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Baylor is hyping Griffin's Heisman
candidacy with trading cards |
Baylor Univ. has “gotten creative in touting” QB Robert Griffin as a Heisman Trophy candidate, as the school has “shipped a pair of trading cards to the media featuring Griffin's exploits,” according to Dwain Price of the FT. WORTH STAR-TELELGRAM. The first trading card “was mailed before the season, and the second one was mailed after the Bears opened the season by upsetting TCU, 50-48.” Baylor Assistant AD for Communications Heath Nielsen said, "We didn't want to do anything extravagant like billboards in Times Square." During the past three seasons, Baylor football coach Art Briles “instructed the Bears' public relations department to pump the brakes on any talk of Griffin and the Heisman Trophy,” but is “not so this year.” Nielsen said, "Because we're not a big, big school -- an Alabama or a Michigan -- we felt we had to do something to get his name out there." He added, "The cards are little subtle reminders -- 'hey, keep your eye on the kid in Waco -- he can play ball.' And we always figured if his play merited, if the team was doing well, we'd keep coming with a series of cards. Now we're thinking of probably focusing on his academics for Card No. 3, and that should be mailed in the next few weeks” (
FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 9/29).
BADGER BOOSTING: In Wisconsin, Jim Polzin noted the “idea of kicking off a campaign” for Univ. of Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson “in the near future has been more than a passing thought in the mind” of UW Dir of Athletic Communications Brian Lucas. A N.Y.-based company earlier this month “approached the UW athletic department’s marketing department about promoting Wilson through outdoor digital advertising in Times Square,” but “don’t count on that happening.” Lucas said, “Definitely not in the budget.” Polzin noted “More likely, UW will push Wilson through email to voters or set up a website the way it did last season with award candidates” (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 9/22).
DUCK HUNT: In Portland, Aaron Fentress notes Univ. of Oregon RB LaMichael James is “leading the nation in total rushing yards with 613 and ranking second in rushing yards per game, 153.3 yards per game with seven touchdowns.” Fentress wrote, “If I were running marketing at Oregon, I'd take advantage of the off week and send out a short, four-game highlight video of James set to Patrice Rushen's 1982 hit ‘Forget me nots’" (OREGONLIVE.com, 9/27).
