Upper Deck locks up Notre Dame rights

At a time when Panini is stockpiling the trading card rights to major college programs, Upper Deck has retained the rights to one of the most historic institutions in the country. Upper Deck announced Friday that they have signed a new multi-year agreement with the University of Notre Dame to exclusively produce trading cards using the school’s trademarks.

“The University of Notre Dame boasts an impressive list of athletes as alumni and has one of the most passionate fan bases in college sports” said Jason Masherah, President of Upper Deck in a company press release.  “Over the last 5 years we have built a strong partnership with Notre Dame, and we continue to be dedicated to producing the most creative and innovative collectibles for Notre Dame fans to enjoy .”

UD plans to follow up last year’s Notre Dame Football trading card release with a multi-sport set plus they will unveil a new line of autographed ND memorabilia and produce a limited edition Notre Dame Master Collection.

This deal comes after Beckett Media reported last week that Panini is close to announcing they’ve reached exclusive agreements with over 300 more schools. Many of those universities and colleges were previously part of the Collegiate Licensing Company, which had an exclusive deal with Upper Deck.