2001. The owners of the T-Rex also fielded a

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

team in the

America West Hockey League The America West Hockey League (AWHL) was a Tier II Junior A ice hockey league. The AWHL was formed in 1992 to offer junior ice hockey to the Rocky Mountain region of USA Hockey. It originally was called the American Frontier Hockey League (AFHL), ...

from 2001 to 2003 when they were unable to continue fielding a professional team.

History

The franchise was originally owned by Bill MacFarlane and was later taken over by a local ownership group in January 2000. During the 2000–01 season, the team brought in key play makers including Jason Firth, Brant Blackned, and Barry McKinley who helped lead the T-Rex to a regular season championship.

Issues with Tupelo, CHL, and SEHL

After the 2000–01 season, Tupelo was invited to be a part of the WPHL-

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

merger. It would have set up a local rivalry with CHL member, the

Memphis RiverKings Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memphi ...

. However, the T-Rex ownership refused and decided not to join the merger. Their attempts to join two other pro leagues backfired when the CHL invoked a non-compete clause, claiming the territorial rights to Tupelo as part of the merger. With no other options, Tupelo folded as a pro franchise and began as a junior team in the

where they lasted two more seasons before folding again in 2003.Tupelo T-Rex Statistics and History AWHL
/ref> In 2003, the T-Rex attempted join the

Atlantic Coast Hockey League The Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) was a minor league hockey organization that operated between 1981 and 1987. The league was founded by Bill Coffey. The Bob Payne Trophy was awarded to the team who won the league playoff championship. Acc ...

, which then was succeeded by the South East Hockey League after a league split. However, the team was again barred by the Central Hockey League, which still had a five-year non-compete clause at the BancorpSouth Center and no professional hockey team could enter the venue in Tupelo.Will Birmingham join the South East Hockey League in 2003?
/ref> The legal issues the team faced prevented the team from recovering by the time the non-compete clause terminated. Since then, the only ice hockey to have been played at the BancorpSouth Arena has been the

Ole Miss Rebels The Ole Miss Rebels are the 18 men's and women's intercollegiate athletic teams that are funded by and represent the University of Mississippi, located in Oxford. The first was the football team, which began play in 1893. Originally known as th ...

and

Mississippi State Bulldogs Mississippi State Bulldogs is the name given to the athletic teams of Mississippi State University, in Mississippi State, Mississippi. The university is a founding member of the Southeastern Conference and competes in NCAA Division I. Sports sp ...

DIII men's ice hockey clubs.

References

{{reflist Ice hockey teams in Mississippi Sports in Tupelo, Mississippi Defunct ice hockey teams in the United States 1998 establishments in Mississippi 2001 disestablishments in Mississippi Ice hockey clubs established in 1998 Sports clubs disestablished in 2001

History

Issues with Tupelo, CHL, and SEHL

See also

References