This article was posted with permission from The Great Falls Tribune.
We Pick the Winners: Packer Backer Tom Purvis joins the panel
By Jesse Geleynse/Sports writer/Great Falls Tribune
You might see him, at your service, on the television at night.
He’s Tom Purvis (Epsilon Kappa/Idaho 2008), and he comes to you live most evenings as sports director at KFBB.
He is also this week’s guest in “We Pick the Winners.” Last week’s guest Cory Smith tapped out with an 11-7 mark.
Tom is a native of Sisters, Ore., and attended the University of Idaho where he matriculated in 2009, but his lovely wife, Alex, is a Montana alumnus. The couple has a 13-month-old son, Eli, and have been in the Electric City for roughly the same amount of time.
Alex sometimes joins Tom in Great Falls with Eli in tow. If you ask nicely, Eli will give you a high five.
“I like the small-town feel,” Purvis said of Great Falls. “I like the community, the pride in the local high schools and stuff. There’s something about Montana that draws you in, and I have enjoyed my time here.”
A former quarterback/safety/wide receiver in high school, Tom says covering the Friday night lights are his favorite part of the job.
“High school football, man, no doubt about it,” he said. “I love covering high school football games.”
He also played some high school basketball, mostly at guard. But he also spent some time at post.
“I had no idea how to play (post), so I rode the pine for awhile. It was more of a roster thing. I wasn’t tall per se, but I was taller than (others),” he said. “Maybe they stuck me there cuz it hurt us the least.”
Tom was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity at Idaho, and met Alex at a Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) event in Spokane. Tom proposed to her on top of the Eiffel Tower. (Actually it was in Siena, Italy, where they were working with Cru. But we like the Paris version better).
He’s an avid Green Bay Packer Backer, so don’t bring up Golden Tate’s immaculate reception from a year ago. Naturally he’s taking the Packers over the defending Super Bowl champs.
He grew up a fan of Oregon State, but his Palouse leanings trumped his home state loyalties as he picked the Cougs to top the Beavers.
Tom has become a “Duck sympathizer” in the past few years, so he likes them to ruin UW’s appearance on ESPN’s College Gameday. Heck, we’re all Duck sympathizers this weekend.
This would probably be the time to mention this is the twilight of Tom’s time in Great Falls. He recently accepted a job doing play-by-play for the University of Idaho women’s basketball team.
“My long-term goal is to be in play-by-play,” Tom said. “I enjoy TV and I’m not saying I wouldn’t stay in TV, but I’ve wanted to do play-by-play since seventh or eighth grade. My ultimate dream would be to do play-by-play for the Green Bay Packers.”
Just watch out for those Hail Marys, Tom.
To view the original story, click here http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20131010/SPORTS/310100043/We-Pick-Winners-Packer-Backer-Tom-Purvis-joins-panel