Ten days.
That was all it took for Doug Edert to become a household name.
Ten single days. And a mustache, of course.
“For it to only be 10 days…” Edert trailed off. “It felt like forever. My teammates and I enjoyed every minute of it.”
You know the story. Edert and his St. Peter’s Peacocks (enrollment 2,355!) stunned the world this past season when they made an improbable run to the NCAA Elite Eight.
Edert was an overnight sensation.
Simple screenshots of Edert’s tongue sticking out and a postgame interview went viral immediately following the Peacocks’ upset of KENTUCKY in the first round.
There have been no-name college basketball stars before Edert who found stardom in the NCAA Tournament. Northern Iowa’s Ali Farokhmanesh, Butler’s Matt Howard and Oral Roberts’ Max Abmas all come to mind.
But this year was different.
It was the first tournament in which college athletes could profit financially from their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).
And while college players had benefited from this throughout the 2021-22 season, it was Edert who truly epitomized the potential of NIL for the everyday college athlete.
He had the fortune of capitalizing immediately on his moment in the spotlight, signing deals with major brands like Buffalo Wild Wings.
Edert officially announced a merchandising deal with the NIL Store presented by Campus Ink on Tuesday.
It wasn’t the star that Campus Ink was attracted to, but the story.
Campus Ink strives to be a solution for all college athletes in the NIL space, and Edert certainly knows what it’s like to be overlooked. It’s part of what drew him to Campus Ink, in return.
“Ninety-five percent of athletes don’t really get much exposure in the NIL space which I think needs to change,” Edert. “There’s a lot of really talented athletes in college right now that should have the opportunity to profit off their names. I’m just one example of many athletes.”
THE POP POP COLLECTION
As Edert walked through the process of signing with Campus Ink, he realized his need for a logo.
Edert didn’t have to go far, as he reached out to his grandfather who was a long-time graphic designer and still stays active in his designs in retirement (when he’s not attending Edert’s game with his wife).
Edert only had to wait a day until his grandfather had sent him an entire page of logo designs to choose from.
“Within a day he sent me these great logos and I didn’t know how to choose one because they were all so good,” Edert said.
With the help of family members, Edert settled on a logo featuring an old-school “DE” in the colors of his new school, Bryant.
As a nod to his grandfather, Campus Ink launched Edert’s first line Wednesday and titled it the “Pop Pop Collection.”
Every piece of merchandise Edert drops with Campus Ink will include his grandfather’s logo.
“His artwork is just so amazing,” Edert said of his grandfather. “He had such an amazing impact on my life, so to have them involved is truly amazing.”
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