MINNESOTA A&M ANNOUNCES DEAL WITH UNDER ARMOUR, UNVEILS "LEGACY PREVIEW" UNIFORMS
ROCHESTER, MN -*Despite an uncharacteristically drab season in Rochester, the Minnesota A&M Redhorse football program has reasons to be upbeat. The 2-time national finalist and 2012 National Champions are just happy to be playing top-tier football again. "We knew returning after a year off is unprecedented, to do so with the gentlemen we've had this year has been difficult but we're proud of them," said new Vice President for Athletics Sandy Jorgensen. After spending the entire season in Nike, the school's deal with Nike expired and they began shopping for new deals. In an unprecedented move, the school inked a one-year deal with Under Armour as a "trial run" for both parties.
Next weekend, the Redhorse travel to UW-Lower Columbia for their final regular season game in 2016. Labeled by coaching staff, "the Comeback Bowl" they have gone out of their way to treat the players with the experience of traveling to post-season football including working with faculty from the TV Journalism division to simulate press conferences, busy practices and other trappings of traveling to a playoff game. "We want these guys to know that we won't always be bad. They've been working hard all year. They see those trophies and the banners that hang from our rafters and they want to be there someday soon. Getting a W at the end of a long year against a heavily favored opponent is a huge way to do that," said defensive line coach John "Puck" Wiens.*
With a new coaching staff expected for 2017, this year's staff intends to finish on a high note. Through the 'legacy preview' jersey, Under Armour hopes to roster some simplicity to the Minnesota A&M brand. "We're excited to be partners with Redhorse athletics. It's a championship winning legacy across sports and football has historically been a big part of that. This is a throwback uniform envisioning an era of football that's modern but hard-nosed. We're excited for brighter days in Rochester," said D.J. Canter, a market manager with Under Armour.
