FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — When it comes to corporate sponsorships, Fresno State found its perfect match.
In the new era of sharing revenue with college student-athletes, the Bulldogs found another creative way to bring in the dough.
A 5-year partnership with The Wonderful Company will put Wonderful brands on jersey patches in all 18 sports, plus a logo on the 25-yard line at Valley Children’s Stadium.
One of three brands will be on each sport’s uniform — Wonderful Pistachios, Pom Wonderful, or Wonderful Halos.
But that’s not all, according to Athletic Director Garrett Klassy.
“We’re working actively not just on the concession side where you’ll see it, but [in] the bookstore and the Kennel Marketplace,” said Klassy. “We want to make sure it’s a 360 partnership.”
Klassy credited the brand-new Bulldog Sports Enterprises for helping to secure the deal.
School officials call it “the first portfolio-wide jersey patch partnership in the history of college athletics,” as well as the largest corporate sponsorship in the history of Fresno State Athletics, surpassing the stadium naming rights deal that brings in $1 million a year from Valley Children’s Healthcare.
“Today, Fresno State and The Wonderful Company are showing that the Central Valley does not have to follow the future of college athletics,” said Klassy. “We can lead it.”
Neither party shared an exact amount The Wonderful Company is investing at Fresno State. A spokesman from TWC confirmed the number is in the ballpark of “multi-millions” of dollars.
Regardless, no matter how many millions it is, the Bulldogs capitalized on the new rules without compromising who they are.
“This partnership helps tell the story of who we are as a Valley,” said university president Saul Jimenez-Sandoval. “As a region defined by hard work, innovation, agriculture, service, and extraordinary people.”