Michigan's $169M deal with Nike the richest in college sports

ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 16 (UPI) -- The University of Michigan's athletic department on Wednesday revealed what is now the richest apparel deal in collegiate sports history, with Nike.

And the runner-up isn't even close to the Wolverines.

Michigan's athletic department revealed details of the $169 million contract Wednesday, which will kick in a year from now and run through 2027, outfitting the Wolverines' athletic teams for 12 seasons. According to the deal, the school will receive nearly $77 million of that in cash and $80 million in apparel.

The university also received a "signing bonus" of about $12 million, which is a little more than Michigan will receive annually -- nearly twice as much as the runner-up, Texas, receives from Nike every year.

Michigan signed with outfitter Adidas in 2007, again inking the richest apparel deal in college sports, but Athletic Director Jim Hackett announced last week that the university is switching back to Nike.

"After careful consideration, the right partner for the University of Michigan was Nike," Hackett said. "This decision, this partnership is about more than Michigan athletics; at the core, it is about our university community, and it is about two great names reuniting for an opportunity that speaks to more than uniforms and apparel."

The Wolverines, though, aren't the only ones to make that move. In recent years, programs like Notre Dame and Tennessee have defected to other outfitters, and other Adidas schools could possibly do the same. The apparel maker, though, does still have contracts with multiple major programs like Kansas, Wisconsin and UCLA.

Nike has contracts with the majority of Division I collegiate programs, such as Oregon, Alabama and Ohio State. Adidas and Under Armour each maintain a handful of schools, though UA appears to be making a serious push to expand its brand.

Last year, the Maryland-based company lured Notre Dame away from Adidas and currently outfits several other major college teams -- including as Auburn, South Carolina, Utah and Maryland.