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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 1976)
Bob UJelch Read: The selling of a program If Don Read and the Ducks don't win more than three football games next fall, it won t be because they didn't present an attrac tive picture to prospective players this winter. In the past we've tried to sell recruits just on Oregon foot ball,' said Read. ‘ Now we re selling the entire University, the community and the state And, so far, the customers are buying. Five junior college players—from places like Kansas, Texas, Washington and California—have already enrolled and Read expects four more attending classes by the end of the week We've been very successful so far, said Read, who, for obvious reasons, isn't mentioning names. However, it's early yet (letters of intent won t be signed until Feb. 18) so we don't want to get too excited It wasn't long ago that all recruiting involved was a letter and a one-way Greyhound ticket. Times change. Saturday morning, a host of Oregon recruits dug into pan cakes at the Valley River Inn and listened to short speeches by Pres. William Boyd, Mayor Les Anderson, someone from the governor s office and Dave Wilcox, the former Oregon and San Francisco 49er player And after breakfast, the recruits settled back and watched Turning the Corner with Don Read," a well-produced 15-minute flick that wouldn t win many awards for objectivity but could very well close the deal on a lot of borderline recruits The film begins with Boyd, the man who made such promo tion possible with his decision to pump $25,000 more into the recruiting budget, talking about the importance of athletics at the University. From there, things start happening. Fans are marching to Autzen as if pulled by a magnet (the film is run in fast motion); the Oregon band is blanng; the crowd is going berserk. People here are crazy about athletics, Read says in narra tion. It doesn't matter what the score is, they re wild Quarterback Jack Henderson takes a break from a workout to stick in a plug Oregon, he says, isn t just a great place for athletics, it's a great place to live If you want to be in the limelight,” says defensive back Reggie Grant as he sits in front of Prince Lucien Campbell, Eugene is the place to come Suddenly you're looking at the majestic McKenzie from the air; next you re at the coast watching the breakers; then it's back to the campus for some footage of pretty girls and lettermen chatting between classes Remember John Sciarra blitzing Oregon s defense for three touchdowns and 109 yards on just 13 carries9 He carried about four times in the film for perhaps eight yards. We've got the best coaching staff in America," Read says soon after. Pac-8 football is the best in the country, follows Reggie Grant. And as Read shakes hands with a beaten Dee Andros and is carried ofl the field on the shoulders of his players; as a few smiling blondes walk in front of the camera and Jack Henderson accepts a victory kiss from a co-ed. as the field is engulfed with wild fans and the Oregon locker room erupts into a mad victory celebration, the film climatically winds to an end. Among other things, the film did not show the Ducks locker room after any of their eight losses, nor did it show a drop of rain, the sagging athletic budget, a co-ed with a complexion problem or an aerial view of one-fourth-filled Autzen Stadium during the Utah game. But that's just advertising. And it's bound to lure some talent. An attractive, full-color brochure has probably made more than one prospect think twice about Oregon. "You wouldn't see something like that ten years ago, said Read. But recruiting is getting more competitive all the time. The airplane has made everybody your opponent. Produced by a Portland advertising firm, the brochure offers an intngumg cover. Anybody who wants to play football at Oregon, it states, must be crazy On the ensuing pages, you find the recruit myst be crazy enough to want a good shot at the NFL: crazy enough to recog nize a turnaround in the making; crazy enough to work all week and love every minute of it; crazy enough to know there s more to life than football and crazy enough to appreciate some of the best facilities in the country.' Complete with endorsements from Boyd and former Oregon star and Atlanta Falcon coach Norm Van Brocklin, the brochure points out that: •"Oregon ranks no. 6 in getting players into the pros. •Oregon's rain is "probably the greatest handicap any state could ask for." •"There s nothing like Oregon in Nebraska. Or Oklahoma or California or anywhere else. Such promotion is a far cry from the Greyhound bus ticket. And it may ^eem a little overdone. But, heck, if it II help the Ducks win more than three games, then so be it. v__ Gymnasts squeak by ISU CHICAGO, III. — Oregon s men's gymnastics team completed their sweep of three Midwest schools by narrowly defeating Indiana State, 209.20 to 205.95 in a meet held last night. In all-around competi tion, the Duck's Bob Rikli finished second to Bruce Griffith of ISU. Griffith tallied 53.10 points; Rikli had 50.35. BUT WHAT ABOUT ALL THAT RAIN? We wouldn't have it any it i\ weren't for the rain, Oregon would be just 8’. • because of the rain. Of egctresh and green and spectacularly beautiful. The truth ts. Osegtmdom m An i besides, every region has ns own Lille quirks oi nature. But instead of ear th quakes or tornadoes or bh&zarcU or hurricanes, Oregon :s blessed with on. ' ■ it ':i pro bob’ y the greatest band; cap any slate could The above may look like an ad in Sunset attempting to lure vacationers to Oregon, but it's not. It's a page from a classy brochure the Oregon football program sends out to lure recruits. For details on the Ducks' new promotional schemes, see column at left. ■> emerald, sports Bowlers finish 3rd Oregon’s women's bowling team placed third behind Portland State and OCE in the PSU invita tional tournament held this weekend. Oleta Hill was second in singles competition for the Ducks. ACU competition to start this weekend The Association of College Unions national student tourna ment will start this week at the University. All students are eligi ble to participate in qualifications for bowling, bridge, chess, pocket billiards and table tennis. Campus winners will represent Oregon in regional competition in Tacoma, Wash. For further information about where and when to qualify, con tact the Recreation Center at 686-3711. Rhine TODAY ONLY ■* DUFFY’S TuesIan
