Grantham, PA – Get ready to see the Falcons like you've never seen them before.
Messiah College Athletics announced this week that starting on July 1, 2015, the Falcons will move into an exclusive apparel and footwear agreement with Under Armour. The agreement ends a six-year contract between Messiah Athletics and Nike.
"We're really excited about this partnership with Under Armour," said Director of Athletics
Jack Cole. "Under Armour is a terrific company that produces apparel, footwear, and equipment that rivals any other. We believe that our student-athletes, coaches, and community members will greatly benefit from this agreement, and we're excited to be a part of the Under Armour family."
Headquartered in nearby Baltimore, Md., Under Armour was started in 1996 and has since grown into a multi-billion dollar company. In April of this year the company reported a first quarter growth of 25 percent, the 20th-straight quarter of 20-plus percent growth. They are projected to generate net revenues of $3.78 billion in 2015.
"There are many reasons that we're excited to be joining with Under Armour, and that includes their high-level of customer service and consideration for their partners," said Associate Athletics Director
Steve King. "Under Armour has great products, and they pride themselves on being relentless in their pursuit of innovation. They want to be the best in their market and in what they do, and in that regard they're much like us."
The agreement between Messiah College Athletics and Under Armour will start in July and run for five years. It will take more than half that time for Messiah Athletics to roll over uniforms and other essential apparel into the Under Armour brand. This is important to note considering the agreement allows some room for student-athletes to use non-Under Armour equipment in competitions, specifically footwear if it is purchased with non-institutional funds.
"We recognize that it will take some time for our coaches and student-athletes to make the transition to Under Armour," said King. "But we believe in the move, and we'll be intentional and strategic in how we assimilate Under Armour's brand into our department.
"Any time you make a change like this, it affects a great number of people. We're looking forward to both Messiah College Athletics and Under Armour being assets to each other."
Messiah College is one of many NCAA and professional organizations to partner with Under Armour since its inception nearly 20 years ago. Current partners include the University of Maryland, University of Notre Dame, U.S. Naval Academy, University of South Carolina, University of Cincinnati, Auburn University, and Northwestern University.
In addition to those partners, Under Armour has contracts with 2015 NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry and Master's Champion Jordan Spieth, as well as many other professional athletes including Clayton Kershaw (Major League Baseball), Bryce Harper (MLB), Cam Newton (National Football League), Tom Brady (NFL), Lindsey Vonn (US Ski Team), Misty Copeland (American Ballet Theatre), Kelly O'Hara (US Soccer), and Sloane Stephens (Women's Tennis Association).
The Falcons are a great partner for Under Armour for many reasons, not the least of which is their status as one of the premier Division III institutions across the NCAA. Since the year 2000 Messiah College has earned 23 NCAA National Championships, and the Falcons have annually ranked
near the top of the Learfield Directors' Cup. In the past four years alone Messiah student-athletes have also earned 29 CoSIDA Academic All-District and 15 CoSIDA Academic All-American honors.
"Messiah College is a special place because of we have tremendous coaches, student-athletes, and administration," said King. "Our campus and our community supports what we do in athletics, and we're daily thankful for the opportunities we have to meaningfully pursue athletic excellence and develop Christian character.
"We're excited to partner with the Under Armour brand in our efforts to continue our long-standing traditions of athletic and academic excellence."
