Their marketing methods weren’t the same, but the end results were good for two Des Moines restaurants.

Two sandwiches named after former Drake University athletes finished in the top five in ESPN’s Fanwiches contest, which included 194 sandwiches. Jethro’s BBQ’s Adam Emmenecker sandwich won second place, with 2,992 online votes from ESPN Facebook fans, and Manhattan Deli’s Zach Johnson – No. 3 Hoagie was fourth, with 1,066 votes.

 “Little old Drake, getting some publicity – that was great for both of us,” said Manhattan Deli manager and owner Fred Hagar.

Hagar said the restaurant did very little to promote the sandwich, and didn’t even know about the contest until Andy Garman from KCCI television called the restaurant. The sandwich, named after former Drake golfer and 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson, received a lot of votes from the restaurant’s loyal customers.

Jethro’s took the opposite approach, pushing the contest through Facebook and Twitter, handing out T-shirts, making television and radio appearances and making a YouTube video. Adam Emmenecker, a former Drake basketball player, helped craft the sandwich with his favorite foods. It has already received national recognition as it was featured on the Oct. 6, 2010, episode of the Travel Channel’s “Man v. Food” series.

The Emmenecker sandwich was in first place until the Matt Cain sandwich (named for a San Francisco Giants pitcher) at Ike’s Place in San Francisco got a strong push during the last weekend of voting. Dominic Iannarelli, Jethro’s director of restaurant operations, was still pleased with the effort put in by his staff and that the sandwich was able to hold its own against those named for better-known athletes in larger markets.

“(The ESPN contest) brings awareness to a different sort of customer,” he said.