He Couldn’t Clear the Height, but It Might Not End the Hype

Dan vs. Dave, the aftermath.

Or is it?

A few days after Dan O’Brien no-heighted in the pole vault and ruined his chances to compete in the Summer Olympics in the decathlon, Reebok’s “Dan and Dave” campaign may not be history after all. At least not in the publicity sense.

The shoe company had reportedly invested $25 million into hyping its product and two athletes previously unknown to many, aiming toward an expected showdown in Barcelona. Now that those dreams are over, Reebok said it will still run ads during the Olympics, although it is unsure whether those will include only Dave Johnson, or Dan O’Brien as well.

Either way, it could still be a big payday.

“I don’t think anything better could have happened for Reebok,” said Joseph Smith, chairman of Oxtoby-Smith Inc., a consumer research and consulting firm. “The press that will be elicited is worth far more than the advertising bucks that Reebok could spend.”

Add decathlon: Rob Muzzio, who took advantage of O’Brien’s faltering to place third behind Johnson and Aric Long and earn the trip to Barcelona, had failed in two attempts to make an Olympic team. Along the way, he temporarily quit the sport and even dabbled in bobsledding.

“When I first saw the Dan and Dave commercials, I was insulted,” Muzzio told the Washington Post. “They hadn’t even made the team yet. But after I talked to people about it, I realized that the commercials raised awareness about the decathlon in the U.S. The more I saw it, the more I liked it. Before, no one knew what the decathlon was. They said, ‘Oh, decathlon? How far do you swim?’ ”

Trivia time: What is the Henry Iba Corinthian Award?

Name game: From Dave Campbell’s Texas Football magazine comes the high school all-name team for the Lone Star State. Among the choices are Whythynakon Spiller, Dude Lynch, Gator Mauldin and Voodoo Medlock.

Those who didn’t make the cut: Tick Foster, Yuk Gonzalas, Booter McWhorter, Coach Tooter Draper, Joffery Jeffrey and Will Cheatham.

Making contact: Wonders Times staffer Jeff Fletcher: “The way the Dodgers’ offense has produced this year, isn’t it appropriate the phone number for tickets is 224-1HIT?”

Wait a minute: From the college basketball column in the Sporting News: “Looking for an early favorite in the Big Eight? Look no further than Kansas, which lost only Alonzo Jamison and recruited junior college player of the year Darrin Hancock, a 6-7 swingman. Kansas Coach Roy Williams says Hancock will be the best athlete ever to wear a Jayhawks jersey.”

The best? Can you see Wilt Chamberlain reaching for the phone?

Trivia answer: It is awarded to college basketball’s top defender.

Quotebook: Phil Jackman of the Baltimore Sun: “A total of 100 golfers have stacked up winnings of at least $1.5 million on the PGA Tour career money list, so they don’t care if you think they’re athletes or not.”