Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Gateway Conference signs five-year agreement with ESPNU
09/15/2005 | 12:00:00 | Football
Sept. 15, 2005
ST. LOUIS - ESPNU, the new 24-hour college sports network, has reached a five-year agreement (through 2009) with the Gateway Football Conference. As part of the agreement, ESPNU has the option to produce and distribute one or more live telecasts of a Gateway Football Conference game in each year of the term.
Southern Illinois (2-0) and Western Kentucky (2-0) will be the first Gateway game featured as part of the agreement. The teams are ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in this week's top-25 poll. The game will be carried on ESPNU on Thursday, Oct. 27, at 6:30 p.m. CT, from Bowling Green's L.T. Smith Stadium. It marks the 200th game in the history of the stadium.
"ESPNU is thrilled to establish a new partnership with the Gateway Football Conference and what a way to kick it off with Southern Illinois vs. Western Kentucky on October 27," said Burke Magnus, vice president and general manager, ESPNU. "By delivering Gateway football games to fans on ESPNU, we are able to provide the Conference a truly national platform for their institutions and student-athletes, and the great stories coming from their competitions."
Gateway Conference Commissioner Patty Viverito added, "This is truly a groundbreaking moment for the Gateway Football Conference. To have Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky featured on ESPNU's national television package is a fitting tribute to the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the I-AA national polls."
When Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky meet Oct. 27, it will mark the first regular-season Gateway Conference telecast featured on the ESPN family of networks since the 1986 season, when UNI defeated Indiana State, 45-10, on ESPN. Gateway teams have also been featured on ESPN2 during the NCAA I-AA playoffs, most recently in 2002 when Western Kentucky defeated McNeese State in the national championship game.
The ESPNU schedule features approximately 300 live events (regular-season and championships) in the network's first year. Action includes a variety of top football and men's and women's basketball mixed with baseball, softball, volleyball, lacrosse, ice hockey, wrestling and more. ESPNU will also offer comprehensive studio programming, replays of ABC Sports, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Regional Television games, plus specials and more.
ESPNU has secured distribution agreements with DIRECTV, Adelphia, Mediacom, several smaller affiliates and is close to distribution agreements with others. The 24-hour television network is the key component of the multi-media ESPNU initiative that will deliver college sports content across ESPN's family of services, such as ESPN.com, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Mobile, ESPN Radio, ESPN Interactive, ESPN360, merchandising and more.
