Coastal Carolina announced Thursday that it has signed a five-year partnership agreement to have Russell Athletic become the designated apparel outfitter for Chanticleer athletics.
The announcement was made in a room full of CCU coaches, and Coastal's athletic teams will wear Russell Athletic uniforms, apparel and accessories beginning in August 2011.
"I think it really sets our athletic department apart to have an all-school apparel agreement with someone the magnitude of Russell Athletic," CCU athletic director Hunter Yurachek said after making the announcement.
One of the chief benefits of the partnership, Yurachek highlighted, is that it will bring a consistent look to the various Coastal teams.
"We'll have a consistent brand from an athletic department standpoint. We'll have a consistent look and feel of our uniforms and our sideline wear and our headwear and things of that nature," he said. "... The teal will be the same color, which is the one issue we've had where based on who our sports were going to, the teal was a different shade. So we'll have that consistent look and feel to everything that our teams wear."
Yurachek said he informally solicited bids from other apparel providers before moving forward on the contract.
Russell Athletic has similar partnerships with 63 Division I programs, according to the company's senior director of marketing Skip Nickle. At the FCS level, the company is a provider for several Southern Conference schools and has conference-wide contracts with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Southwestern Athletic Conference.
As for linking up with Coastal ...
"It's a growing school with a winning tradition. They're young, they are growing in enrollment as well as the athletic department's growing," Nickle said. "We just saw it as an opportunity to get on board with them at this stage and enjoy it to the next level."
As part of the five-year partnership, Russell Athletic will also provide the funding to create a Russell team shop in the new university bookstore planned for the Student Recreation and Convocation Center -- the future home of CCU basketball and volleyball.
"I think what you're seeing here today is really the next step in Coastal Carolina University athletics," CCU president David DeCenzo said. "When you have a brand, when you have something that is in the demand of the public, it not only says this university, but this athletic program is on the move."
The partnership with Russell Athletic could also help put more CCU apparel in the local marketplace. DeCenzo noted that the university received about $54,000 in overall royalties last year.
"Before I came over, I had my staff take a look at what our first royalty check was shortly after we became an independent institution," he continued. "We got a whopping $73.14. I think that says it all. We've come a long way."
| Ryan Young, ryoung@thesunnews.com
Recent Comments