After nearly 30 years, the New York Jets have re-established a formal relationship with their most famous player, former quarterback Joe Namath, bringing him aboard as ambassador-at-large to help promote a "Four Decades of Jets Football" marketing program this season.
In another reunion, Hess Oil has signed on as presenting sponsor of the program, the first time that the company of the late Leon Hess, the Jets' former owner, has been involved with the Jets since the sale to current owner Robert Wood Johnson IV in 2000.
Hess is likely to be the only sponsor of the "Four Decades" program, unless a company presents an unusual secondary-sponsorship idea, said Lee Stacey, vice president of sales and marketing for the team. Hess will lead an "all-time Jets team" balloting this season at more than 200 Hess gas stations, online and at Jets games. Hess' team sponsorship deal is for three years, Stacey said. He declined to discuss terms.
Namath's relationship with the team is for "more than five years," with options that make it possible for him to work with the team indefinitely, Stacey said.
With Namath in the fold, the team is rolling out a line of high-end activewear called "Broadway Joe." It will be for men and women and will feature Namath's No. 12 as its signature mark. The team has recently begun presenting it to better stores, and Stacey said the aim is to market the line in an upscale way.
Stacey would not disclose monetary terms of the arrangement with Namath, although he did say the team, led by President Jay Cross, had been discussing a relationship with Namath and his agent, Jimmy Walsh, for more than a year. The deal included personal-services and merchandise royalty elements.
Walsh could not be reached for comment.
Namath had done little more than appearances at alumni events for the club since joining the Los Angeles Rams in 1977, his final NFL year.
Stacey said there had been no bad blood between Namath and the franchise. "Mr. Hess ran a lean and mean franchise, and there was no marketing and sales team to speak of," he said. "When Jay came in, he felt there needed to be a stronger connection between the team's past and its future."
