The Jordan Brand will become the new sponsor of Howard University, according to a report from Boardroom on Wednesday. The landmark deal will reportedly see the Jordan brand outfit the Bison athletic department for the foreseeable future, the first sponsorship of an HBCU since the original three “Jordan schools” were sponsored by the Nike subsidiary in 1997.
Howard will join other top collegiate programs like UNC Chapel Hill, UCLA, Michigan, Georgetown, Marquette, San Diego State, Houston, Oklahoma, and Florida as NCAA programs outfitted by the Jumpman brand.
Howard is currently under an active deal with Under Armor. The new deal with Jordan will not affect the school’s unique deal with Stephen Curry’s signature brand, an Under Armor subsidiary which provides the Howard golf program with shoes, apparel, equipment, and other gear.
Howard, which is located in Washington DC, has received funding from the Curry organization for the past four years. Curry made a sizable donation to the golf program, and in turn, he’s helped resurrect the Division 1 men’s and women’s programs.
The “Jordan schools” mentioned above refer to the three schools Micheal Jordan selected to represent his apparel brand when it first launched in 1997. These programs included Saint Johns, Cincinnati, and North Carolina A&T, an HBCU located in Greensboro, North Carolina, Micheal’s home state, and the alma mater of Micheal’s brother Larry Jordan. The deal lasted for six years until the Mid-Eastern Atlantic conference signed a new deal with a different company in 2003.
Stay tuned for confirmation on this reported deal from Howard and Jordan Brand.