AUSTIN — The Jan. 4 National Championship vaulted the University of Texas Longhorns to the spotlight but the win also brought extra attention to the Austin American-Statesman.

On Jan. 5, the day after the Horns beat the University of Southern California Trojans to claim college football’s top honor, the American-Statesman hit a record number of page views on statesman.com, registering 3.6 million page views.

All copies of the American-Statesman quickly sold out that day and a second printing began that afternoon Jan. 5, with employees selling copies from the paper’s parking lots directly to fans through their car windows. Fans on foot were wrapped around the building, waiting for the papers to come off the presses.

The Longhorns had to do a lot of training for the Rose Bowl but the American-Statesman spent the holiday season in training, too.

Teams from all departments began strategizing in late October and early November when Texas showed signs it was a legitimate National Championship contender. As Texas continued to win games and hold its No. 2 spot in the polls, the various departments laid out their game plans.

Another big success was the printing of commemorative player pages. The advertising department sold it and the sports department produced special player pages that appeared every day from Dec. 16 through Dec. 31. The posters were single sheets of vellum paper that featured a strip ad across the bottom and a full-page ad on the back. Each day a different player was showcased.

The editorial department sent 15 writers and photographers to Pasadena, Calif., for the game. On Jan. 1-3, there were special wraps around the sports sections. On the day before the game and on game day, 5,000 copies of the Statesman were printed at a Los Angeles Times press plant. The last and biggest Sports Extra section printed on game day, Jan. 4. After the game, eight pages of coverage were added to sports for the Jan. 5 edition.

The marketing and circulation department also had extensive efforts. Statesman.com created numerous banners and splash pages promoting everything related to the Statesman’s Rose Bowl coverage. The newspaper had an online and print promotion of a contest that featured a trip to the Rose Bowl. There were thousands of entries. The winner was announced on Dec. 27. 

In Pasadena, cheer cards were printed with Go Horns on one side and Hi Mom on the other. Circulation employees distributed the cards at area hotels and the Longhorn Bash, a big pre-game party sponsored by the American-Statesman.

And the frenzy continues. The paper also is merchandising T-shirts, posters, commemorative books and more, utilizing the front page and sport pages.