The 10-year Columbia Bank deal nearly doubles the stadium’s last naming contract, and UW’s athletic director calls it a fiduciary duty.
Husky Stadium is about to carry a bank’s name. The University of Washington’s Board of Regents on Thursday approved a 10-year, $70 million deal that renames the venue Columbia Bank Stadium, KOMO News reported. The change takes effect Jan. 1.
The price is the story. According to the Sports Business Journal, as cited by KOMO, it is the largest stadium naming-rights deal in college sports history. It also nearly doubles the last contract on the building. Alaska Airlines paid $41 million over 10 years in 2015 for Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium, GeekWire reported at the time, a sponsorship KOMO says expired in June.
Alaska did not leave campus. This spring it renewed its name on the basketball arena for 10 years at $28.4 million, per KOMO; Athletic Business, citing the Seattle Times, put that figure at about $28 million. Together, the two deals are expected to bring UW nearly $100 million over the next decade.
Athletic director Patrick Chun framed the sale as an obligation. The “financial climate in and around college sports creates a fiduciary responsibility for us,” he said. He has made the same case before. “Until something changes, we’re trying to maximize all our revenue streams,” Chun said in March, as quoted by Athletic Business.
Other schools have gone this route, just for less per year. Arizona signed a 20-year, $60 million deal with Casino Del Sol in November 2025, and Indiana a 20-year, $50 million agreement with Merchants Bank of Indiana, Athletic Business noted. Washington got more money in half the time. Columbia Bank, whose president Chris Merrywell called the school a “natural fit,” also plans a student-run branch on campus. Every athletic director with an unsold stadium now has a new number to quote.
Sources
- KOMO News – Husky Stadium naming rights deal with Columbia Bank – https://komonews.com/sports/huskies/husky-stadium-washington-football-naming-rights-ncaa-uw-big-ten-b1g-record-deal-nil
- GeekWire – UW inks $41M deal with Alaska Airlines for Husky Stadium naming rights – https://www.geekwire.com/2015/uw-inks-41m-deal-with-alaska-airlines-for-husky-stadium-naming-rights/
- Athletic Business – Washington renews naming rights deal with Alaska Airlines for arena, but not stadium – https://www.athleticbusiness.com/operations/marketing/article/15819660/washington-renews-naming-rights-deal-with-alaska-airlines-for-arena-but-not-stadium
Featured photo: gina / Unsplash, used under the Unsplash License.
Leave a Reply