OWEN FIELD GAME-USED SOONER SOD™ FIRST EVER COLLECTIBLE WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR FANS UNDER NEW LICENSE BY THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA
A celebration for Upcoming 800thOU Victory and 70thStraight Home Sellout
Norman, OK, April 26, 2010 – As part of the “Year of the Fan” celebration, and to commemorate one of the great eras of Oklahoma football, Sooner fans will be able to own a piece of history with a first ever Game-Used Sooner Sod™ collectible. This will begin a new era of preserving sports history at the University of Oklahoma.
The keepsake will also celebrate two milestones that are expected to occur during the 2010 season, the 800thfootball win and the 70thconsecutive sellout of Owen Field, and will be ready to ship in early October.
Never before have Oklahoma fans been able to own a piece of the field where the games are played. The University of Oklahoma is committed to offering its fans, alumni and students with unique and special ways to connect with and celebrate the Sooners. New licensee Stadium Associates, LLC of Cranbury, NJ is the market leader and specializes in preserving sports history by removing and freeze drying 3” x 3” pieces of Game-Used Sooner Sod™.
"Stadium Associates offers a unique product line and we are pleased to open this new avenue to our fans,” said OU Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione. “We have reviewed the work done by this company and are excited to offer a rare piece of memorabilia in a high-quality presentation."
Limited edition collectibles will be announced as the football season nears and will offer fans unique ways to commemorate football alumni and coaches. All limited edition offerings will be individually numbered. Each piece is beautifully displayed in a UV glass display case and will include a photograph and relevant statistics from Sooner football.
On September 20, Stadium Associates will work with Jeff Salmond, OU Head Groundskeeper to carefully remove a portion of the OU end zone and collectibles will be ready to ship in early October.
Stadium Associates has already made their mark by providing game-used sod collectibles from The Rose Bowl Stadium and the BCS National Championship Game in January, and from Sun Life Stadium in Miami, upon which Super Bowl XLIV was played in February. Stadium Associates also offers Phillies fans a first ever collectible Game-Used Phillies Sod™ from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, where the last two World Series were played. The University of Oklahoma license represents their first license with a NCAA school, a landmark licensing deal.
The license extends to all OU sports, and details about soccer, baseball, softball and other natural grass sports will be announced at a later date.
The first product to be offered is a Limited Edition and individually numbered version of Game-Used Sooner Sod™ that commemorates the Class of 2010. This first-ever collectible is priced at $84.99 plus shipping and handling. Beginning Tuesday, April 27, 2010 graduating seniors and their families can reserve one of 2010 pieces at www.stadiumassociates.com while supplies last. This historic product will ship in the middle of October when all collectibles will be ready after the September 20, 2010, harvest of the Owen Field end zone.
Demand is expected to be high for Game-Used Sooner Sod™ from Owen Field, given the remarkable string of success achieved on the field, and the memories provided for current students, alumni, staff and the universe of OU boosters.
“We’ve been thrilled by the response to this new collectible product from fans across the country,” said David Andres, President/CEO and cofounder of Stadium Associates, LLC, “and anticipate that Sooner fan demand will be the same. We are providing truly unique game-used memorabilia that has really resonated with fans across all sports. To begin our NCAA university offering with a national power like the University of Oklahoma is an honor for our company.”
The section of end zone sod removed for preservation at Owen Field will be replaced in the month between the third and fourth home games.
ABOUT STADIUM ASSOCIATES
Stadium Associates launched the concept of Authentic Collection Team Licensed Sod with Major League Baseball and Yankees Sod™ in early 2009. The company first began marketing authentic game-used team sod and Authentic Collection Team Sod a year ago, and since January has also sold Game-Used BCS National Championship Game Sod™ from The Rose Bowl Stadium. In recent weeks Game-Used Super Bowl XLIV Sod has been available from Sun Life Stadium in Miami, where the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl were played. The company is licensed to sell both game-used sod from the playing field, and Authentic Collection Team Sod grown by the same sod farm the team chose for their playing surface. Stadium Associates is also now the licensee for Authentic Team Sod and Game-Used Team Sod for the National Football League and hold a Collegiate Licensing Company license for Game-Used BCS National Championship Game Sod™.
Contacts:
University of Oklahoma
Kenny Mossman, Senior Associate Athletics Director of Communications
405-325-8231
Stadium Associates, LLC
Marty Appel Public Relations
212 245-1772
