Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman will enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame as one of the few retired athletes who has a signature footwear line.
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Aikman wore Riddell’s helmets in his playing
days, but not their cleats. |
TRG Group, Riddell’s footwear licensee since 1998, is bringing an Aikman line of athletic footwear to market in June that will be available exclusively at JCPenney through the end of the year. The initial two shoes in the “Aikman by Riddell” line are men’s and women’s running/cross-training shoes that will be moderately priced at $39 to $49.
Aikman wore Riddell’s NFL helmets, but he never wore Riddell cleats as a Cowboy. Nonetheless, “the [Riddell] brand is football, so he really helps strengthen that connection and he’s an identifiable athlete we’re combining with a real value price point on the shoes — that combination is really unusual,” said Chip Walther, vice president of sales at TRG Group. Plans are to expand the line to include cleated footwear next year.
Unless you include Converse’s iconic Chuck Taylor shoes, Michael Jordan is probably the only other retired athlete of note with a signature shoe. One element driving this deal is that former NFL stars with national broadcast exposure typically have high Q Scores.
“If I had retired five years ago and not done national TV, this deal doesn’t happen,” Aikman said. “But I believe in the brand, having worn the helmet, and I like the idea of affordable athletic shoes.”
Aikman is making considerably more now off the field (industry estimates range from $3 million to $5 million) than he did in ancillary deals during his playing career. Along with the shoe deal, Aikman has endorsements with Texas Instruments, Samsung, Kellogg’s, the 450-location Wingstop restaurant chain and Interbay Financial, along with talent deals at Fox and Sporting News Radio. There is also Aikman’s Ford dealerships and the NASCAR team he owns with Roger Staubach.
“(Staubach’s) become a close friend through our NASCAR team and he’s now an inspiration as far as off-field achievement,” Aikman said.
Jordan Bazant of The Agency handles Aikman’s marketing deals.
