LEDGER COLUMNIST
DVD captures the legend of life on The Reservation
Scott POWELL LEDGER STAFF WRITER

"You're gonna give me that T-shirt."

This is one of the tentative titles for a chapter on a DVD chronicling Gaffney High's storied football history at The Reservation. Broadcasting students have spent the past year conducting interviews and locating film footage to cover 70 years of history at W.K. Brumbach Stadium.

In one interview, former Gaffney High defensive end Jeff Coleman shares a memory about how a shirt motivated him to perform in a game against Dorman in the early 1990s.

Coleman liked a T-shirt he spotted a Dorman player wearing before a game. The Dorman player promised Coleman he would give him the T-shirt if the Indians won the football game.

Every time Coleman tackled the player in the backfield he would end the play with the standard reminder, "You're gonna give me that T-shirt."

Coleman does this story much more justice in an interview for the Reservation DVD. He did get the T-shirt, by the way.

The school hopes to have the DVD available for sale this fall. Several promo video clips will be played on the giant electronic scoreboard at the new stadium.

Hopefully, a few relatives and local residents can help Gaffney High students document some missing history from the 2 1/2 hours of footage compiled for the project to date.

While recent NFLplayers like Dominique Stevenson and Sidney Rice are represented, there are no interviews on the DVD with any Gaffney High football players from the 1980s.

Gaffney High webmaster and assistant coach Ben Fuller has told me the school's students want to speak with a few players from the 1980s teams about their memories of playing at The Reservation. This would allow this football era to be represented on the DVD.

Fuller has not been able to locate any game film from the 1980s and 1990s. He would like to include some game footage from these decades on the DVD.

Contact Ben Fuller if you have game film from the 1980s or 1990s or are a former player who wants to share a few memories. He can be reached at Gaffney High at (864) 902- 3600 or by the e-mail address posted on the school's Web site.

Some profits from the Reservation DVD could allow Gaffney High to add cameras for instant replay at football games. Then we might know what actually happened on the miracle fumble by Spartanburg quarterback Nick Prochak in the closing moments of a 2005 playoff game that helped pave the way for a Gaffney title run.

There is still time to contribute to the Reservation DVD.

Bill Bradley and Roger Harris are among the former football players from the 1950s and 1960s who have been interviewed by students since the project began. The school has been able to convert 8 millimeter film into digital DVD-quality game footage from 1960 to 1969.

"We can take any old videotape and game film and convert it for use on the DVD," Fuller said. "Our payment for bringing in old game footage is we will make it into a DVD for the person so they will have it forever. This project isn't about state championships, but recording the memories players and coaches have of playing at The Reservation."

Gaffney High players make their entrance onto the game field through a tunnel. Fans will experience the tradition at The Reservation as experienced by quarterback Joe Craig during the final season.

"It's like Superman coming out of the phone booth," said running back Charles Palmer, who played for Gaffney in the early 1990s.

Memories become great because those stories are passed down from generation to generation. It's important to record the memories players and coaches have from being in The Reservation so people will always remember.

Tradition demands it.

Scott Powell (spowell@gaffneyledger.com) covers education issues for The Gaffney Ledger.