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| "OKAY, IT'S YOURS" - Laughlin, about to lower his arm, is signaling that the officials can resume play on the field. He stands at the 35 yard line, on the Irish side of the field. He receives instructions over the headset from an assistant show producer in a van outside the stadium. |
| Third 'Team' Gets into Game Action By LAURANCE MORRISON Tribune Staff Writer Three teams played in the Notre Dame-Pittsburgh game Saturday. That's right, three teams. Oh, to be sure, Notre Dame's and Pittsburgh's teams were there - any of the 59,051 persons in attendance will agree to that. So will the many television viewers. That is where the third team comes in. While the collegians were exercising on the field, a contingent of men covertly took part in the game, and without ever setting foot in bounds. The team, The TV Time-Out Guys. really run the show. The TV boys, like the Army football squads of `44 and `45, have a Mr. Inside" and a "Mr. Out- side." Inside WNDU's art director Dunny Laughlin. Dunny insconspicuously attired in flaming red peaked cap and telephone headset, was crouched on the ND. sidelines at the 35 yard line. "What are you doing?" he was asked. "Im the TV time-out guy." he replied proudly. "I signal the head linesman when it's time for a time-out so we can run a TV commercial." "Why the red hat and the ear- phone get up?" "That's so the linesman can see me. I wave my flaming red hat to get his attention. Then I stand with my arms folded to show that the commercial is running. Each one lasts one minute and 15 seconds. With 10 seconds remaining in the commercial, I drop my left arm, fingers together and pointing downward, and then game belongs to the officials again and play resumes." "Oh, you don't mean you really control the game, do you?" What about the poor football teams? Didn't they practice all week for this game? After all, a team can work into a rhythm, develop a pace and keep the opponent reeling. That's the kind of teamwork and planning that produces touchdowns and victories. Yeah, what about the teams?" |
"Well," Dunny said. "we do our best to keep out of the way. But we do have our basic minimum requirenients. We try like the devil to run two commercials in the first and third quarters and three of them in the second and fourth periods. "Occasionally the teams get all worked up and it just wouldn't be very nice to interrupt things so we hold off-double up on commercials later on, you know, things like that, Laughlin said. "But." he was asked, "did one of your commercials ever destroy a teams momentum?" "Funny should mention that," he resounded "In the Army game this year. the officials got a little over-helpful and called a TV time-out for us." You might say Ara was some- what displeased since the Irish were starting to march." "You never said what those earphones and mouthpieces are for," it was pointed out. "Well, I'm the inside man. Outside the stadium, in our van. sits William Gardner, an assistant producer for the show, He and I talk over the phones and he consults with our man in the press box. When the moment seems pregnant, why we just call a time-out." Laughlin, a 1955 graduate of Notre Dame who attended the old Central Catholic High School in South Bend, added that ABC national radio ordinarily follows his time-outs cues for their own commercials. This is Laughlin's second season as time-out man. He mentioned that the principal occupational hazard is getting hit by cascades of players three or four times a game. He is tethered to a phone box by a four-foot coiled line, and when he sees trouble coming there's no place to go. |
Being anchored is frustrating, he said. Sometimes, when there is little time remaining in a quarter and a commercial schedule is still unfilled, all he can do is jump up and down flapping his red hat trying to get the official's attention. That very thing happened Saturday. Laughlin spent the closing minutes of the first period waving his flaming red hat, all to no avail. That lost commercial had to he made up later in the game. Then too, with 13:15 remaining in the second quarter, the officials werent too obliging and called time-in, forcing the arupt ending of a commercial. The first commercial came just 59 seconds into the game. It's good to get one of them out the way," Laughlin commented. And so the game, and the commercials, progressed. An Irish time-out at 8:58 of the third period was taken up by a snow-blower "spot." Then, with 2:55 to go in the tird quarter, after Tom Shoen scored on a long run, the ND. sudent body held its Go-o-o-o-o cheer and the band's drums rolled until the end of a commercial for a carpet store. Following the Notre Dame, score making it 27-0, with 12:26 left of the fourth period, viewers were treated to a message from a meat packer. At 9:37 to go in the game, a television manufacturer got an opportunity, thanks to Dunny, to demonstrate that Indians like TV inthe Arizona desert. Lucky for Laughlin,the Notre Dames scored some more. Thus he was able to call another time-out and run a commercial normally set to appear after the game. So, for genuine esoterica in football-watching, while looking for that guard to pull,or the defensive end to go wide, keep an eye out for Dunny Laughlin. It's what's on the sidelines that counts, you know. |
 TIME FOR A TV TIME-OUT -Dunny Laughlin art director of WNDU, gives his crossed-arms signal to the head linesman during the Notre Dame-Pittsburgh game Saturday, which means "stop the game, it is time for a television commercial." Irish backfield coach Tom Pagna is kneeling. |
 JUST 10 MORE SECONDS - Laughlin gives his second signal, indicating that the commercial will be over in 10 seconds. The linesman keeps an eye on Dunny throughout the game so the scheduled 10 commercial "spots" can be run. |
