Evangel supporters finance team travel, better facilities

by Diane Rarick

SBJ Contributing Writer

Businesses and individuals who support the Evangel University Crusaders athletic teams will soon be asked to dig in and help add to and renovate parts of the Ashcroft Activities Center to the tune of $1 million, according to Dr. David Stair, director of intercollegiate athletics.

The facility is "bursting at the seams" and was designed for a campus with just 600 students and six sports, not including football.

But competing in the NAIA Heart of America Conference is a travel bargain for the university, compared to what many other college teams have to pay, according to Stair. All 10 of Evangel's conference opponents are located within a three- to five-hour bus ride of Springfield.

"Still, we have to raise considerable money, but it doesn't even approach what schools in NCAA Division I have to raise," Stair said. "We probably raise somewhere around $50,000 to supplement what the college budgets for athletics."

Additional funds for athletics are raised through a booster club, golf tournaments, banquets, summer camps and other events, Stair said. Pepsi-Cola Seven-Up General Bottlers of Springfield, which has a 10-year contract with Evangel as the exclusive supplier of all soft drinks on campus, is one of two businesses with a sign in the gymnasium.

"We're not into the business of selling ad space in the gym yet," Stair said. "We would entertain limited advertising if we were able to get a large enough donor for the improvements to Ashcroft Activities Center. We might put the donor's name on the basketball court or a banner on the wall."

Wannenmacher Advertising Company, owned by Evangel graduate Paul Wannenmacher, solicits businesses to advertise in two 24-page athletic newspapers, then implements the promotions and returns a portion of the advertising proceeds to the university. One publication covers football and volleyball while another covers basketball.

Wannenmacher said the papers are sold at games and distributed to Assembly of God churches and schools within a 50-mile radius of Springfield to promote Evangel's athletic programs.

"Every sports program needs to communicate their activities. Sports promotion has become as vital to athletic promotion as advertising is to a retailer," Wannenmacher said. "We endeavor with sports promotion to not only pay for the promotional products, but to return monies back to the athletic department."

One of Evangel's biggest basketball promotions is the Ozarks Food Harvest Basketball Tournament. In the past 10 years, about 13 tons of baby-food donations have been made to Ozarks Food Harvest, according to Bart Brown, development director of Ozarks Food Harvest.

Shoney's restaurants sponsor the men's tournament, which is scheduled for Nov. 12-13. The company partially underwrites the cost of the tournament so that ticket receipts can be used to purchase more baby food. Admission to tournament games is 10 jars of baby food, or $5. They money is used to purchase baby food for distribution to low-income families.

"This is the only food drive held specifically for baby food and it's one of our most successful food drives," Brown said.

Shoney's has been the tournament's sponsor since it began in 1989, according to Randy Patton, Shoney's director of operations for 26 restaurants in Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi.

"Since we've operated a restaurant here since 1977, it's a natural fit to give back to the community," Patton said. "At our 853 N. Glenstone restaurant, Evangel is our neighbor to the left and Ozarks Food Harvest is our neighbor to the right."

Among the many companies that purchase program advertising at Evangel is Har-Bell Athletic Goods. Bob Horton, co-owner, said that from the company's beginning in 1967 it has supported all Springfield college and university athletic programs. Horton said the student market is a large part of Har-Bell's business.

"Getting our name out to students, boosters, administration and faculty is important," Horton said. "Any good publicity or advertising you can get from helping a college through donations will come back to you in a positive way."

Inland Printing Company has supported the men's and women's basketball programs at Evangel for about five years, according to Wally Thompson, vice president and sales manager.

Although the company's owners and many family members are Drury College graduates, and it contributes to Drury athletic programs, "Evangel is a customer of ours, and we've gotten to know some of the coaches," Thompson said. "It has turned out to be a great business decision."

Inland Printing buys ads in Evangel programs and on football radio broadcasts and is involved in a booster club golf tournament.