Thursday, April 2, 1998 | 8:19 a.m.
You may have seen the billboards while driving around town.
Three UNLV football players, including quarterback Jon Denton, in a variation of the old Uncle Sam army recruiting posters, looking out with the phrase, "We Want You."
One problem. Denton was suspended for spring practice for violating team rules and his status with the team won't be determined until August 1.
"I told him it's a marathon, not a sprint," Rebels head coach Jeff Horton reiterated about Denton's reinstatement schedule. "But so far he's done everything we've asked of him."
But what if Denton slips up and doesn't return to the squad. Couldn't this be a case of false advertising?
Well, not by design. Turns out the billboards are from last year's UNLV football publicity campaign.
"They put them up for six months," said Steve Stallworth, UNLV's director of sports marketing. "Then, if (the billboard company) can't sell the space again, they leave them up."
However, one billboard near the SUN building on Valley View Boulevard just went up recently.
"Sometimes, rather than leave one blank, they'll just put one of ours up, just to keep it covered," Stallworth said.
Stallworth said the billboards for the 1998 season probably won't be ready until July. He said it is unlikely that Denton or any other Rebels players will be featured.
"It will probably capture more the atmosphere of attending a UNLV football game," Stallworth said. "Our slogan is going to be, 'Experience It!' We want to sell the Rebel football experience, from the tailgating, to the band before the game, to the color of attending a college football game."
* TRAVELIN' MAN: Spring practice has been over for almost a month for the Rebels but the doesn't mean Horton and his staff are slumping it out on the golf course. "This month we're breaking down film on our first three opponents (Northwestern, Air Force, Wisconsin)," said Horton. "Then in May we hit the road recruiting. And in June we host several camps here." That leaves July for a little R&R. The Rebels begin fall practice the second week of August. By the way, when Horton says his staff is hitting the road for recruiting, he's not kidding. Horton has trips planned to New Zealand, Samoa, Hawaii and New Jersey to check out prospective recruits. "There are some big guys down there," Horton said of New Zealand. "Most of them play rugby, but there's also a lot of football players, too."
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