The franchise was originally owned by Bill MacFarlane and was later taken over by a local ownership group in January 2000.
[2] 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.
After the 2000–01 season, Tupelo was invited to be a part of the WPHL-Central Hockey League merger.
It would have set up a local rivalry with a CHL member, the Memphis RiverKings.
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.