Howard Payne Athletics and Adidas have entered into a three-year agreement that will provide exclusive footwear and apparel for all Yellow Jacket teams beginning with the 2011-12 academic year.Howard Payne Athletics and Adidas have entered into a three-year agreement that will provide exclusive footwear and apparel for all Yellow Jacket teams beginning with the 2011-12 academic year.

"We are excited to announce a partnership between Howard Payne University Athletics and Adidas," said Howard Payne University athletic director Mike Jones. "This is a great opportunity for our department that goes well beyond cost savings because it will put all of our teams in similar apparel and will help us brand our identity as we move forward with our department. It also gives high quality apparel and footwear to each of our teams from one of the world leaders in the industry."

The new agreement ensures that all Howard Payne teams will be outfitted in Adidas uniforms, including practice and travel gear. In addition, officially licensed Howard Payne/Adidas branded products will be available to Yellow Jacket fans in the future. This marks the first time that the Howard Payne Athletics Department has been outfitted by one brand. Howard Payne University is now the only NCAA Division III school in the nation with this type of exclusive agreement with Adidas.

"We are honored to have Howard Payne University Athletics as a part of the Adidas family," said Mike Cloud of Adidas Team Sales. "We look forward to a long and successful partnership of which both parties can be proud."

Mike Cloud is a 1977 graduate of Howard Payne University. He was a member of the Yellow Jacket football team where he was a two-time All-Lone Star Conference selection at safety.

Howard Payne has more than 300 student-athletes competing in the sports of football, women's volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, along with baseball, softball and men's and women's tennis.

A member of the highly competitive American Southwest Conference, Howard Payne has won 11 conference titles and five ASC division titles in the past 15 years. In 2008, the HPU women's basketball team won the NCAA Division III women's basketball national championship. Howard Payne also has individual NCAA championship winners in men's track and field and two team NAIA national championships in men's cross country.

Howard Payne joins such universities as Michigan, Notre Dame, UCLA, Tennessee, Indiana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and SMU among others to be outfitted exclusively in Adidas footwear, uniforms and accessories. Adidas also has exclusive all-league partnership with the NBA and has marketing agreements with the NFL and MLS.
POST: 2024-11-24