Miami University forms educational partnership with Cincinnati Bengals

Miami University has formed an educational partnership with the Cincinnati Bengals, making the university the Official University of the Cincinnati Bengals. The partnership will provide students at the university with exclusive opportunities to work with the team via internships and job shadowing. The partnership honors the legacy of the team’s founder, Paul Brown, who graduated from Miami University in 1930.

According to an article on Miami University’s website, Gregory Crawford, the university’s president, was quoted as saying about the educational partnership, “This partnership is an excellent way to honor the legacy of Paul Brown, a legacy that has united the Cincinnati Bengals and Miami University for years. We are extremely excited for Miami students to benefit from this unique relationship and for them to add value to a first-rate NFL organization like the Bengals. Paul Brown has an undeniable football legacy of leadership, innovation, and excellence, and it is one Miami University is immeasurably proud to share with the Cincinnati Bengals. It is with great pride that we honor – and add to – that tradition with this tremendous partnership with a team that our region has supported passionately for more than half a century.”

The partnership between the university and the NFL team will be beneficial for the university in a number of ways. Miami University students will have access to opportunities like internships, mentorships, job shadowing, and other exclusive opportunities. The university itself will receive marketing at Paycor Stadium, be featured on the team’s website, and will have radio and TV advertisements in connection with the team. The university will also be able to use the stadium for campus events.

Ande Durojaiye, who serves as the university’s vice president for strategy and partnerships, said of the educational partnership, “Though the primary goal of this relationship is to give our students those exclusive experiences that come with partnering with a premier NFL franchise, it also reinforces our commitment to the city of Cincinnati, and the numerous stakeholders that make it a world-class city. Many Miamians are lifelong Bengals fans, so this is also a fun way to engage with our students and alumni, and celebrate Miami’s proud tradition as the ‘Cradle of Coaches.’”

According to the Miami Redhawks athletics website, the university is known as the Cradle of Coaches because of “its history of producing successful sports coaches,” and that the university “has been the training ground for 22 National Coaches of the Year recipients at the professional and collegiate levels.” Paul Brown, the founder of the Cincinnati Bengals, was inducted into the Cradle of Coaches Association in 1993.

Bengals Chief Partnership Officer Lacy Ekert said, “We are pleased to welcome Miami University, a top educational institution in the nation, as a valued Bengals partner. We look forward to building on our authentic history by making an impact through opportunities and insight for students.”

For more information about Miami University, visit the school’s website.