Loyal fans greatly disappointed.

On Monday Tulsa Shock majority owner Bill Cameron announced that the team will be relocating to Dallas at the end of the season.

The announcement confirms the rumors that has been circulating for a week now.

Cameron stated that it was a “difficult decision” but it was a necessary one to ensure the team’s long term financial success.

“I am thankful for the support we have received from the city of Tulsa, Mayors Taylor and Bartlett, local fans and sponsors over the last six years. I appreciate the Tulsa investors who stepped up at a critical time to help me bring the Shock to Tulsa from Detroit in 2010,” Cameron said.

The announcement is a dagger through the hearts of the die-hard Shock fans, who in the last week mounted a “Save Our Shock” campaign in a grass roots effort to prevent the franchise from moving, enlisting the help of current Tulsa mayor Dewey Bartlett and former mayor Kathy Taylor.

The organizers of the group handed out more than 800 T-shirts and signs at Sunday’s home game against the Minnesota Lynx.

Since 1984, this is third major league sports team to depart the city of Tulsa. In 1985 the Tulsa Roughnecks of the North American Soccer League (NASL) folded along with the league, two seasons after the team had won the NASL title. The Tulsa Talons of the Arena Football League unceremoniously left Tulsa in 2011 for San Antonio, and ceased operations there just this season.

Other professional teams to fall victim to departure or folding outright are the Tulsa Fastbreakers/Zone of the Continental Basketball Association, The Tulsa 66ers of the NBA D-League, (who are now the Oklahoma City Blue),and the Tulsa Ambush of the National Professional Soccer League.

Photo Credit: Greg Duke, Tulsa Today.