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UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI

UC Bearcats celebrate new deal with Under Armour

Tom Groeschen
tgroeschen@enquirer.com
UC has a 10-year deal with Under Armour.

The University of Cincinnati athletic department unleashed a social media blitz Wednesday to kick off the Bearcats' new 10-year deal with Under Armour, which has replaced adidas as the official UC outfitter.

UC president Dr. Santa Ono, athletic director Mike Bohn and many others at UC were Tweeting or otherwise buzzing about Under Armour on Wednesday, the first day of the school's new contract. Ono earlier this week tweeted a selfie that included himself, Bohn and UC staffers wearing black Under Armour T-shirts, with "I Am A Bearcat" emblazoned in red and white letters across the front.

"It signifies the first day of our 10-year partnership with Under Armour and the energy of our student-athletes, coaches and the entire building," Bohn said. "It's a salute to (Under Armour Founder and CEO) Kevin Plank and his team. They are designing the uniforms specific to our teams."

Bohn said the new Under Armour team uniforms will be unveiled over the next several months, including for the UC football team in August. Bohn said UC also plans a bigger roll-out of Under Armour gear near the beginning of football season in September. UC fans can start looking for Under Armour items as they gradually are produced, Bohn said.

"There is an initial order in the marketplace, with so many more things to come," Bohn said. "Throughout the summer, our fans should see new and brighter items coming out."

The Enquirer reported in January that UC was switching to Under Armour. The school made the announcement in April.

The deal will see the Bearcats annually receive a base of $1.05 million in an equipment and apparel allowance for their sports teams, plus $525,000 in cash. ESPN has reported that UC will be getting as much as $5 million per year with Under Armour. The UC adidas contract expired Tuesday.

NIPPERT UPDATE: UC is scheduled to re-open the renovated Nippert Stadium for the season football opener against Alabama A&M on Saturday, Sept. 5 (7 p.m., ESPN3). The $86 million project includes expansion from 35,000 to 40,000 seats, with construction having begun in December 2013. UC played 2014 home games at the Bengals' Paul Brown Stadium.

"Turner (Construction) is on time and on budget and doing a phenomenal job," Bohn said. "Everybody is hustling, recognizing that we want to get it done. I think it will be even better than everybody really anticipates."