Carrollton, GA July 12, 2005 – At the Division I level, collegiate programs regularly move the dates and starting times of football games to accommodate the demands of television. For Division II programs like West Georgia, however, the occurrence is much more rare.
This season, for only the second time in school history, West Georgia will move the date and kickoff time of a football game for television.
West Georgias appearance in the Nick Hyder Football Classic vs. Carson-Newman, originally set for September 3, has been changed from Saturday to Thursday. The Braves and Eagles will play on September 1 in Romes Barron Stadium, with the 7:00 kickoff slated for telecast by Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS).
This is a great opportunity for our players to get to play on television, said UWG coach Mike Ledford. The benefit to our program and the positive exposure for our university far outweighs any inconvenience of having to play on the road on Thursday night.
West Georgias TV appearance is only the seventh in the programs 25-year modern history of football, and its first in five years. UWG appeared on three regional telecasts during the 2000 season, all as part of a Gulf South Conference TV package. Those Braves, who shared the GSC title, scored road wins over Ouachita Baptist and North Alabama, but fell at home to rival Valdosta State.
West Georgias only other move of a contest for TVs sake came during the programs run to a Division III national title in 1982. A road game at Millsaps (Miss.) was shifted from Saturday to Sunday afternoon at the request of CBS-TV, which needed programming during the NFL players strike.
Braves teams are 4-2 all time in televised games. Beyond the wins in 2000 and in the 1982 game at Millsaps, West Georgia also claimed its 82 title on television with a win vs. Augustana (Ill.). The only loss beyond the 2000 Valdosta State came in 1997 at North Dakota State in a game telecast only north-central region of the country. -30-