For the first time in the venues’ history, Ohio Athletics announced a new partnership to sell Peden Stadium and The Convo's naming rights on Tuesday.
The agreement is with Front Row Marketing, a subsidiary of the Philadelphia-based Comcast-Spectacor, which secures naming rights by selling and evaluating commercial sponsorships. Its clients include collegiate venues at Temple University, Drexel University and James Madison University, as well as various professional sporting venues from each of the four major sports, domestically.
“Peden Stadium and the Convocation Center are two of the most time-honored properties in the MAC and greater collegiate athletics,” Chris Lencheski, the company’s president said in a news release. “It is a privilege to be collaborating with Ohio University.”
Peden Stadium features a capacity of 24,000 people and was opened and dedicated in 1929 after former Bobcats coach Don Peden, who is the winningest coach in program history. The stadium was built at a cost of just $185,000, but underwent $2.8 million in renovations in 2001 that included the removal of a track, lowering of the playing surface and an increase in seating capacity, though it is still the smallest in the Mid-American Conference.
The Convo, which opened 40 years after Peden Stadium in 1968, features the MAC’s largest capacity at 13,080 for athletic events, but can hold up to 15,000 people for convocations. It is the home site for the OU basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams, but has also hosted concerts, commencements and other events.
Ohio Athletics has yet to comment on the partnership.
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