Texas A&M, University Of Texas Reviving Lone Star Showdown Rivalry In The Form Of Helping Others

In preparation for the 16^th Annual College Colors Day on Friday, Sept. 4, Texas A&M University and the University of Texas are reviving the Lone Star Showdown rivalry to encourage fans to support local Feeding America® member foodbanks through a partnership with Wells Fargo that helps provide meals with each purchase of new fan gear.

College Colors Day, which was created by CLC, the exclusive licensing partner for both universities, is a national celebration that provides Texas A&M and UT fans across the country the opportunity to showcase their passion and school spirit by showing off their pride on social media using #CollegeColorsDay.

This year, Texas A&M and UT are teaming up with Wells Fargo to drive awareness on the issue of hunger in America and to help those in need in the Austin and College Station areas. For every purchase of officially licensed Texas A&M or UT merchandise at the respective team stores on Fanatics.com from Aug. 10-Sept. 4, Wells Fargo will donate 100 meals* to the Central Texas Food Bank in Austin for UT or the Brazos Valley Food Bank in Bryan for Texas A&M. Both organizations are Feeding America member food banks.

To encourage fans to rally for College Colors Day and to support the food banks, both schools are leveraging the storied rivalry and the highly competitive Lone Star Showdown. The Lone Star Showdown was the traditional rivalry between Texas A&M and UT for all varsity men’s and women’s athletics competitions that recognized an annual winner based on victories in sports throughout the year. That official showdown was last held in the 2011-12 academic year.

“College Colors Day has been a tradition long supported by Texas A&M fans,” said Shane Hinckley, vice president of brand development for Texas A&M. “This year’s celebration is impactful because it feeds our community directly whenever our fans make qualifying purchases of Texas A&M gear. I am confident Aggies will embrace the Lone Star Showdown rivalry versus UT and bring home the victory to Aggieland while supporting those in the community who are most in need during these difficult times.”

This year’s College Colors Day theme, “United We Fan,” emphasizes the power of togetherness that shared college fandom delivers even though fans might be physically apart, organizers said.

“Our community of Longhorn fans is stronger now than ever, and we look forward to seeing that pride in the coming weeks leading up to this year’s College Colors Day, no matter how different it may be,” said Drew Martin, executive senior associate athletic director for external affairs for the University of Texas. “We know Texas fans rise to the challenge, and we encourage them to unite to win this Lone Star Showdown by showing our Longhorn spirit as we help feed those in need in the Austin community.”

Fans are encouraged to follow social media accounts for Texas A&M and UT to see messages about the College Colors Day Wells Fargo program with a link to make qualifying purchases during the campaign.

“Wells Fargo has a strong history of supporting the local communities we serve, and we are excited to bring together the passion of Texas and Texas A&M fans and the outreach of Feeding America to deliver much-needed meals to the communities these great universities serve,” said Pamela Batalis, vice president of sponsorships & brand engagement, Wells Fargo Marketing.

*From Aug. 10-Sept. 4 for every College Colors Day purchase, Wells Fargo will donate the monetary equivalent of 100 meals to Feeding America®. Wells Fargo guarantees a minimum donation of 10,000 meals (monetary equivalent of $1,000) and a maximum of 2 million meals (monetary equivalent of $200,000). $1 helps provide at least 10 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks.

About CLC

CLC is the nation’s leading collegiate trademark licensing company with a mission to elevate college brands through insight and innovation. The company is uniquely positioned to deliver consumer connections and brand visibility for institutions through data-based, customized solutions that include impactful licensed merchandise strategies and innovative marketing platforms to navigate the ever-evolving consumer and retail marketplace. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, CLC is guided by values to serve others, build trust, lead well, innovate often, and be passionate. Founded in 1981, CLC is a part of Learfield IMG College, the leading media and technology services company in intercollegiate athletics.

About Texas A&M: Texas A&M University is a community of scholars dedicated to solving diverse, real-world problems through determination, innovation, and above all, fearlessness. Texas A&M opened its doors in 1876 as the state’s first public institution of higher education and is today a tier-one research institution holding the elite triple land-, sea- and space-grant designations. Research conducted at Texas A&M represented annual expenditures of almost $1 billion in fiscal year 2018. Texas A&M’s 69,000 students and half a million former students are known for their commitment to service, as well as dedication to the university’s core values and rich traditions.

About University of Texas at Austin

Ranked among the biggest and best research universities in the country, UT Austin is home to more than 51,000 students and 3,000 teaching faculty working to change the world. Located in the heart of Austin, Texas, a city recognized for its creative and entrepreneurial spirit, the university provides a place to explore countless opportunities for tomorrow’s artists, scientists, athletes, doctors, entrepreneurs and engineers. U.S. News & World Report ranks UT Austin as the No. 14 public university in the U.S. and No. 32 university in the world with the No. 1 accounting, Latin American history and petroleum engineering graduate programs in the country — plus more than 15 undergraduate programs and more than 40 graduate programs ranked in the top 10 nationally.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.97 trillion in assets. Wells Fargo’s vision is to satisfy our customers’ financial needs and help them succeed financially. Founded in 1852 and headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through 7,300 locations, more than 13,000 ATMs, the internet (wellsfargo.com) and mobile banking, and has offices in 31 countries and territories to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. With approximately 266,000 team members, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States. Wells Fargo & Company was ranked No. 30 on Fortune’s 2020 rankings of America’s largest corporations. News, insights and perspectives from Wells Fargo are also available at Wells Fargo Stories.

Additional information may be found at www.wellsfargo.com | Twitter: @WellsFargo.

About Feeding America

Feeding America® is the largest hunger-relief organization in the United States. Through a network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, we provide meals to more than 40 million people each year. Feeding America also supports programs that prevent food waste and improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.