Tech announces 5-year deal with Adidas
Louisiana Tech announced a new apparel contract with Adidas Wednesday afternoon. The contract is for 5 years and worth $3.025 million for an average of $605,000. Tech signed an agreement with Nike during Derek Dooley's time in Ruston. The Nike contract was a $150,000 deal.
We first reported a change from Nike here on BleedTechBlue.com back in July. Adidas and Under Armour both replied to Tech's Request for Proposal. Sources tell BleedTechBlue.com the contract from Under Armour was significantly less than the $3.025 million deal Adidas offered Tech.
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The impact of this deal cannot be understated. It is the no. 1 Adidas contract in the state of Louisiana. For comparison, Louisiana-Lafeyette's Adidas deal is 5 years $1.3 million. This deal gives Tech the no. 1 deal in Conference USA and also gives them a top 10 Adidas deal of the Group of 5 (G5).
"Louisiana Tech already has a strong national brand, but partnering with a global leader like adidas will allow us to further enhance our brand, and brand consistency across all sports," McClelland said. "It became very apparent throughout the process that adidas recognized the value of Louisiana Tech's national brand and they were aggressive in their pursuit to partner with us. We now have one of the best apparel deals of any mid-major program."
Louisiana Tech joins some of the nation's top intercollegiate athletics programs who have partnered with adidas, including Arizona State, Indiana, Kansas, Louisville, Miami, Mississippi State, Nebraska, North Carolina State, Texas A&M and UCLA.
For the student-athletes, it means high quality and more apparel for Tech to give its student-athletes. With the additional resources Adidas brings, the sky is the limit for alternate jerseys in the future for Tech but will continue the use of its classic football uniforms outside of possible one-off jerseys for a single game. Both of these things will help Tech immensely on the recruiting trail.
"We talk to our players all the time about commitment and what that means," head basketball coach Eric Konkol said. "We are very honored that adidas has made such a commitment to our university, our athletic program and our basketball team. This is a transformational development for us. The amount of equipment, gear and services that will benefit our student-athletes with this partnership is unbelievable. This will transcend our program and push us forward. We are grateful to adidas for partnering with us and for their belief in us. Louisiana Tech is moving forward and it is an exciting time to be a part of it."
"We are really excited about having the opportunity to partner with a global leader like adidas," head football coach Skip Holtz said. "When you look at the brand of Louisiana Tech and to know the strength of that brand, it's exciting to put the entire athletic department under one roof. This will really benefit the student-athletes. The Davison Athletics Complex was a game changer for us. I think this partnership has the chance to be a game changer, not just for the football program but for all of our student-athletes. I think it speaks volumes to the leadership, the reputation and the brand of Louisiana Tech and its athletic department, that people around the country are taking notice. This deal is definitely a game changer."
A uniform unveiling will occur during the summer. This deal affects all of Tech sports. Before Tech was represented by several different apparel brands among its sports.