The University of Louisville teamed with Nelligan Sports Marketing, Inc. (NSM) in February of 2002 to allow the Little Falls, New Jersey based company to manage its exclusive athletics marketing rights.

"We're excited about our continuing partnership with Nelligan Sports Marketing," said U of L Director of Athletics Tom Jurich. "Our coaches and athletic staff have worked hard to position our programs on the national stage. NSM is helping us extend the reach of Cardinal Athletics regionally and nationally. Their unique understanding and record of success in maximizing revenue and exposure for athletic programs makes them an ideal partner. We placed our confidence in T.J. Nelligan, Tim Hofferth and their staff to offer a very creative approach in positioning our university and they have delivered."

"We are very proud to be working with the University of Louisville," added Tim Hofferth, President and COO of NSM. "Tom Jurich has done an incredible job in building the infrastructure for unparalleled success for the Cardinals' program. The strides that have been made in such a short tenure have captured the attention of those in the world of intercollegiate athletics and have made the program incredibly attractive to corporate America. Boasting one of the finest football facilities in the nation (Papa John's Stadium) and one of America's rising football coaches in Steve Kragthorpe, the Cardinals' football program has leaped into the national scene. Clearly, attracting men's basketball coach Rick Pitino to the University of Louisville has energized the Cards tradition-rich program and made it one of the nation's top stories of the year. Beyond that, it has definitely made Louisville one of the most marketable programs in America."

In addition to presenting the Cardinals' to the Fortune 500 companies across the nation, NSM also plays a key role in developing a grassroots campaign to market the university throughout the state and region.

"We look forward to expanding our position with NSM's assistance," said Jurich. "The staff at NSM understands the importance of dedicating resources towards increased exposure on a local, regional and national basis to promote our athletic programs and the university as a whole."

"We will build a multifaceted platform for the University of Louisville to deliver its message and we will utilize all of our resources to market the program," added Hofferth. "Never before have I seen a program better positioned for success on the national level. We are looking forward to working with Tom Jurich and his staff in building the model marketing program in all of college sports."

Nelligan Sports Marketing, Inc. provides sales and marketing expertise for sports properties worldwide. NSM is dedicated to building long term relationships with clients through exceptional management of the properties represented and by maximizing revenue growth through their corporate relationships. NSM's high-level sales executives have a proven track record of exceptional revenue growth and management of the sports properties represented.

NSM represents some of the elite college properties, including Ball State University, Brown University, the Colonial Athletic Association and its 10 member schools, Colorado State University, Eastern Michigan University, Fairfield University, Florida Citrus Sports, Florida Atlantic University, the Horizon League, Indiana State University, Marquette University, Middle Tennessee State University, Princeton University, Providence College, Rutgers University, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay West Virginia University and Wright State University.