Page 8B- The Michigan Daily -Thursday, March 21, 1985

EX-GRIDIRON STAR SUCCEEDS IN SLOGANS

Wilbite's career 'ads' up

By STEVE HERZ
The essense of all advertising is
selling a product. Be it a can of beer, a
television, even a presidential can-
didate.
Clayton Wilhite has been selling beer,
television sets and even tried to sell
Gerald Ford to the American people in
1976. Wilhite is an advertising genius,
but as successful as he has been at
selling products to others, he has en-
joyed even greater success in selling
himself.
WILHITE IS a former Michigan foot-
ball player. He played on the 1965 Rose
Bowl winning team and started at both
offensive and defensive end during his
three year tenure with the Wolverines.
Wilhite recalls his playing days with
adoration. "As I recall it, it seems like
yesterday to me," he says. But he has
no great desire to jump back into his
cleats. "Distant memories are best for
those who knew us."
Wilhite's personal memories of the
game have not been clouded by his 17-
year absence. "When I played, athletes
would spend their time banging their
heads against cement walls," he
recalls, noting that the student athlete
was frowned upon then, unlike today.
PERHAPS OTHER athletes were
banging their heads against walls, but
Wilhite was busy banging his own head
against a textbook on his way to a 3.6
grade point average, an appointment to
Phi Beta Kappa national honor frater-
nity and an M.B.A. from Michigan.
Wilhite prefers to be recognized as a
Michigan alumnus who made it big
because of his dedication in the library,
but he is quick to credit football as well.

"One thing that has allowed me to
achieve what I have today is football."
What he has achieved is chairman of
D'Arcy MacManus Masius/St. Louis.
DMM is one of the world's top 20 adver-

stick my head in a foxhole and get it
blown off." But he asserts he was in
no way a deserter of his country. "If I
were called, f would have gone," he
says. forcefully.
The mood of the era also affected the
game he played. "Many kids were
staying away. They thought it was a
rather frivolous activity."
LOOKING BACK he understands
their feelings, "We had 100 to 115 men
dying per day..."

tising agencies with 45 offices in 25
countries worldwide. Its St. Louis of-
fice, which Wilhite will lead, is the
company's largest domestic outfit.
SOMETIMES IT seems that all ex-
athletes talk as if running a business is
no different than running a football.
One might think that a man of Wilhite's
intelligence wouldn't reflect that sen-
timent.
"In business and in football you are
only as good as the guy who is playing
next to you," he says.
The comaraderie he learned under
coach Bump Elliot has taken him to the
top of the business world. "I've never
been reluctant to share my success with
others."
HE HAS ALSO never been reluctant
to be straightforward, and feels that to
be a result of being raised in Bay City.
"In school I was a fairly conservative
bible-carrying boy."
He recalls how the war in Vietnam af-
fected his decision to go straight into
graduate school. "It was that or go

Are you in my fan clubAssciateress
Big Ten Basketball referee Jim Bain displays a T-shirt in an Iowa City courtroom that features Bain, clad in. referee's
attire, with a noose around his neck. Bain is suing the creators of the shirt, John and Karen Gillespie, because he claims
the shirts have damaged his reputation and his career. Since Bain made a critical call in a 1982 Purdue-Iowa game,
some fans have chanted "Hang Jim Bain" whenever he officiates.

4

Wilhite
... a budding career


Wilhite is happy with the path he has
taken in life. "It's been an exciting life.
I'd have to say that." But instead of
patting his own rear for his hard work
he credits the University. "I am one of
the great fans of the University. At
every chance I try to repay it," he says.
He also looks to his parents as a
reason for his success. "I would have to
give them an awful lot of credit. They
said "you're a good athlete and don't
ever stop pushing yourself.' " It is
evident that Wilhite has heeded their
advice.
In his new position, one of Wilhite's
biggest tasks will be to make sure his
company can continue its successful
promoting of Anheuser-Busch beers.
The phrase DMM came up with for
Anheuser-Busch is appropriate for
Wilhite, "This Bud's for You."
Wings win
By JIM GINDIN
Special to the Daily
DETROIT - Tiger Williams started
hsi first Joe Louis Arena game with the
Los Angeles Kings last night with a
bang - right off the left goal post 32
seconds into the contest. The shot didn't
go in but he added a goal and an assist
much to the crowd's dismay in the
second period.
Williams' Wings made use of four
second peridd goals in and 8-6 victory.
"THERE WAS no excuse for that,"
Los Angeles coach Pat Quinn said of the
Detroit outburst. "If you give that up,
you can't play in this league."
The Red Wings opened the scoring at
5:43 of the first period as Randy
Ladouceur knocked a pass to a wide
open Dwight Foster in front of the net
for his fourteenth goal of the season.
John O'Grodnick led off the second
period with his 52nd goal tying Nicky
Redmond's club record - as he slid a
shot into the crease that rebounded off a
Los Angeles player. Later Ron Duguay,
Kelly Kisio and Claud Loiselle scored
within 1:33 of each other, as the Wings
opened a 5-2 lead.
"It was the best thing that happened
to me - being sent to Adirondack - I
got to play a lot," said Tiger Williams.

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