New Under Armour line excites Notre Dame fans

On a weekday night in the middle of the summer, the University of Notre Dame campus is usually pretty quiet. But Monday night was an exception to the rule.

Notre Dame's Leep Varsity Shop in the Joyce Center hosted a late-night celebration leading up to a midnight unveiling and sale of the new ND sideline gear by Under Armour.

"I really like Under Armour. I already have a lot of their stuff, and I'm excited to see what they're offering for Notre Dame," Kevin Burke, Holy Cross College student and sale attendee, said. He was among many fans that hoped to be some of the first to view and purchase the new gear.

Despite the thunderstorms coming through the area throughout the night as well as a tornado warning, the sale went on with promotional tables moved inside the Joyce Center.

Since Tuesday marks the first official day of the university's 10-year apparel contract with Under Armour, fans could not wait a minute longer to get their hands on the new gear. The contract, which makes the company Notre Dame's official outfitter, is reportedly the largest deal in the history of college athletics.

Notre Dame's previous deal with Adidas expired at the end of the school year.

"The change is exciting. I think people will be very, very pleased with what they see," David Werda, director of retail operations at Notre Dame, told the South Bend Tribune. "We've done a lot of work to build up the excitement, and we are ready for people to celebrate with us."

The celebration began Monday at 11 p.m. at the Leep Varsity Shop. However, many fans started lining up for the event by 10:30 p.m.

"I like Under Armour a lot and I want to support it. I'm excited to see what the new merchandise looks like," Kevin Stoll, an early attendee of the sale, said. When asked why he chose to attend the sale so early, his father, Jack Stoll, responded for him. "He wants to wear one of the new shirts to work tomorrow. We want to be some of the first to have the new stuff."

Starting at 11 p.m., attendees enjoyed snacks, a performance from 2nd Generation Entertainment DJ Dan Pallo and the chance to win a variety of prizes, including gift cards, Under Armour gear and a football signed by Notre Dame's head football coach, Brian Kelly. The first 200 attendees were given free Under Armour water bottles.

Fans continued to arrive leading up to the event's official beginning.

When midnight struck, the new ND sideline gear by Under Armour officially became available in the Leep Varsity Shop as well as online. The sale did not have a set end time, but continued until all attendees had made their purchases.

Sale attendees were among the first people with the opportunity to view and purchase the new merchandise, which included athletic apparel and spirit gear with the Under Armour logo. The official Notre Dame football jerseys, however, will not be unveiled until a later date.

"This is a completely new line with Under Armour's new garment technology," Werda said. "I think it's safe to say that this is an entirely different look."