The Cincinnati Bengals and Miami University are capitalizing on their shared heritage to expand educational opportunities for students and build brand awareness for the university.
The football team Wednesday announced Miami is the official university of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Bengals founder Paul Brown graduated from Miami in 1930 and spent two years as the football team's starting quarterback before going on to be the founder and first head coach of both the Cleveland Browns and later, the Cincinnati Bengals.
He's one of more than 100 alumni who went on to coach or work in athletics — largely football — at the professional and collegiate levels, which led to the university being dubbed the "Cradle of Coaches." Other legendary coaches include Weeb Ewbank, Woody Hayes, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler and more.
"This partnership is an excellent way to honor the legacy of Paul Brown, a legacy that has united the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami University for years," Miami President Gregory Crawford says in a release. "We are extremely excited for Miami students to benefit from this unique relationship and for them to add value to a first-rate NFL organization like the Bengals."
The sides say Miami students will have "exclusive opportunities" to work with the team through internships, job shadowing, on-campus speakers and more. The Bengals will feature the university in its app, on the team website, and on signage and screens throughout the stadium.
The partnership also includes radio and TV advertisements; use of Paycor Stadium for university events; social media post sponsorship; brand alignment opportunities; and more, according to the release.
Bengals Chief Partnership Officer Lacy Ekert says the team is pleased to partner with Miami.
"We look forward to building on our authentic history by making an impact through opportunities and insight for students," Ekert says in the release.
