Champion Products has reached an agreement to serve as an
authentic athletic outfitter for Notre Dame through 2001.  Under
the new agreement, Champion serves as the exclusive authentic
uniform outfitter for Notre Dame football, men's & women's
basketball, and practice-wear apparel for many Notre Dame varsity
athletic clubs, including the cheerleading squads.  The agreement
also broadens exclusive retail licensing opportunities for
Champion, including:  replica and authentic football jerseys,
which are being offered for sale for the first time, and replica
basketball shorts.  Champion also recently signed a 7-year
agreement with NBC Sports to serve as a presenting sponsor and
exclusive athletic apparel sponsor of NBC's Notre Dame
broadcasts.  Champion President/CEO Joe Fortino: "Our association
with Notre Dame and the positive image it projects on and off the
field of athletics has been greatly beneficial and will continue
to be so for many years to come" (THE DAILY).

     Team owner Felix Sabates announced that Kyle Petty and his
No. 42 Pontiac Grand Prix will no longer carry the colors of
Mello Yello soft drink after this season.  Sabates said he and
Petty asked for release after they found out that Coca-Cola did
not intend to use the team at all in its marketing of Mello Yello
(Norfolk VIRGINIAN-PILOT, 10/7).  Sources within and outside of
NASCAR say Coors will take over the sponsorship of the team.
What is not known is whether Petty will stay with Sabates beyond
this year.  Some speculate that Petty, "who had a separate
services contract with Coke, would somehow take the sponsorship
and jump to Bill Davis' team, which will lose sponsor Maxwell
House after this year" (Ben Blake, RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH,
10/8).

     Lee Iacocca has formed a venture capital company, Iacocca
Partners, to finance interactive video systems.  That technology
could be used for in-flight airline video gambling.  Iacocca, the
keynote speaker at last week's World Airline Entertainment
Association, predicted that within 10 years, airlines will make
more money from gaming, movies, games, phone calls and shopping
than from tickets (USA TODAY, 10/10)....Mercedes-Benz of North
America began a major ad campaign last night, "unusual in its
humorous tone and in the audience it is trying to reach."  The
campaign is the first big effort from a new creative team at
Interpublic Group's Lowe & Partners/SMS.  Two of the four new
spots were slated to air on ABC's "Monday Night Football" (W.S.
JOURNAL, 10/10).... Temerlin McClain, a unit of Bozell, Jacobs,
Kenyon & Eckhardt Inc., has been hired by Southland to develop a
corporate-image ad campaign for its 7-Eleven stores (W.S.
JOURNAL, 10/10)....Evian will title an indoor volleyball tour
reaching four-cold weather cities this February:  New York,
Boston, Washington and Minneapolis.  The AVP event will air on
the MSG Network when the tour goes to New York (INSIDE MEDIA,
10/5-18 issue).... Reebok moved its $5M golf shoe ad account to
Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, Boston from Mullen, Wenham
(AD AGE, 10/10 issue)....RJ Reynolds said it will launch Salem
Preferred, a cigarette designed to reduce the "lingering, stale
smell of cigarette smoke" (BLOOMBERG BUSINESS NEWS, 10/11)....In
Philadelphia, Michael Rozansky notes the new interest in pre-paid
phone cards.  "The cards were supposed to be used only to make
phone calls.  But advertisers have seized on them as a powerful
new promotional tool," as well as a collectors item.  Images on
the cards include the '69 Mets and O.J. Simpson's mug shot
(PHILA. INQUIRER, 10/11)....NFL players Bruce Smith, Emmitt Smith
and Steve Emtman will be on the screen as well as the field next
week with the debut of the movie "Little Giants."  The film,
produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, in
cooperation with the NFL, features youth teams called "Dallas
Cowboys" and "New York Giants."  John Madden also appears in the
film (THE DAILY)....Michael Hiestand gives a "Thumbs-up" to
marketers facing a legal battle over a "brand name worth fighting
over."  The NBA's '94 No. 1 pick, Glenn Robinson and marketers
with whom he has aligned are suing sportswear company Fortune
Dogs Inc. over the rights to the brand name "Big Dog" (USA TODAY,
10/11).

     CE Sports and John Paul Mitchell Systems have reached an
agreement designating Paul Mitchell Salon Haircare, as the title
sponsor of the American Pro Snowboard Series (APSS), an 8-stop,
ESPN televised nationwide series of snowboard racing and
freestyle competition.  The arrangement offers Paul Mitchell
title sponsor identification within all event-related marketing
including national TV via ESPN, regional radio and print
advertising.  In addition, Paul Mitchell also receives such on-
site benefits as custom start/finish area signage, slope-side
signage, VIP hospitality, on-site sampling booth and logo
identification on all competitor jerseys.  The '94-95 APSS
features top pro snowboarders competing for $160,000 (THE DAILY).

     Van Wagner Playground Programs is looking for sponsors for
its National Backboard Network, which allows corporations to
purchase, install, and maintain basketball hoops and backboards
in inner city schoolyards.  Opportunities are available in
Philadelphia, Detroit, Dallas, Boston, Washington, DC, Orlando,
Miami, Bridgeport, CT, and other cities nationwide.  A hoop
sponsorship costs $50/month, with a minimum of 100 hoops for 36
months.  Van Wagner will purchase and install the equipment,
produce initial artwork, and maintain the backboards.  Sponsors
get to put their logos on the backboard and a message in the
"sweet spot."  Peter Greenwald, president of Van Wagner
Playground Programs:  "This is not a charity, but a marketing
opportunity that shows young people that the companies that sell
them products and services really care about their lives and
futures, not just how they spend their money.  This is a slam
dunk, in your face, up close and personal emotional connection
with inner city kids.  This program is as grassroots as it gets."
For more information call Greenwald at 212-953-7744 (THE DAILY).

     Triple Crown Sports, a CO-based grassroots sports marketing
company, and Tab Ramos, U.S. National Soccer Team member and Nike
endorsee, have entered a joint marketing agreement to raise
$200,000 annually for St. Jude Children's Hospital and to promote
the Nike/Triple Crown Youth Soccer Series and Nike/Triple Crown
3-on-3 Soccer Shootout Series.  Ramos will be the official
spokesperson representing both the Triple Crown Soccer Series
programs and will be prominently featured in all Triple Crown
Soccer Series marketing campaigns.  Nike's sponsorship of the
Triple Crown Sports soccer programs is part of P.L.A.Y. --
Participate in the Lives of America's Youth (THE DAILY).