CAL'S CAMPAIGN: TO SHOW NATION ITS TALENTED RB
By Jon Wilner
Mercury News
Marshawn Lynch, who has always been more comfortable dealing with linebackers than the media, is about to become the face and voice of Cal football. Friday, the Bears launched a Heisman Trophy campaign featuring Lynch, a junior tailback who has been named to numerous preseason All-America teams. It's rarefied air for both team and player. The Bears haven't had a Heisman contender since Chuck Muncie in 1975 -- he finished second to Archie Griffin -- and Lynch rarely seemed at ease with the media during his first two seasons at Cal. ``He has matured quite a bit,'' Coach Jeff Tedford said this week. ``He has never been one to embrace the media and the limelight. He's uncomfortable with that role. He likes to surround himself with teammates.
``He loves it to be fun, but he has figured out that at some level, football becomes a business.'' To prepare for the Heisman campaign, Lynch met with school officials to hone his interview skills and talked to Tedford about the demands that come with a Heisman campaign. More to the point, Tedford talked to Lynch about the demands. The 20-year-old Oakland native must live in the spotlight without being affected by it. ``I'm still in the same position as when I came in,'' Lynch said. ``It's still all about the team. I'm trying to keep the attention away from me. The team knows I'm here for them.'' Lynch's résumé certainly justifies a Heisman campaign. He gained 1,246 yards last season despite missing two games because of a broken finger and is the second-leading returning rusher in the nation, behind Northern Illinois' Garrett Wolfe. The Sporting News named him the No. 2 running back in the country for the upcoming season; Sports Illustrated called him the eighth-best overall player.
But Lynch picked a tough season to compete for the most prestigious award in college sports. The list of Heisman hopefuls includes a handful of players from glamour programs: a quarterback from Notre Dame (Brady Quinn), a tailback from Oklahoma (Adrian Peterson), a receiver from USC (Dwayne Jarrett) and two game-breakers from Ohio State (receiver Ted Ginn and quarterback Troy Smith). Those four schools have produced 24 of the 71 Heisman winners. ``We know people in the West know Marshawn,'' said Kevin Klintworth, Cal's associate athletic director for communications. ``We have to raise awareness in other parts of the country. Marshawn's talent is good enough to stand on its own if people are aware of him.''
This is Cal's first foray into Heisman promotion since 1992, when the Bears mailed postcards touting tailback Russell White. (The campaign went nowhere, due largely to Cal's losing record.) The Bears passed on a chance to promote quarterback Aaron Rodgers and tailback J.J. Arrington in 2004 because both were relatively unknown and unproven, especially Arrington, a backup the previous season. ``If you had to put your eggs in one basket, who in the world would it have been?'' Tedford said. For Lynch, the Bears created a Web site, marshawn10.com, that made its debut Friday afternoon. Next week, they'll mail brochures -- ``10 Things To Know About No. 10'' -- to college football writers and broadcasters around the country. A second wave of mailings will go out closer to the crucial Sept. 2 season opener at Tennessee.
Klintworth declined to reveal the cost of the promotional campaign but said it was ``significantly less than $10,000'' -- comparable to what Oklahoma is spending on Peterson. Both schools are doing more than Notre Dame, which has no immediate plans to promote Quinn. The low-key approaches stand in stark contrast to Heisman promotions of the past. Gone are the days of Brigham Young sending out neckties to promote Ty Detmer, or Washington State mailing a leaf to hype Ryan Leaf. The rise of multimedia means voters should know about the top candidates -- especially those from the major conferences -- by the end of the season.
``Everybody sees the stuff on highlight shows and video on the web,'' said USC sports information director Tim Tessalone, whose school has three of the past four Heisman winners. ``But it helps to have a team in the hunt.'' Actually, it's essential. The Bears probably have to win big for Lynch to remain in Heisman contention. The past five winners -- and four of the past five runners-up -- have played for teams that had two or fewer regular-season losses. The reason? It's impossible to win the Heisman without being on television or making headlines, and exposure goes to the elite. Lynch is in solid shape in that respect: The Bears are scheduled for six appearances on regional or national television -- including the opener at Tennessee and a November showdown at USC. ``The bottom line is, we have to have a good year,'' Klintworth said. ``The opener is a big day for a lot of reasons.''
No comments:
Post a Comment