NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt University and FirstBank have signed a 10-year football stadium naming rights and campus collaboration agreement, as announced Monday by Candice Lee, vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletic director.
Vanderbilt Stadium will be recognized as FirstBank Stadium starting with the 2022 Commodore football season. Through this agreement, FirstBank becomes the official bank of Vanderbilt Athletics and the Vanderbilt Alumni Association.
“I’m excited for the opportunities this historic collaboration with FirstBank creates for Vanderbilt Athletics and our student-athletes,” Lee said. “As the landscape of collegiate athletics continues to shift, we remain committed to our core mission. We will provide student-athletes with the tools to reach their full potential on and off the field and work to unite and inspire the city we call home. I look forward to seeing Nashville come together to support the Commodores at FirstBank Stadium for years to come.”
Vanderbilt will uphold and honor the designation of Dudley Field—the venue’s original name when it opened in 1922 as the first stadium in the South to be erected exclusively for college football.
As Vanderbilt marks the 100th anniversary of Vanderbilt Stadium and Dudley Field this year, construction related to Vandy United will begin to transform the north and south end zones. From concerts and commencements to presidential speeches and football games, the stadium remains a place for the Vanderbilt community and the city of Nashville to come together and celebrate.
“Vanderbilt is a Nashville institution—in, of and for the city,” Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. “This agreement with FirstBank, and the possibilities it creates, forges a new kind of collaborative connection among our university, our community and our Commodore student-athletes as we all—to use our university motto—‘dare to grow’ and realize our shared potential together.”
Headquartered in Nashville, FirstBank has 81 full-service bank branches across Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama and Georgia and a national mortgage business with offices across the Southeast. The bank serves five of the major metropolitan markets in Tennessee and has approximately $12.6 billion in total assets. FirstBank is a wholly owned subsidiary of FB Financial Corp. (NYSE: FBK).
“For more than a century, FirstBank has built its reputation by believing in the power and potential of our community,” FirstBank President and CEO Chris Holmes said. “Partnering with Vanderbilt reinforces our shared commitment to the idea that world-class excellence can have local roots. We believe FirstBank Stadium is more than a name. It represents an opportunity to strengthen this community and mentor leaders who will shape an even brighter future.”
In addition to football stadium naming rights, the relationship includes a comprehensive multimedia arrangement with Vanderbilt Athletics for all varsity programs. FirstBank will also participate in Vanderbilt student and alumni engagement opportunities, including the sponsorship of student internships and select alumni programming, such as the Owen Graduate School of Management’s Owen Forward alumni engagement speaker series.
Additionally, FirstBank will have the opportunity to conduct on-campus workshops and provide financial products supporting innovation and startup activities at Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt was assisted in the national search for a naming rights and campus partner by Independent Sports & Entertainment (ISE), a representation, management, sales, consulting and marketing agency with offices across the United States. LEARFIELD, a media, data, and technology services leader in intercollegiate athletics and Vanderbilt’s multimedia rights partner, worked with the university and ISE on this agreement.
