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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Oct. 10, 2001
Contact: John Johnson or Randy Allen-- 517.332.5046

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Oct. 10 - The announcement of the 256 schools qualifying for the Michigan High School Athletic Association Football Playoffs and the first-round pairings will be unveiled on statewide television at 6:30 p.m. (EDT) on October 21, on the Selection Sunday Show on FOX Sports Net.

The Selection Sunday Show is a 60-minute program which will carry the first announcement of the qualifiers and pairings. The MHSAA will produce the program, with FOX Sports Net providing the vehicle for the statewide distribution.

The program, which will be hosted by John Keating and Matt Shepard of FOX Sports Net, will also include features on six of the teams qualifying for this year's playoffs, and an interview with MHSAA Executive Director John E. "Jack" Roberts. The Selection Sunday Show is sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance.

Shortly after pairings are announced on the Selection Sunday Show, they will also be released to the media and posted to the MHSAA Web Site - www.mhsaa.com. The approximate Web Site release timetable is as follows:

Division 7 & 8 Pairings - 6:45 p.m. Division 5 & 6 Pairings - 7 p.m.
Division 3 & 4 Pairings - 7:15 p.m. Division 1 & 2 Pairings - 7:30 p.m.

Host schools will provide game dates and times to the MHSAA for posting on its web site on October 22. Update times are approximately Noon and 4:30 p.m.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,300 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract over 1.6 million spectators each year.

Farm Bureau Insurance is a year-round MHSAA Corporate Partner