ACU, Nike agree on five-year contract
9/10/2015 11:30:00 AM | Baseball, Football, General, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Men's Tennis, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Soccer, Women's Tennis, Women's Volleyball, Cross Country, Track & Field
Interview with ACU Director of Athletics Lee De León
ABILENE – The Abilene Christian University department of athletics and the world's leading athletics apparel company have agreed to a contract that will make them partners for the next five years beginning on July 1, 2016.
ACU director of athletics Lee De León announced at a Thursday press conference that ACU Athletics has entered into an agreement with Nike to become the Wildcats' official athletic footwear, apparel and equipment provider beginning next fall. With the agrement, ACU becomes the only Southland Conference school and just the fifth university in the state of Texas to have an exclusive Nike contract for all teams, joining Texas, TCU, Baylor and SMU.
"This is an historic day for ACU Athletics," De León said. "Nike is the unquestioned leader in the world of athletics apparel, and we feel honored to be able to partner with such a prestigious and reputable company that will help us enhance the brand of ACU."
Nike will be the exclusive manufacturer of all Abilene Christian game uniforms, practice gear, sideline apparel and other equipment during the life of the five-year agreement.
Nike is the exclusive apparel provider for a number of major NCAA Division I universities in the nation, including Duke, Florida, Florida State, Kentucky, LSU, North Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Ohio State, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Syracuse, UConn and USC. ACU becomes the third school to switch to Nike in recent months, joining Michigan and Tennessee.
"This move puts us on a stage with some of the top collegiate athletics programs and top athletes in the world," De León said. "Adidas has been a great partner for the last three years, but Nike presented us with an outstanding offer that makes financial sense and will enhance the student-athlete experience at ACU. We are absolutely thrilled to be part of the Nike family and consider it an honor to be the only school in our conference with that distinction."
Nike is the world's largest supplier of footwear and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, with revenue in excess of $30 billion in 2015. In 2014, the brand alone was valued at $19 billion, making it the most valuable brand among sports businesses.
Outside of its intercollegiate clients, Nike boasts a number of the world's top athletes and organizations among its roster of talent, including all 32 NFL teams, the NBA (starting in 2017-18), the U.S. Men's National Team (soccer), the USA National Team (men's basketball), and top athletes in the world's No. 1 golfer Rory McIlroy, basketball superstars LeBron James and Kevin Durant, men's tennis stars Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and women's tennis superstars Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
In celebration of this announcement, The Campus Store at ACU is offering 25 percent off all Nike apparel online (www.campusstore.acu.edu) and in person at the McGlothlin Campus Center through Sept. 11.
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