Hal Cowan a busy man
telling Oregon story
By JOYCE BRIDGES
For the Emerald
Hal Cowan is a very busy man.
Director of the University
Athletic News Bureau, Cowan is
responsible for disseminating
sports informat’on to news
media—an enormously involved
task.
His office prepares daily press
releases, informational booklets
and game programs, handles
requests for interviews, photos
and films of coaches and players,
runs the press box at games, and
promotes the Ducks at out-of
town games.
One-man staff
And Cowan is a one-man staff.
“Most schools have at least one
full-time assistant director,”
Cowan explained. “I have two
part-time student assistants,
John Anderson and Scott John
son, who do a good job for me.
But there is always the problem
of breaking in new students after
the old helpers graduate.”
Every Monday a press release
is sent to 900 news represen
tatives across the nation. The
release provides notes for use by
the larger media in developing
stories, and usually a one-page
story, often used verbatim by
smaller newspaers.
Daily releases are issued to
Oregon media to update facts and
provide further ticket and player
data. ‘‘Newspapers in the
smaller hometowns of athletes
are especially interested in the
player feature stories we
provide,” Cowan said.
The bureau publishes press
books containing “just about
IM schedule
Wednesday, Jan. 13: 3:35,
Court 40, The People A vs. Hess
Troops A; 3:35, Court 43, The
Fellows A vs. History A; 4:20,
Court 40, Hale Aloha A vs.
Phandango A; 4:20, Court 43,
Hawaiians A vs. Henry’s Swine
Club A; 5:00, Court 40, Tort
Feasors A vs. Yellow Jackets A;
5:00, Court 43, Adams A vs.
Moore A.
We'll Check Your Car
And giva a written
diagnosis and astimate
WITH NO OBLIGATION
We welcome Problem Jobs
Loan Cars and BankAmaricard
Thrifty Auto
Repair
400 Block Coburg Road
344-2219 Evas. 343-3997
anything you’d like to know about
each of the varsity sports at the
University,” says Cowan, in
cluding statistical records and
player profiles.
Preparing game programs is
another responsibility of the
office, and the $16,000 printing
bill for this season’s six home
football game programs had to
be financed largely by ad
vertising sales. Selling these ads
is a job Cowan finds very time
consuming.
t&K* m\ 'm.
Hal Cowan
“Determining the legitimacy of
people wanting press cards and
the operation of the press box are
also under my control,” Cowan
said. Fifteen to 18 pages of
material are put out for the
media at each football game. He
hires the statistical and play-by
play reporters and the people to
man the P.A. system,
scoreboard, timers, and the
popular “readerboard.”
Cowan makes sure sports
writers are well-supplied not
only with written facts but also
mug and action photos and film
clips Financing the photography
is another problem for the News
Bureau, especially with TV now
requiring color shots.
After spending two years
covering high schools sports,
where such news bureaus are
non-existent, Cowan knows how
much writers appreciate any
information the school can fur
nish. “The problem is, though,
that everyone in the world wants
to write about a star like Steve
Prefontaine, but they all want
something different. It’s hard to
dig up new material after a
while."
One thing the director has
found helpful in handling the
numerous requests to get post
game coach comments or to find
out about player injuries is the
“beeper phone.” First used at
Notre Dame, the automatically
answered phone supplies a two
and-a half-minute tape recording
by coaches to radio and TV
personnel who have been
provided with the unlisted phone
number.
Cowan keeps in close contact
with sportswriters through daily
phone calls to major Oregon
writers and by attending weekly
sportswriters’ luncheons. He
believes that newspapers get an
adequate amount of information
but that “better supplying radio
and TV is a difficult part of the
job.”
Promoting Oregon games is
also a big part of Cowan’s job.
Besides speaking at booster and
alumni groups, the 30-year-old
director must “advance” all
away football games. He is
required to arrive the Sunday
before a game at the city where
the game will be played. He is
given an itinerary by the NCAA
of media people to contact.
Advance interesting..
“Advancing can be interesting,
but it’s also a tough grind. Gate
receipts are essential for foot
ball’s survival, so we have to
promote the game and our
athletes. Oregon has a good
reputation for playing exciting
games so I’m usually pretty
optimistic when I go on the
road.”
Trying to get Oregon into
national media is a struggle,
Cowan admits. “Most of the
sports magazines are published
on the east coast and they don’t
seem to realize the west coast
exists.
“The NCAA limits TV coverage
of any school to a maximum of
two games a year, but there is no
minimum. The team’s record and
the size of the TV audience in the
area largely determine whether
its games are broadcast,” Cowan
explained. “Although we haven’t
been on TV in two years, I’ll be
shocked if we don’t get on next
year,” he added.
A 1962 Linfield College
graduate, Cowan is the youngest
sports news director in the
league. A sportswriter for the
Oregonian for one year and for
the Salem Statesman for two, he
says “I like this job. Newspaper
work was routine, but here there
are a lot of different things to do.
I work considerably more hours,
sometimes up to 18 a day when
I’m on the road, but the job is
more interesting."
pcmegd w
CCffeelMUJSF
10am-4Pm
*★**★*★***************
>»★*★★*★★★*★★★ ****************
V
Solid
Rock Festival
Jan. 16 -8 p.m. - EMU Ballroom
Featuring!
sR Andrea Crouch The Dayspring
and the Disciples
* Mark Sanders * Delvin Ford
$1.00
Tickets at EMU Main Desk or Door
Ducks:
Save 2c Per
Gallon on Gas
Get your
Student Discount
card at
r
J
CRYSTAL
MOBIL SERVICE «
Gas & Tires For Less
Broadway at Hilyard—344-1116
CAR STEREOS • INSTALLATION • REPAIR
He Hike enter
2495 Willamette St.
Eugene, Oregon 97401
Phone 344-6156
* Tremendous selection of tapes and automobile sound
systems
■X’ Mention this ad and get 10 per cent off on any item in
store
OR
* Bring this ad in for FREE installation 0f tape deck and
speakers purchased here
* 10 per cent reduction and free installation good
through January, 1971.
MAKES LONG HAIR
LOOK GREAT!
New Roffler styles for all hair lengths, ail age groups
Whether you're a student, a young executive, a
businessman - even 13 years old and under —
Roffler has developed styling systems for every
young man who prefers long hair. Neck length,
shoulder length, just as long as you like. The new
Roffler AVANTELOOK for long hair will please
anyone.
Call or visit your Roffler Stylist today.
Bob Ayres Bob Walker
Parkside CHECKMATE
1672 W. 18th Ave. 401 E. 10th Ave.
342-4611 344-3011