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Deal in works to televise Tatum-Gilmer football game


By GABRIEL D. BROOKS

Thursday, July 19, 2007

A deal is in the works that would televise this season's Tatum-Gilmer football game, according to Tatum coach Andy Evans and Titus Sports Marketing spokesman Dave Stephenson.

Evans said Titus approached him and Gilmer coach Jeff Traylor offering the possibility to televise the game, which is during the second week of the season, but that a deal is not finalized and is still in the works.

"We've not officially signed an agreement yet," Evans said. "I haven't signed the contract and I don't know if coach (Traylor) has signed it or not."

Gilmer hosted Tatum last season in a 45-21 Buckeye win, and this year's game was scheduled to be at Eagle Stadium in Tatum. However, University Interscholastic League rules prohibit televising a game on Friday nights, so the game would be held Thursday, Sept. 6 at 8 p.m. and would be moved to Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium in Tyler.

Stephenson said the agreement in the works included "six or seven different options," but did not go into any further detail. Evans said his understanding was that Fox Sports Southwest was most likely the channel that would broadcast the game.

"We are working on it and currently working on possible television for that game. It's going to take a couple weeks, but it's something we've been working on," Stephenson said. "It takes quite a while to put something together."

Stephenson said it could be August before a contract was finalized, but Evans is optimistic about the situation.

"It could fall through, but I don't think it's going to," said Evans, who recently got back from a vacation and hasn't been available for any discussion of the agreement.

Evans said he is reluctant to give up a home game, but that he got his captains involved in the decision to pursue the deal and his players wanted the chance to play on television.

"We were approached by this company about this being a marquee game and it being good exposure for our kids," Evans said. "We're doing it for our kids and trying to get our kids some exposure.

"We're getting to do some things at Tatum right now we haven't been able to do before. I asked the kids if they wanted to do it and several of them said yes. We've got some guys we feel like could get some recruiting exposure, and I felt like that was something coach Traylor's kids could benefit from as well."

Stephenson said a game including two established smaller schools was something Titus wants to be involved with.

"It's very seldom you get two very, very good small school programs coming together like they are in the second week of the season," Stephenson said.

Traylor could not be immediately reached for comment.

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