History of Under Armour ®
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the quest for the ultimate T-shirt, and, ultimately, the beginning of the performance apparel industry, began in 1995 on the football field at Byrd Stadium, when a University of Maryland player named Kevin Plank became frustrated with having to change his sweat-soaked cotton undershirt four times a game. When his playing days were done, he set out to New York's famous garment district to sample fabrics and make a prototype of a t-shirt that wouldn't retain moisture. He gave his "shiny tight shirts" to former teammates at Maryland and friends in the NFL, and asked for feedback. Taking their advice, he went back to work and came up with a shirt made from a unique blend of microfibers designed to wick moisture away from the body to the outside of the shirt, keeping a player cool, dry and light.
Plank housed his company in the basement of his grandmother's house in Washington, D.C. and eventually made his first team sale to Georgia Tech. Other major Division I teams followed in droves, along with two dozen NFL teams. Plank moved his company headquarters to South Baltimore and set up a manufacturing plant six blocks away. In 1996, Under Armour ® developed performance product lines (ColdGear ®, HeatGear ®, Tech™ Gear and AllSeasonGear ®) to cover every climate and condition an athlete may face in a year. Plank had not only created a company, but a new industry of performance apparel!
In 1998, the NFL Europe signed Plank's company to be the official supplier of performance apparel for its teams. Then in 1999, Warner Brothers contracted Under Armour ® to outfit its actors for two upcoming football movies, Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday (Al Pacino, Charlton Heston, Cameron Diaz) and The Replacements (Gene Hackman, Keanu Reeves). The object was authenticity and Under Armour ® delivered. In 2000, Plank was featured in a Sports Illustrated article and in 2001 saw Under Armour ® become the official supplier of performance apparel to Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. Sales increased to $25 million, and the gear was sold in over 2,000 retail stores throughout the country and many more worldwide. Plank was named to Business Week's short list of the top 30-under-30 business owners in America, as well as several "40-under-40" lists in other business and trade journals.
Now that the cat's out of the bag, knock-offs are surfacing from companies big and small, but Under Armour ® continues to beat the major players in athletic apparel with savvy advertising and consistent production of quality gear. The company boasts sales to 30 NFL teams and more than 100 Division-IA football programs. In fact, the over six National Championships and five Super Bowls have featured Under Armour ® teams battling for glory, but Under Armour's ® popularity isn't limited to the gridiron. Virtually all athletes--baseball, lacrosse, hockey, and basketball players, not to mention runners and weight lifters--are buying the gear and GQ and Maxim magazines selected Under Armour ® as the best ski apparel in 2001. In 2002, Under Armour ® became official suppliers to Major League Soccer and the US Ski Team, and the company was named the best apparel supplier of the year by Sporting Goods Business Magazine and by The Sports Authority, the nation's largest full line sporting goods retailers. In August that year, Under Armour ® debuted its first television commercial during the ABC's national broadcast of the Kick-off Classic, featuring Maryland vs. Notre Dame in a sold-out contest at the Meadowlands.
 Thus far, Under Armour ® has continued to receive rave reviews from the national press, including a January 2003 feature story in Time Magazine: "It all began in 1996 at the University of Maryland, when Kevin Plank, special teams captain on the Terrapin football team, became frustrated with changing his sweat-soaked cotton T-shirt three or four times a game. After graduation, he developed his first prototype of a microfiber T-shirt designed to keep a player dry and light throughout a game or practice. Football powerhouses Georgia Tech and Arizona State were the first college teams to purchase the gear, followed by the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. The number of teams on both levels has increased every year since."
By 1997, 12 NCAA Division I-A teams and 10 NFL teams were wearing the gear, and Under Armour ® made its first appearance in the Super Bowl when the Green Bay Packers defeated the New England Patriots. Under Armour's ® popularity has never been limited to football, however, and with different applications of the gear came the need for an expanded product line. ColdGear ® was introduced, followed by the versatile AllSeasonGear ®, then TurfGear ®, a version of the original HeatGear ® with long sleeves for protection on artificial surfaces.
In 1998, Under Armour ® signed a licensing deal with the NFL Europe League to become its official supplier of performance apparel. The relationship is heading into its fifth season. Also, a new gear was added to the line-up: LooseGear ®, a version of the original HeatGear ® with a generous fit.
The new millennium kicked off with both teams in the NCAA Championship Football game (Virginia Tech and Florida State) wearing Under Armour ®. Later that year, after placing its first national print advertisements, Under Armour ® helped launch the XFL football league with a product contribution to all of its players. Some 12 million who tuned in to the inaugural game saw Under Armour ® up close during the game and in the locker room through exclusive half-time coverage. The league was short-lived, but by the end of the year, Under Armour ® could be found in more than 1,500 retail outlets!
Highlights of 2001 included contracts to become official suppliers to Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Hockey League (NHL) and USA Baseball. Heading into the future, 28 NFL teams and more than 90 NCAA Division I-A football programs are wearing Under Armour ®, in addition to Olympians, NASCAR drivers, amateur and professional athletes, and members of law enforcement and the military. Scores of retailers have been added, including four of the top five sports apparel chains in the nation.
Under Armour ® expands into 2,500 retail doors, including nine of the top 10 sporting goods retail chains. The year began with major accolades, namely the New Product Launch of the Apparel Supplier of the Year from Sporting Goods Business magazine. Success also called for new facilities, including a 65,000 square foot distribution center, and waterfront corporate headquarters on Baltimore's scenic inner harbor. |
