Vermillion, SD (April 18, 2011) – On the heels of its move to the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2012 and leading into its formal membership into the Summit League beginning this summer, the University of South Dakota announced today that prominent collegiate sports marketer Learfield Sports has been selected as its multimedia rights holder and exclusive athletics marketing partner beginning with the 2011-12 athletic season.

Learfield Sports will establish a locally based entity known as “Coyote Sports Properties” to handle all related aspects of the multi-year rights partnership that will go into effect with the 2011-12 athletic season and include signage and sponsorship at all athletic venues, certain radio and television programming and management of the Coyote Radio Network, as well as corporate hospitality, print sponsorships, event marketing and advertising for www.usdcoyotes.com.

“Developing a long-term partnership with Learfield Sports is just what South Dakota Athletics needs,” said South Dakota Athletic Director David Sayler. “It’s a company that has proven year after year, working with countless high-profile universities and conferences, that it does nothing less than exceptional business and that it truly cares about its partner schools and helping them grow. I’m very pleased to share this news with our alumni, fans, student-athletes and community who want the Coyotes to continue success and build visibility locally, regionally and nationally.”

“The University of South Dakota will be an outstanding partner, and we look forward to working closely with David and the entire athletic administration to do our very best to serve the Coyote program,” said Greg Brown, Learfield’s president and chief executive officer. “We are excited about the opportunity to capitalize on the momentum USD has already generated with the move to Division I, membership into the Summit League as well as its entry into the Missouri Valley Football Conference next year. The unique aspect to the discussions we’ve had over the past several years with USD is that this was the first time we’ve considered a relationship with any university not already in Division I. We believe there is a considerable amount of upside in finalizing this partnership at the present time.”

For nearly 40 years, Learfield Sports has been dedicated to representing collegiate institutions, conferences and associations. Currently it has relationships with such powerhouse athletic programs as Alabama, North Carolina, Penn State, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Oklahoma and represents the Big Ten Conference, Missouri Valley Conference, the Black Coaches & Administrators and Western Athletic Conference.

Aside from its more than 50 collegiate multimedia and sponsorship relationships, the company titles the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup with founding partners NACDA and USA Today. Learfield Sports is the operating unit of Learfield Communications, Inc., which entered the world of sports marketing in 1975 as the radio rights holder for the University of Missouri. To learn more about the company, its history and comprehensive collegiate portfolio, visit learfieldsports.com.

Posted on Monday, April 18, 2011