Iowa Hawkeyes Win National College Colors Day Spirit Cup Competition

ATLANTA, Aug. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Collegiate Licensing Company, LLC (CLC), an affiliate of IMG College, and NCAA Football today announced the Iowa Hawkeyes as the winner of the second annual College Colors Day Spirit Cup and $10,000 toward the University's general scholarship fund.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130812/CL62508LOGO )

To celebrate the excitement and energy surrounding the kickoff of the 2013 college football season, CLC and NCAA Football launched the College Colors Day Spirit Cup, a web-based rivalry competition featuring 165 colleges and universities from across the nation.

The Iowa Hawkeyes garnered the most pledges than any other institution in the competition. Rounding out the top five schools were Penn State, Alabama, Clemson, and TCU.

Iowa mobilized its fan base by activating its digital resources, including E-mail blasts to its alumni, fans, and students and a developing a significant social media campaign through the Iowa Athletic Department Facebook and Twitter profiles.

A formal presentation of the award will take place during the 2013-14 academic year.

"We are honored to recognize the Iowa Hawkeyes as the winner of the College Colors Day Spirit Cup and to congratulate the school on a tremendous effort to rally their fans in the Facebook-based rivalry competition," said Catherine Gammon, Senior Vice President, Brand Development, The Collegiate Licensing Company. "We thank all college fans who participated in the competition and encourage fans to continue supporting their favorite school and College Colors Day by wearing their college gear on Friday, August 30."

Conference Winners include:

ACC - Clemson Tigers
America East - UNH Wildcats
American Athletic - Louisville Cardinals
American 10 - George Mason Patriots
Big 12 - TCU Horned Frogs
Big East - Georgetown Hoyas
Big Sky - Montana Grizzlies
Big Ten - Iowa Hawkeyes
Colonial - Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens
Conference USA - East Carolina Pirates
Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Wayne State Warriors
Great Northwest Athletic Conference - Alaska Anchorage Seawolves
MAC - Bowling Green State University Falcons
MEAC - Florida A&M University Rattlers
Missouri Valley - Missouri State Bears
Mountain West - Boise State Broncos
Northeast - Central Connecticut State Blue Devils
Ohio Valley - Eastern Kentucky Colonels
Pac-12 - Washington State Cougars
Patriot League - BU Terriers
Pioneer Football League - Davidson Wildcats
SEC - Alabama Crimson Tide
Southern - Appalachian State Mountaineers
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference - Tuskegee Golden Tigers
Southland - McNeese Cowboys
Sun Belt – Arkansas State
SWAC - Southern Jaguars
UAA - NYU Bobcats
WAC - New Mexico State Aggies
West Coast - Gonzaga Bulldogs

In order to determine which school has the most loyal fan base, college football's 190 million fans were encouraged to visit facebook.com/collegecolorsday  to pledge for their favorite college or university. After placing a pledge, fans had the opportunity to win prizes and discounts through an instant win game, view and submit photos to the College Colors Day fan photo gallery, and download a custom Facebook cover photo promoting their school for College Colors Day.

As college football surges in popularity, College Colors Day is an annual celebration dedicated to promoting the traditions and spirit that embody the college experience by encouraging fans across America to wear their favorite college or university apparel throughout the day on Friday, August 30. In 2012, 49 million fans attended college football games, which more than doubles the largest season-long total live attendance of the next most popular sport. Additionally, a college football game was the most-watched sporting event on cable television in 2012, and college games were the number one or number two rated Saturday primetime program for 14 consecutive weeks in the 2012 season.

This year, College Colors Day is bigger than ever with more than 200 universities, the NCAA, thousands of stores representing the nation's top retailers participating in events and promotions to provide fans all the gear they need to show their college spirit. College Colors Day also includes a marketing partnership with ACM Awards' Entertainer of the Year, Luke Bryan, as the face of College Colors Day. Top college stores across the US will include a retail display featuring Luke Bryan throughout the month to get students excited and further aware of College Colors Day.

The annual College Colors Day celebration is organized by Collegiate Licensing Company, LLC (CLC), an affiliate of IMG College. To join the excitement, tag your posts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter with #collegecolors, and visit www.collegecolorsday.com or www.facebook.com/collegecolorsday.

About Collegiate Licensing Company, LLC (CLC)
CLC is a division of global sports and entertainment company IMG and the licensing affiliate of IMG College. Founded in 1981, CLC is the oldest and largest collegiate trademark licensing agency in the U.S. and represents nearly 200 colleges, universities, bowl games, athletic conferences, the Heisman Trophy and the NCAA. Its mission is to be the guiding force in collegiate trademark licensing and one of the top sports licensing firms in the country. Headquartered in Atlanta, CLC provides full-service capabilities in brand protection, brand management and brand development. For more information, visit www.clc.com or www.imgworld.com.

SOURCE Collegiate Licensing Company, LLC