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UNC Slips Off Merchandise Pedestal

UNC is no longer tops in merchandise sales.

After ranking No. 1 for five straight years among colleges and universities for royalties generated, UNC fell to No. 5 in the 2005-06 fiscal year, according to information released by the Collegiate Licensing Co.

The University of Texas at Austin took over the top spot in the CLC’s annual sales ranking after finishing No. 3 the previous year. The Longhorns won a national football championship in 2005, and the CLC reported that the university set a record in 2006 for highest-ever merchandise sales by a college or university.

The universities of Michigan, Notre Dame and Georgia also exceeded UNC in merchandise sales.

The CLC is the largest collegiate licensing agency in the country. It represents more than 150 colleges and universities, plus a number of conferences, bowl games, NCAA championships and other organizations. The CLC rankings include only colleges and universities that are represented by the company.

UNC saw its sales ranking slip in early 2005 to the University of Michigan, but Carolina regained the top spot following the men’s basketball team’s NCAA championship.

The 2005-06 fiscal year marks the first year that 100 percent of licensing revenue earned by the University went to scholarships. Previously, 75 percent of revenue from merchandise sales went to UNC’s General Scholarship Fund while the rest went to the athletics department.

The Daily Tar Heel reported in August that $3.64 million in licensing revenue from the 2005-06 fiscal year would go to scholarships – an increase of $670,000 from the previous year.


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