By Russ Reneau
HBU has agreed to a seven-year contract with global apparel manufacturer Under Armour (NYSE: UA) for the brand to be the official clothing, footwear and equipment supplier for all of the Huskies鈥� 17 NCAA Division I athletic programs as of Jan. 1, 2018.
鈥淲e have taken significant steps to grow the HBU Athletics brand, returning to NCAA Division I competition in 2007, adding football in 2012 and joining the Southland Conference in 2013,鈥� Director of Athletics Steve Moniaci said. 鈥淥ur partnership with Under Armour is another significant step for our brand and our programs as we look forward to being affiliated with such a powerful, household name in the athletic apparel industry and our student-athletes and staff utilizing its vast product line and resources.鈥�
HBU鈥檚 baseball, softball, track and field, women鈥檚 golf and beach volleyball programs will be outfitted in Under Armour apparel for the Spring 2018 semester. The men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 basketball and men鈥檚 golf programs completed the 2017-18 season in their current uniforms and apparel before moving, along with the football, men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 soccer, and volleyball programs, to Under Armour products for the 2018-19 academic year.
Founded in 1996 by former University of Maryland football player Kevin Plank, Under Armour is the originator of performance apparel 鈥� gear engineered to keep athletes cool (HeatGear) and warm (ColdGear), as well as dry and light (AllSeasonGear) when the conditions aren鈥檛 as extreme. Under Armour鈥檚 mission is to make all athletes better through passion, design and the relentless pursuit of innovation. The Under Armour global headquarters is located in Baltimore, Maryland, and more information can be found on the company鈥檚 website at uabiz.com.
Under Armour is officially endorsed by top professional athletes such as Tom Brady, Stephen Curry, Bryce Harper, Clayton Kershaw, Cam Newton, Jordan Spieth, Lindsey Vonn, Dwayne 鈥淭he Rock鈥� Johnson and many others. HBU joins Under Armour鈥檚 growing roster of NCAA Division I partners, which includes Auburn, Boston College, Cincinnati, Maryland, Northwestern, Notre Dame, South Carolina, the U.S. Naval Academy, Utah and Wisconsin. The Huskies will be Under Armour鈥檚 third Division I school in Texas, along with Texas Tech and fellow Southland Conference member Stephen F. Austin.
An official HBU-Under Armour launch event on campus will be planned for the spring, so please check聽 for more details.