Deal with TDECU extends naming rights

The University of Houston and Texas Dow Employees Credit Union have reached a multiyear extension that will provide a significant boost to fundraising efforts for construction of the school’s Football Operations Center, a person with knowledge of the talks said Wednesday.

TDECU, the largest credit union in the Houston area, will maintain naming rights of UH’s football stadium — known as TDECU Stadium since 2014 — for at least the next decade.

A joint news conference to announce a “historic agreement” will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at TDECU Stadium, according to a release by the school.

In June, UH launched Houston Rise, the largest athletic fundraising campaign in its history with a goal to raise $150 million to pay for construction and facility upgrades as the school prepares to join the Big 12 in 2023.

The cornerstone of the campaign is a 100,000-square-foot Football Operations Center that will be built between TDECU Stadium and the indoor practice facility. The Houston Rise campaign has raised more than $30 million, the school announced in mid-August, with a “significant percentage” of the funds dedicated to the football facility. The cost of the project is estimated at $75 million.

TDECU’s expanded partnership will have a far-reaching impact beyond athletics, supporting programs and initiatives on campus and the surrounding community.

UH’s naming rights deal with TDECU in 2014 was one of the most lucrative in college athletics. The Lake Jackson-based financial cooperative agreed to a 10-year deal worth $15 million to put its name on UH’s new football stadium. The original deal was set to expire in 2024.

The original partnership was the “first major corporate sponsorship of a sports venue,” according to TDECU officials at the time, and the company stands to benefit from an increase in exposure with the Cougars set to join a Power Five conference.