Aztecs Promise Frill-a-Minute Football Year

Bill Veeck lives. Maybe not in reality, but at least in spirit.

He stopped by the office one day this week dressed as Tom Day, San Diego State’s president. He was accompanied by P.T. Barnum, who looked a lot like athletic director Fred Miller.

These guys were excited by the upcoming football season . . . and not just the prospects for success in Al Luginbill’s second year as coach and Dan McGwire’s second (and last) year as quarterback.

In truth, these fellows were more interested in detailing the total experience of attending SDSU football games. This will not be a no-frills football season.

What Drs. Day and Miller had in hand was a program for the selling of SDSU football. Indeed, it filled an 18-page booklet.

“Winning is part of it,” Day conceded, “but we think we can put people in the seats by making Aztec football a total family experience. We have to put people in the seats.”

Winning is a great part of it. The booklet notes that the Aztec football has not been major college in caliber. But the 1989 team was encouraging (6-5-1), and prospects for 1990 are better.

Given the potential for improvement, SDSU does not want to make progress in a vacuum. It would certainly be discouraging to step up to 7-4 or even 8-3 and continue to average 20,000 a game. About the only thing that would be more discouraging would be to get folks interested and finish 4-7 or 3-8.

Regardless, here is the menu, from hors d’oeuvres to entree to dessert, for SDSU football in 1990 . . .

* Sept. 15 vs. Cal State Long Beach:

This game figures to be a tough sell, because CSLB is a few notches below what anyone hereabouts perceives as a major college opponent. It will be a tougher sell should the Aztecs stink up the joint in Oregon in their season opener Sept. 7.

However . . . this game, followed by fireworks, will honor the return of George Allen, 72, as the 49ers’ coach. If the combined score is higher than Allen’s age, each ticket stub is good for free pizza. (No joke!) Of course, that will also mean the defense is as bad as it was last year.

Regardless of the score, fans will get free Aztec cups. A pregame reception is scheduled for alums who were graduated before 1950, which would make them contemporaries of most of Allen’s professional players.

* Sept. 29 vs. Air Force:

The visitors get a little snub here, because Navy jets will fly over before the game. Pregame activities also will honor alums who were graduated since 1980.

The game will be followed by a paper-airplane throwing contest, which may seem like an invitation to a gigantic mess.

However, the Minnesota Twins have had such a promotion for seven years and a spokesman for them was enthusiastic: “It looks like Times Square on New Year’s Eve.”

The paper-airplane throwing contest will be followed by a concert, though the attraction has not been announced. May we suggest Guy Lombardo’s band?

* Nov. 3 vs. Utah:

Homecoming! Walk in the gate and get a pom pon. Buy your game program and get a free Aztec water bottle. Listen to oldies music and watch Great Moments in Aztec sports (most of them pre-1980) on the scoreboard.

* Nov. 10 vs. Hawaii:

Can San Diego do a beach party or what? Wear beach clothes, watch beach movie outtakes and listen to surf music. In fact, everyone wearing a Hawaiian shirt gets a neon (gasp!) Aztec visor.

Entertainment will be by the OB Geriatric Surfboard Team. (No, George Allen does not coach the OB Geriatrics.)

* Nov. 24 vs. UTEP:

A country carnival begins in the parking lot at 3 p.m. Notice how these promotions tend to spin off the geography or identity of the visiting team? Heaven knows how a visit by USC might be promoted.

Alum letter winners also will be honored.

* Dec. 1 vs. Miami:

Ta da! The defending national champions come to town for the season finale. Great moments in college football will be featured on the scoreboard, but not likely on the field.

High school bands will play at halftime, but the kids figure to be a little young to watch the game.

Fireworks likely will follow both the opening kickoff and the game.

This is also Fan Appreciation Night, and that’s really what this whole marketing program is all about. SDSU is trying to position itself so that (a) it gives its fans more to appreciate and (b) it ends up with more fans for it to appreciate.

Promotions, to be sure, have long been a part of sports, but SDSU has given them a little twist here and there. These gimmicks will not fill the stadium, but maybe, combined with continued improvement by the football team, they can accelerate the process.