The attempt to save unprofitable college sports from the budget ax entered a new realm over the weekend — the domain formerly inhabited by Jerry Lewis and has-been television stars.

The University of Minnesota athletic department — its men’s golf and gymnastics teams and its women’s golf team facing elimination — held a three-hour telethon on a Twin Cities’ NBC affiliate Sunday afternoon.

The school raised more than $670,000 with entertainment that consisted of little more than the school’s marching band and pleas from luminaries. An additional online auction of sports items that ended Monday brought in almost $18,000.

“We’re trying to be creative and come up with something that sparks some interest,” Katie Weiss, the newly appointed Minnesota women’s golf coach, said of the telethon.

This is a dire time for college sports that don’t generate much revenue. For instance, about 171 wrestling programs have been eliminated in the past 20 years, according to the National Wrestling Coaches Foundation.

On Monday, St. John’s in New York cut football and men’s track (indoor, outdoor and cross-country). Men’s and women’s swimming will be eliminated after the 2003-2004 academic year.

Two weeks ago, supporters of the soon-to-be-defunct men’s and women’s swim teams at Dartmouth tried to call attention to their predicament by offering to sell both squads for $212,000 on an Internet auction site, eBay.

The sale garnered lots of headlines but few serious bids.

The Minnesota telethon was no publicity stunt. Golfing great Arnold Palmer; Gov. Jesse Ventura, the one-time pro wrestling personality and actor; and former Minnesota Twins player Paul Molitor were among those who appeared urging donations.

A committee called Save Gopher Sports seeks to raise $2.8 million by Feb. 1, the school-imposed deadline. Having raised $1.5 million prior to the telethon, the committee needs to raise at least another $500,000.

Lou Nanne, an all-American hockey player at Minnesota and an ex-NHL coach and player who is a member of the committee, came up with the idea for the telethon.

Nanne, whose charity work includes the Lewis Muscular Dystrophy telethon, said that when the fund-raising effort for the teams began to slow, he told the committee “that three hours of television would do wonders for us.”

The TV station donated the air time, said committee co-chair Harvey Mackay.

Minnesota athletic director Joel Maturi blames the cuts nationally on the slumping U.S. economy, tuition increases that have made scholarships more expensive for athletic departments, Title IX compliance and what Maturi describes as an “arms race” among schools.

To attract top football and men’s basketball players, athletic departments have built new arenas and practice facilities.

In addition, salaries for major college football and basketball coaches have increased. Michigan State last week unsuccessfully offered to pay Washington Redskins assistant coach Marvin Lewis $1.8 million a year to become football coach.

At Minnesota, Glen Mason, in his sixth year as football coach, earns about $1.3 million in annual base salary, according to reports.