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Under Armour history
Under Armour company history timeline
Under Armour was founded on September 25, 1996 by Kevin Plank, a then 24-year-old former special teams captain of the University of Maryland football team.
Since 1996, the Under Armour Logo and brand has been producing a wide variety of sports clothing, quickly becoming a company able to rival the likes of giants such as Nike and Adidas.
Since its 1996 startup, the sportswear company has continued to expand.
By the end of 1996, Under Armour had sold 500 Under Armour HeatGear shirts, generating $17,000 for the company.
In 1997 Under Armour came out with several new apparel lines, each one designed with specific needs in mind.
By the end of 1997 over 7,500 Under Armour products had been sold.
1997: Twelve college football teams and ten National Football League (NFL) teams begin wearing Under Armour garments.
In 1997, Plank had $100,000 in orders to fill and found a factory in Ohio to make the shirts.
1998: Under Armour strikes a deal with Sports Robe, the wardrobe and uniform provider for the Warner Bros. film Any Given Sunday.
Under Armour's first television ad (the first print ad appeared in 1999) aired in August, during collegiate football's Kickoff Classic between Plank's alma mater, the University of Maryland, and the legendary Notre Dame.
The UA brand experienced rapid growth after 1999, as it had been featured in Warner Brothers films, like Any Given Sunday and The Replacements.
1999: The firm inks a deal with Eastbay catalogues and supplies apparel for another football-themed film, The Replacements.
2000: Under Armour begins national print advertising and provides apparel for the XFL football league.
Under Armour earned accolades from several sources in late 2001, including being named Apparel Supplier of the Year from Sporting Goods Business, and a Victor Award for the best New Product Launch from the Sports Authority, the nation's largest sporting goods chain.
Under Armour finished 2001 with sales of more than $25 million and 59 employees.
In 2002 Under Armour began testing its women's apparel line, hoping to duplicate its immense success with male athletes.
By 2003 sales for Under Armour were expected to breach $110 million and it was rumored the company had become a takeover target.
2003: The Women's Performance Gear product line is officially launched in retail outlets and on the company web site.
Under Armour will replace Majestic, who has been MLB's uniform provider since 2004.
The same year, the company launched its first television commercial, which centered on their motto, "Protect this house." The company IPO'd on the NASDAQ in November 2005, raising $153m of capital.
While Under Armour still dominated the performance gear market, which analysts expected to top $200 million by 2005, both Reebok and Nike had considerable clout and a no-holds-barred approach to doing business.
Under Armour began offering footwear in 2006.
In late 2007, Under Armour opened its first full-line full-price retail location at the Westfield Annapolis mall in Annapolis, Maryland.
It has also opened several specialty stores and factory outlet locations in Canada, China, and 39 states including the opening of its first Brand House in Baltimore in 2013 and second Brand House in Tyson's Corner, Virginia.
Under Armour has a partnership with NBA athlete Stephen Curry, who is considered to be the "face of their footwear line". Originally signed to Nike, Curry joined with Under Armour in the 2013 offseason.
On January 21, 2014, it was announced that the University of Notre Dame and Under Armour had come to terms with providing uniforms and athletic equipment for the university.
In 2014 it made over $3 billion with a market cap that's swelled to $15 billion.
Under Armour provided the suits worn by speedskaters in the 2014 Winter Olympics.
The brand netted $232.6 million in 2015 and has been the go-to apparel for some of the biggest sports stars in the world today.
On March 3, 2016, the company became the Official Match Ball Partner of the North American Soccer League, starting with their 2016 season.
On May 26, 2016, Under Armour and UCLA announced their plans for a 15-year, $280 million contract, making this the largest shoe and apparel sponsorship in NCAA history.
In July 2016, Under Armour leased the 53,000-square-foot (4,900 m) space formerly occupied by FAO Schwarz on New York's Fifth Avenue.
Some factors, like the bankruptcies of the retail giants Sports Authority and Sport Chalet in 2016, were out of the company’s control.
The large inventory combined with infighting over and micromanaging of the shoe’s design set the stage for the lackluster sales of the Curry 3 in 2016, Mr.
However, in May 2018, it was reported that Under Armour would be backing out of the deal with MLB, in order to save the company around $50 million.
On October 10, 2018, Under Armour announced that it has signed Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid to a sneaker endorsement deal.
MLB's deal with Nike became official on January 25, 2019.
The same month, the company reported revenue decline of 41% for the Q2 of 2020 or $707.6 million.
Under Armour then announced in March 2021 that it was planning on subleasing approximately half of the overall space.
Patrik Frisk to Step Down; Colin Browne Appointed Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, Effective June 1, 2022 Board Initiates Comprehensive Search for Permanent Successor
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Under Armour competitors
| Company name | Founded date | Revenue | Employee size | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Converse | 1908 | $1.9B | 4,407 | 3 |
| Gap Inc. | 1969 | $15.1B | 117,000 | 47 |
| Timberland | 1952 | $1.4B | 50,000 | 46 |
| The Home Depot | 1978 | $159.5B | 500,001 | 21,804 |
| Foot Locker | 1974 | $8.0B | 32,175 | 793 |
| Gillette | 1901 | $84.0B | 101,000 | 2 |
| McDonald's | 1940 | $25.9B | 210,000 | 39,338 |
| Fruit of the Loom | 1851 | $6.6B | 32,400 | 17 |
| New Era Cap | 1920 | $1.0B | 326 | 7 |
| Russell Brands | 1902 | $1.4B | 10,000 | - |
Under Armour history FAQs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Under Armour, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Under Armour. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Under Armour. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Under Armour. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Under Armour and its employees or that of Zippia.
Under Armour may also be known as or be related to Under Armour, Under Armour Inc and Under Armour, Inc.