UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.– It was a highly successful 2018 for Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics, extending to Penn State Sports Properties, which has been awarded Learfield's National Property of the Year for the third consecutive year.
Penn State Sports Properties, which manages Penn State Athletics' multimedia and sponsorship rights, is the locally based dedicated team of Learfield IMG College. This is a new company name for Penn State's rights partner, as the two collegiate marketers announced the completion of their merger on Dec. 31, 2018. Penn State Sports Properties was awarded Property of the Year among institutions in the Power 5 (highest tier) at the company's annual awards show, the CLYDES, recently held in Dallas, Texas.
The CLYDES, named after Learfield founder Clyde Lear, honor top performances across multiple categories for the past sales year. The Property of the Year Award is one of the most important awards of the year and went to three different Learfield IMG College on-campus teams across three divisions (Power 5, non-Power 5, and one-person led properties), with Penn State Sports Properties (PSSP) selected as the winner in the largest Power 5 category.
"PSSP/Learfield has been a tremendous partner for Intercollegiate Athletics dating back to 2005," said Tom McGrath, Associate Athletic Director for Business Relations. "Penn State Sports Properties has had tremendous success in growing our partnership base and aligning Penn State Athletics with many successful and powerful brands both inside and outside of Pennsylvania. The resources available through this relationship provide strong opportunities for our 800 student-athletes competing in 31 sports as they pursue their education and prepare for a lifetime of impact. Doug (Nelson) and his team are great teammates and we are so pleased for them to receive this important recognition for the third consecutive year."
"We are truly honored to again be recognized amongst our peers across the country as a 'Property of the Year'," said Doug Nelson, Penn State Sports Properties Vice President & General Manager. "The first year was great, the second year cemented the reasoning for the first; and the third year, well, that tells me that we are doing something special together and will keep working tirelessly to keep it going. Additionally, this award is a broader symbol for all of the great work that everyone in the athletic department does to support our sponsorship team's efforts at Penn State. We are extremely appreciative to be part of 'One Team' with Penn State Athletics."
The Penn State award is a noteworthy win for the team, while Daniel Solomon also won the distinction as the company's Chairman's Club Winner, awarded to the top sales person in the company from the preceding year. Nelson also was a finalist for a third consecutive "Coach of the Year" honor, and Madeline Myford was a finalist for the company-wide "Best Performance in a Supporting Role- Coordinator" category.
As Penn State Athletics' exclusive multimedia rights holder, PSSP manages all aspects of the rights relationship, providing corporate partners both traditional and new media opportunities with the university in which to bolster their own brand and garner maximum exposure through such inventory as intellectual property and logo usage; venue signage; event sponsorships and promotion; corporate hospitality; radio and television; digital engagement and visibility via the official athletics website GoPSUsports.com.
Learfield IMG College is a fully integrated sports marketing and solutions platform that unlocks the value of college sports for brands, fans and universities through the representation of collegiate institutions, conferences and arenas. Vice President & General Manager Nelson leads the Learfield IMG College PSSP operation. Other team members include: Matt Craig - Director of Business Development; Tim Bordner – Associate General Manager; Brad Keen – Senior Manager of Business Development; Daniel Solomon – Senior Manager of Business Development; Jason Frandi – Manager of Business Development; Jeff Tarman – Director of Broadcast Operations; Sarah Lynch – Manager of Partnership Services, and Kayla Weaver, Madeline Myford and Connor Markell, who are Coordinators of Partnership Services.
Under the leadership of Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour, Penn State has one of the nation's most comprehensive and successful athletic programs, featuring 800 student-athletes across 31 varsity programs (16 men's, 15 women's). Penn State student-athletes have posted an NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 90 percent the past two years, which ties the Nittany Lions' all-time high. Eight teams earned a 100 percent graduation rate in the 2018 NCAA Graduation Rates Report.
The Nittany Lions rank No. 4 among all Division I schools with 204 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans all-time, including women's soccer student-athletes Kerry Abello and Emily Ogle and football student-athlete Blake Gillikin during the 2018 fall semester.
Penn State's 50 NCAA Championships all-time (78 national championships overall) rank No. 5 among all NCAA Division I programs and are the highest total of any college or university east of the Mississippi River. Penn State's 31 NCAA titles since 1992-93, including a third consecutive NCAA Wrestling Championship, lead all Big Ten Conference institutions. The Nittany Lions have won 108 Big Ten championships or tournament titles since capturing their first crown in 1992-93.