Bills' top scout turns radio pitchman

Business First

By Rick Maloney

During a recent Buffalo Bills training camp workout at Fredonia State College, quarterback Jim Kelly spotted the team's director of player personnel and, mimicking a southern drawl, said, "Aw-toe parts."
Bystanders chuckled over Kelly's good-natured shot aimed at Dwight Adams.  The man who oversees college scouting for the Bills has become a frequent target of imitators since he began moonlighting as a radio pitchman for Parts Plus Autostores.
Adams, 64, a member of the Bills staff since 1991, was himself scouted by James Gillan, executive creative director at Paragon Advertising.
"I was watching when he was doing the scouting (interviews prior to the college draft in April) and he was the consummate professional," says Gillan.  "He took everything seriously.  His delivery was interesting – I suppose he would be a good pitchman in Arkansas or Mississippi but up here, with the colloquialisms he uses, with the accent alone, he just stood out."
Those who have dealt with Adams over the years know his vernacular is genuine.
"If I had a second career as a pitchman it was developed years ago from listening to coaches and players," Adams says.
"If you say a guy is 6-05-4 (six-feet-five-point-four inches), it doesn't mean a whole lot some times because guys are built different ways with a 'big power pack' or 'big butt with good thick legs or low slung bodies,'" he says before launching into one of those colorful identifiers he is known for.  "Those are terms players and coaches throw out -  'He's got Velcro hands or he could catch bb's in a closet with the lights out.'"
That, says Gillan, is part of what makes Adams a natural.
"It's what creativity in radio should be," he says.  "We're just bringing him in and using things that are already established and making it fit with a client."
After Gillan contacted Adams about making radio commercials, the full-time talent evaluator only wanted to make certain his second job didn't interfere with his first love.
"I certainly don't want to go on the air saying things that would embarrass the Buffalo Bills or make Dwight Adams look like a buffoon," he says.
The jokes from Bills' players aside – Adams said center Kent Hull, a Mississippi native, told him he's the only guy that can understand him – the spots have worked well.  Gillan says Adams, who was paid an undisclosed fee above what is considered standard, has given Parts Plus an awareness in a competitive field.
"With the proliferation of auto parts stores in this area, when you think about it, what are you going to say?" he says.  "You've got 15 auto parts companies in this area.  A lot of them just give copy to stations to read.  I couldn't believe other people hadn't contracted him, especially with the male demographic people would already be familiar with him through football."
As the season approaches, Adams' voice will be heard on new radio spots for Parts Plus before he leaves town to track a new crop of talent for next year's draft.  When approached about recording a second commercial he asked only one question: "Is the $11 fee still on?"
Like the players he scouts, maybe it is time for Adams to seek the advice of an agent.