When Joe Dean took charge of LSU’s athletic department in 1987, he brought with him 30 years of experience in marketing with shoemaker Converse.
That experience included emblazoning the Olympics logo on a couple of pairs of Converse shoes when Los Angeles hosted the summer games in 1984. At LSU, Dean quickly courted Coca-Cola and McDonald’s into corporate sponsorships with the athletic department.
“We raised quite a bit of money,” Dean says.
Rannah Gray, who left LSU in 2002 as an associate athletic director in charge of marketing, says Dean marketed LSU early for corporate sponsorships when compared to other large schools.
“College athletics was going to go the way of the pros,” and Dean knew it, Gray says.
Dean credits Gray for raising about $3 million a year for LSU as she coordinated the bidding process on advertising packages including signage, soft drinks and food.
“It’s grown way beyond that,” Dean says.
In 2005 LSU forged a partnership with media giants Viacom and Westwood One to handle marketing and broadcasting rights for the athletic department in a 10-year deal that was reportedly worth at least $75 million. LSU Sports Properties, an arm of CBS Collegiate Sports, now negotiates LSU’s marketing. As a third party, LSU Sports Properties does not have to publicly report corporate sponsorship contracts.
When Capital One Bank signed on to sponsor LSU in 2008, terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, when Bank One signed a five-year deal with LSU in 1998, it was reportedly worth $3.7 million. Through this week and Saturday, Capital One is reportedly giving away 140,000 so-called Tiger Towels for the football rematch between LSU and Alabama.
