AUSTIN, Texas (September 22, 2021) – University of Texas Athletics, Moody Center and Truist jointly announced today a multi-year relationship that introduces Truist as the “Official Bank Sponsor of Texas Athletics” and Moody Center. Truist makes its sponsorship debut as the presenting sponsor of Texas Football vs. Texas Tech at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, September 25.
In addition to the exclusive sponsorship designation with Texas Athletics and promotional rights to co-brand with the iconic Texas Longhorns logo, Truist will have significant visibility at men’s and women’s athletics events and venues, through official digital and social media platforms, and on Longhorn Network.
As an Official Partner of Moody Center, the new, state-of-the-art, privately funded live entertainment facility in Austin, Truist receives permanent signage throughout the arena for all events, premium music assets and exclusive pre-sale opportunities. Truist Securities is Lead Left Arranger on a syndicated debt facility used to fund, in part, construction of Moody Center. In addition to opening its doors in April 2022 to the top concert tours and entertainment in the world, Moody Center becomes home to Longhorns men’s and women’s basketball effective with the 2022-23 regular season.
“We’re thrilled to become part of Longhorn Nation as we introduce Truist to the Texas market,” said Joe Smith, head of sponsorship and regional marketing at Truist. “Aligning Truist with an iconic brand like Texas Athletics will allow us the opportunity to invest in the future of students and support our local communities. We look forward to being part of world class sports and entertainment in Austin.”
Truist also will collaborate with and provide resources to Texas Athletics’ SAGE (Student-Athlete Growth and Education) and 4EVER TEXAS areas, mainly in the Agents of Change program, which is designed to help student-athletes understand the importance of impacting their communities in meaningful ways through local, domestic and international service opportunities and civic engagement. Truist will also provide support to other 4EVER TEXAS initiatives to further help prepare Longhorn student-athletes for lifelong success.
Truist will serve as presenting sponsor of a basketball doubleheader as well, on Tuesday, November 9, at Frank Erwin Center, featuring the much-anticipated debut of Men’s Basketball Head Coach Chris Beard and the return of Women’s Basketball Head Coach Vic Schaefer following his team’s run to the Elite 8 of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
“We welcome Truist to the Texas family and thank them for their support not only of Longhorns Athletics, but all of our student-athletes through the outstanding community engagement and financial literacy programming,” The University of Texas at Austin Vice President and Director of Athletics Chris Del Conte said. “Join us Saturday morning at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium as we celebrate together.”
“It is rare to have as many aspects to a partnership align as what came together here with Truist,” said Dan Shell, President of OVG College. “From both the business and marketing objectives, and most importantly the people involved, Truist is the perfect fit as a true partner to all parties.”
The agreements with Truist were negotiated in collaboration between LEARFIELD’s Longhorn Sports Properties and Oak View Group, the exclusive multimedia rightsholders for University of Texas Athletics and Moody Center, respectively.
About Truist
Truist Financial Corporation (NYSE: TFC) is a purpose-driven financial services company committed to inspiring and building better lives and communities. Formed by the historic merger of equals of BB&T and SunTrust, Truist has leading market share in many high-growth markets in the country. The company offers a wide range of services including retail, small business and commercial banking; asset management; capital markets; commercial real estate; corporate and institutional banking; insurance; mortgage; payments; specialized lending; and wealth management. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Truist is a top 10 U.S. commercial bank with total assets of $522 billion as of June 30, 2021. Truist Bank, Member FDIC. Learn more at Truist.com.
About Truist Securities
Truist Securities is the full-service corporate and investment banking arm of Truist Financial Corporation. With a rich history extending back more than 125 years, Truist Securities offers a robust capital markets and investment banking platform that includes a comprehensive array of strategic advisory, mergers and acquisition and capital markets capabilities for corporate and institutional clients, including sales, trading and research services in both fixed income and equity. The firm also provides corporate finance, asset finance, risk management, liquidity and treasury management solutions to meet clients' full spectrum of financial needs.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Truist Securities encompasses more than 1,400 teammates in offices located across the U.S. Learn more at www.truistsecurities.com.
© 2021 Truist Financial Corporation. Truist and Truist Securities are service marks of Truist Financial Corporation. All rights reserved. Truist Securities is the trade name for the corporate and investment banking services of Truist Financial Corporation and its subsidiaries. Securities and strategic advisory services are provided by Truist Securities, Inc., member FINRA and SIPC. Lending, financial risk management, and treasury management and payment services are offered by Truist Bank. Deposit products are offered by Truist Bank, Member FDIC.
About Longhorn Sports Properties
Longhorn Sports Properties is the local LEARFIELD team dedicated to representing The University of Texas and oversees the comprehensive athletics and campus multimedia rights relationship. LEARFIELD unlocks the value of college sports for brands and fans through an omnichannel platform with innovative content and commerce solutions.
About Oak View Group (OVG)
Oak View Group (OVG) is a global sports and entertainment company founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015. OVG is focused on being a positive disruption to business as usual in the sports and live entertainment industry and currently has eight divisions across four global offices (Los Angeles, New York, London, and Philadelphia). OVG is leading the redevelopment and operations of Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center as well as leading arena development projects for UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY; Moody Center in Austin, TX; New Arena in Coachella Valley, CA; and Co-op Live in Manchester, UK. OVG Global Partnerships, a division of OVG, is the sales and marketing arm responsible for selling across all OVG arena development projects. OVG Facilities, a division of OVG, is the facility management, booking, security, and sanitization services arm that performs services for both OVG’s arena development projects and clients on a 3rd party basis. OVG Media & Conferences, a division of OVG, publishes Pollstar and VenuesNow, in addition to hosting live entertainment-centric conferences around the world. OVG’s Arena Alliance, a division of OVG, is a collection of the top 32 venues in North America that provides a platform for booking, content, and sponsorship sales opportunities. Learn more at OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
About Moody Center
Moody Center will provide the nation’s 11th largest city with a premier venue to host the biggest artists and acts on the planet. Designed specifically for concerts, the new arena will replace the 44-year-old Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center at The University of Texas and will be the home to the University of Texas women’s and men’s basketball games as well as other sports and community events. Moody Center is privately funded by Oak View Group, Live Nation/C3 Presents, The University of Texas, and Matthew McConaughey and is set to open April 2022.
Media Contacts:
Truist: media@truist.com
University of Texas Athletics: drew.martin@utexas.edu
LEARFIELD: jduncan@learfield.com
Oak View Group: pr@solters.com