Report: Georgia Tech naming rights deal for football field approved

It will now be called Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field

In early July, a report from the AJC said that Georgia Tech was in discussions to sell the naming rights to the field at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Also in the report, the AJC says that "It is believed that Hyundai, which is building a $5.5 billion electric vehicle plant near Savannah, is the corporation with interest in purchasing the rights to the name of the field at the stadium".

Today, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that the deal is approved for the football field and it will now be called Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Thamel also reported that Georgia Tech is expected to make more than $70 million over the next 20 years because of the deal. 

Sources: Georgia Tech is getting approved a naming rights deal for its football field, which will now be called Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. The USG Board of Regents has started the process. Georgia Tech is expected to make more than $70 million over the next 20 years.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 8, 2023

The naming rights is for $55 million and sources said the sponsorship piece will push it past $70 million.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 8, 2023

This has certainly been an interesting development for Georgia Tech and this is not something that is new across college football. Just in the ACC, Louisville, Syracuse, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, and Miami have sold the naming rights to their stadiums as well and Georgia Tech will be next in line. 

Georgia Tech will be renaming its football field / Georgia Tech Athletics

“Like Georgia Tech, Hyundai is a global brand that is synonymous with quality, innovation, and a commitment to advancing technology to make a positive difference in the world. The more we have gotten to know each other, the more obvious the alignment of our values has become,” said Georgia Tech President Ángel Cabrera. “I am grateful for the transformative investments Hyundai is making in our state, and I am proud that the Hyundai brand will feature prominently on our campus. I look forward to working with Hyundai leaders to deepen our partnership as we work to develop exceptional leaders and produce new ideas that will shape the automotive industry and advance mobility in the future.”

“Georgia Tech is known around the world for having some of the best and brightest graduates as well as a storied athletics program,” said José Muñoz, president and global COO of Hyundai Motor Company, and president and CEO of Hyundai and Genesis Motor North America. “Proximity to institutions like Georgia Tech was one of the many reasons Hyundai selected Georgia for our new EV manufacturing facility. We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Georgia Tech, which will include opportunities for student professional development and cooperative work programs in addition to athletic engagements.” 

“Georgia Tech Athletics is proud to partner with Hyundai as it invests in Georgia Tech and the state of Georgia. This partnership will be truly transformative for Georgia Tech Athletics, both now and for years to come,” said J Batt, director of Athletics, Georgia Tech. “I want to express our sincere appreciation to José Muñoz and his team for their genuine interest in aligning with Georgia Tech. We are thrilled to join forces with Hyundai and look forward to a long-lasting, mutually beneficial partnership.”

Our very own Mattew Kistner discussed this topic and talked about the history of Historic Grant Field at Bobby Stadium and about the potential move that athletic director J Batt was making: 

"Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field has a long standing history in college football, being the oldest used on-campus field in the entire FBS. Historic Grant Field earned its name in 1914 when John W. Grant, a Tech Board of Trustees member, gave $15,000 in 1913 to fund construction of the first permanent concrete stands on the west side of the field. This $15,000 gift would be worth around $460,000 in today’s time. The Board of Trustees decided to name the field for Grant’s deceased son following his generous gift, deeming the official name of the field as Hugh Inman Grant Field almost 110 years ago.

J Batt has been no stranger to big moves in his first year at Tech, making two big hires and scoring large sponsorships for the program, but this will surely be one of his biggest and boldest moves yet. To touch a name that has been tradition for 110 years is a very swift and brash choice, but it surely comes with the struggles of building funds for a program that has bought out two coaches and launched plans to construct a new athlete center in just a single year. Letting go of a name that has come to moniker game days for Tech fans for over a century will not be the easiest of adjustments; furthermore, letting go of a name that is in memoriam of a father’s lost son brings up a questionable moral choice as this is surely only for the sake of generating larger funding for the athletic program."

Keep an eye out for the latest developments concerning the naming rights deal. 

Georgia Tech kicks off its 2023 season against Louisville on Sept. 1st at 7:30 on ESPN. 

This story has been updated. 

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