Detroiters got a taste of how aggressive and off-the-wall the University of Oregon's athletic department can be.
A giant billboard featuring former Detroit Renaissance basketball star Malik Hairston, located off Interstate 75 near the I-94 interchange, will be up through December.
Oregon associate athletic director Jim Bartko said the billboard is part of a campaign promoting the school's athletic Web site, www.goducks.com, which offers paid subscriptions for exclusive coverage of athletics.
"I don't think there are many Oregon fans," Bartko said of the Detroit market. "But I think there are some Malik fans."
Hairston, a sophomore guard, averaged 13.1 points and 5.0 rebounds for the Ducks last season.
Bartko said the billboard cost the school less than $20,000, which is a bargain compared to what Oregon paid to promote Joey Harrington's Heisman candidacy in 2001.
That billboard, which was a six-story-high sign in midtown Manhattan, cost the Ducks $250,000.
Bartko said the Ducks tried to think of a way to incorporate Harrington, now the Lions' quarterback, with Hairston in the Detroit ad.
"We thought about putting Joey on it, but there were too many complications with the NFL," Bartko said.
Hairston's mother, Elizabeth, said the family scoped out the sign shortly after it went up early this month.
"We didn't take pictures in front of it," she said. "We were just excited to see it."
By Al Toby
