I'm going to start a new topic to announce Tillman, from a credible news source, has been named the Riders new GM.
[url=http://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/article.jsp?content=20060822_113756_4404]http://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/ar ... 13756_4404[/url]Sportsnet has learned that Eric Tillman has agreed to a multi-year contract to be the new general manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. An official announcement is expected later today.
Tillman, who had been a CFL analyst for both Sportsnet and the CBC the last two years, will begin his new duties immediately.
One of the most respected and admired football minds in Canada, Tillman previously won Grey Cups as the GM of the BC Lions (1994) and with the Toronto Argonauts (1997).
With Tillman in place, the big question is in regards to the future of head coach Danny Barrett.
Should Tillman decide to make a coaching change in the off-season, there is a long list of potential candidates.
They include:
George Cortez, the former long-time offensive coordinator with the Calgary Stampeders.
Kent Austin, the Argos former offensive coordinator and a long time friend of Tillman's.
Greg Marshall, the Winnipeg Bluebombers current defensive coordinator.
Tillman met with the Roughriders Tuesday to discuss the possibility of him taking over the helm in Saskatchewan. Although there were reports stating there were others in contention for the GM position, Tillman was their first choice and it was his to decline.
Tillman turned the Roughriders down in 1999, but mostly because of matters of the heart as he had just started seeing the woman who would eventually become his wife. Now married with a young family -- a two-year-old daughter and one-year-old son -- Tillman has no regrets.
"In '99 I was a 40-year-old bachelor in a formative relationship," Tillman said. "It's obvious I made the right decision.
Shivers, 65, had been with the Roughriders since December 1999 -- taking the job after Tillman turned it down -- and compiled a 52-64-1 record with head coach-assistant GM Danny Barrett, who between them formed the first African-American management team in pro football.
Shivers and Barrett inherited a team that finished 3-15 in '98 but has made the CFL playoffs the last four years. Still, Saskatchewan hasn't hosted a post-season contest since 1988 and last won the Grey Cup in 1989.
With files from CP