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Washington locks $7M annually, covering stadium debt and freeing cash as Big Ten media penalties squeeze newer members.
$70 million
putting a corporate name on Husky Stadium for the…
$7 million
annually for Washington's athletic department
$49 million
in outstanding bond debt from the stadium's 2013 renovation…
$13.7 billion
in assets
Columbia Bank signed a ten-year naming-rights agreement with the University of Washington for $70 million, putting a corporate name on Husky Stadium for the first time since the venue opened in 1920. The deal generates $7 million annually for Washington's athletic department, which carried $49 million in outstanding bond debt from the stadium's 2013 renovation as of last fiscal year.
The agreement was filed Monday with the university's Board of Regents after eighteen months of quiet negotiations between Columbia's commercial banking leadership and Washington's athletic director, Troy Dannen. The stadium will become Columbia Bank Husky Stadium starting with the 2027 football season. Columbia, headquartered in Tacoma with $13.7 billion in assets, operates 145 branches across the Pacific Northwest and counts 22% of its commercial loan book in Washington state.
The $7 million annual figure lands in the middle tier of Pac-12 (now Big Ten) stadium naming deals. Oregon's Autzen Stadium remains unsigned. USC's Memorial Coliseum operates under a heritage designation that bars corporate naming. Washington's prior reluctance stemmed from alumni opposition; a 2019 feasibility study commissioned by the athletic department found 68% of surveyed donors preferred the stadium remain unnamed. That resistance softened as media revenue redistribution within the Big Ten created pressure to diversify non-media income. Washington moved to the Big Ten in August 2024, inheriting a conference revenue model that penalizes newer members with reduced media payouts for the first six years.
Columbia's retail banking footprint gives the deal regional coherence. The bank's branch density in King County—41 locations—positions Husky Stadium signage as brand reinforcement rather than awareness building. Columbia executives declined to specify activation budget beyond the rights fee, but comparable deals in college football allocate an additional 25-35% of the naming payment to in-venue branding, digital integration, and hospitality inventory. Washington's premium seating renovation, completed in phases between 2013 and 2023, includes 38 suites and 2,000 club seats; Columbia will control six suites and 200 club seats as part of the package.
The timing aligns with Columbia's $840 million acquisition of Lone Star Bank, announced in September and expected to close in Q1 2027. That transaction expands Columbia's Texas presence from zero branches to 47, making the Husky Stadium naming rights a legacy Pacific Northwest anchor as the bank's geographic center of gravity shifts south. Columbia's commercial banking president, Eric Atwood, spent sixteen years at KeyBank before joining Columbia in 2023; KeyBank held naming rights to Seattle's NHL arena until 2020, when Climate Pledge Arena replaced KeyArena.
Washington's athletic department budget for fiscal 2026 projects $162 million in total revenue, with $89 million from media rights and $31 million from ticket sales. The Columbia deal represents 4.3% of projected revenue, but the timing matters more than the percentage. Washington's debt service on the stadium renovation runs $3.8 million annually through 2038. The naming-rights income covers that payment and leaves $3.2 million for operating expenses, effectively neutralizing the renovation's drag on department cash flow.
The athletic department will sunset the "Husky Stadium" standalone branding gradually. Seat-back signage changeover begins in January 2027. Broadcast integration follows in August, ahead of Washington's Big Ten opener against Michigan. The university retained approval rights over Columbia's in-stadium creative, a clause that blocked similar deals in prior negotiations with regional health systems and aerospace manufacturers. Columbia agreed to subordinate its branding to Husky Athletics' primary marks in all co-branded materials, a concession that previous suitors rejected.
Washington's next revenue focus is kit. The athletic department's contract with Nike runs through June 2028, with an option year controlled by the university. Dannen hired a sports marketing consultant in October to model apparel deals; comparable Big Ten programs with recent renewals—Michigan, Penn State—signed agreements in the $10-12 million annual range. Washington's current Nike deal pays $4.7 million in cash and product.
Columbia's stock closed Monday at $38.42, up 1.8% on the day, though the naming-rights announcement came after market close. The bank reports Q4 earnings on January 23, when management will likely detail activation plans and brand-lift projections tied to the stadium. Washington's athletic department schedules its next Board of Regents update for February 14, when it will present a revised ten-year capital plan that assumes the Columbia revenue as baseline.
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