The year was 2015 when the Greatest of All Time (GOAT), Michael Jordan , decided to take a chance on collaborating with the Michigan Wolverines on an apparel deal. The school’s previous shoe deal had just ended and it was fortuitous that the Jordan Brand was looking to enter the college football market.
Fast forward to 2024, and there was Jordan, up in a skybox, celebrating with some of his brand’s most famous ambassadors—baseball icon Derek Jeter and renowned rapper Travis Scott—as Michigan defeated Washington, 34-13, in the CFP National Championship to capture the school’s first national title since 1997.
First Jordan Brand-backed football program
It was in 2015 when Harbaugh took on the responsibility of trying to bring the Wolverines’ football program back to its lofty perch. According to the former NFL star-turned-coach, his son, Jay, gave him the idea of perhaps becoming a Jordan-backed school.
“When we first took the job here, there was a shoe contract that was up,” Harbaugh said in 2018.