The Rock and Iron Man wear its tight shirts. That’s not all you need to know about Under Armour after its $280-million UCLA deal.
On Tuesday, UCLA and Under Armor announced the university had signed a whopping 15-year, $280-million apparel and shoe deal with the Baltimore-based sports apparel company that will start after a contract with Adidas ends next year.
This new deal is considered a major step for Under Armour in having a bigger West Coast presence, but the company, which has a deep East Coast footing, has been slowly extending its relationships and reach in Hollywood and California for years.
Here are 15 things you might not know about Under Armour.
1. Under Armour is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
2. Founder and Chief Executive Kevin Plank started Under Armour in 1996 in his grandmother’s basement in the Georgetown section of Washington with the intention of creating a better activewear T-shirt. In 1998, Under Armour moved to a headquarters and warehouse in Baltimore, the city where the company has remained.
3. Plank made his first team sale by the end of 1996, and the company generated $17,000 in sales. In 2005, Under Armour ended the year with $281 million in revenue. (It also went public in November of that year.) Five years later, the company, which has a global presence, surpassed $1 billion in annual revenue, and by 2016, Under Armour had about $4 billion in annual sales.
4. In 2005, Under Armour Golf was introduced, and the company signed its first all-school deal with the University of Maryland, Plank’s alma mater.
5. Under Armour has signed endorsement deals and partnerships with athletes including Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry, Michael Phelps, Tom Brady, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez, Bryce Harper, Jordan Spieth and Lindsey Vonn.
6. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who wore Under Armour in the 2006 film “Gridiron Gang,” has a new line with the athletic apparel brand called Project Rock. Shirts from the line feature Johnson’s signature Brahma Bull logo, which is tattooed on The Rock’s right arm.
7. One of Under Armour’s first product placements in a film was Oliver Stone’s “Any Given Sunday,” starring Al Pacino and Cameron Diaz. Jamie Foxx’s football player character wore Under Armour gear in the 1999 movie.
8. With exposure from “Any Given Sunday,” Under Armour paid for its first print advertisement in ESPN the Magazine. The ad raised awareness about the brand and gave Under Armour a $750,000 increase in sales. As a result of the young company’s success, Plank officially put himself on the company’s payroll.
9. Under Armour products have been featured in Disney’s Marvel films featuring Iron Man, Thor and Captain America.
10. Under Armour products have been featured in TV shows including “House of Cards,” “The Wire” and “The Challenge.”
11. The sports apparel company started its women’s line called Under Armour Women in 2003. (According to Footwear News, the company’s first patent was for a sports bra.) In 2004, the brand introduced lines for children and outdoor athletes.
12. In March of this year, Under Armour opened its first West Coast brand house, the company’s name for its retail stores, at the Americana at Brand shopping center in Glendale. It opened a brand house store in Walt Disney World in Florida this month.
13. While First Lady Michelle Obama likes designer frocks from Jason Wu, Narciso Rodriguez and others, President Obama is a fan of Under Armour, often photographed wearing the brand and other sports apparel lines during casual public appearances and while playing sports.
14. According to the Baltimore Sun, former UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, who now plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars, became the first prospect in the 2016 NFL Draft class to get a major apparel and footwear deal by signing with Under Armour.
15. In April, Under Armour entered into a broad 10-year outfitting deal valued at about $86 million with the University of California, Berkeley, beginning in July 2017, replacing sports apparel rival Nike, the Baltimore Sun reported.
MORE:
UCLA’s Under Armour deal for $280 million is the biggest in NCAA history
Plaschke: Apparel deal is big for UCLA, but not for athletes
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