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