STARKVILLE — Mississippi State and adidas announced Thursday they have extended their partnership and unveiled new uniforms for the school’s football and baseball programs.
MSU and the corporation that manufactures sports shoes, clothing, and accessories signed a seven-year, $17.5 million contract extension that runs through 2020. The 2013-2014 academic year is the first of the new agreement. The deal MSU and adidas signed in 2009 was worth $3 million for five years and was for gear and equipment only. Year one of the new deal replaces the final year of the 2009 agreement, raising the yearly worth of the contract from $600,000 to $2.5 million annually.
“In 2008, we had different sports using different companies and we thought it was important to consolidate it to one company for all of our 16 sports,” MSU Director of Athletics Scott Stricklin said. “When we tested the market of the major players in the industry, adidas was the only one that showed interest in partnering with Mississippi State.
“Over the course of that last five-year deal, adidas has come in and completely outperformed what the contract holds. They have a level of service that leads to the things said from our coaches about how they both feel about the partnership.”
MSU baseball will wear a cream uniform tonight for Game 1 of its Super Bulldog Weekend series against Ole Miss. The uniform features a throwback look to early days of the sport.
“Our program is thrilled to continue its partnership with adidas,” MSU baseball coach John Cohen said. “Adidas has assembled an incredible baseball staff who is at the forefront of our game. We appreciate their commitment in making Mississippi State an absolute priority.”
The uniform features TechFit ShockWeb technology, which is according to an adidas release is designed to keep “players faster, cooler, and winning.”
“The baseball team will showcase our lightweight adizero cleats and game-changing EQT bats,” said Mark Daniels, director of Team Sports for Adidas America.
The MSU football program announced its new uniforms for the 2014 season opener against Southern Mississippi on Aug. 30. The maroon uniform with the trademarked “Hail State” across the chest celebrates the 100th anniversary of Scott Field. The uniform, which features a helmet without a stripe, is based on the uniform MSU wore in the 1990s, a decade when the Bulldogs captured the Southeastern Conference Western Division championship in 1998.
“Our partnership with adidas has been outstanding for our program and student-athletes,” MSU football coach Dan Mullen said. “Our players will enjoy wearing this uniform to start our highly anticipated 2014 season. I think it’s appropriate the uniform is a design similar to the classic look of our 1990s uniform that the fans love.”
Follow Matt Stevens on Twitter @matthewcstevens.
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