PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania's Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics (Penn Athletics) and the Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association today announced a significant sponsorship agreement making Toyota the exclusive presenting sponsor of The Penn Relays. This year's event, which will take place April 23-25 at historic Franklin Field, will now be formally entitled The Penn Relays, presented by Toyota.
 
The Penn Relays debuted on April 21, 1895, at Franklin Field on Penn's campus and celebrated the 125th Running in 2019. The Relays is the first and largest relay meet in the world, and the three-day event annually draws 15,000+ athletes and 110,000+ spectators. Olympic medalists, world record holders and competitors from elementary school to master's events have all competed at The Penn Relays.
 
As part of the Tri-State Toyota Dealers' presenting sponsorship, Toyota will now be recognized as the official automotive sponsor of The Penn Relays. Fans can expect to see the Toyota brand incorporated into all facets of this year's event, including on-site and in-stadium presence as well as throughout the Relays' official digital and social platforms. Toyota will also receive entitlement of the NBC Sports Network live broadcast of The Penn Relays as part of the partnership.
 
"We are extremely excited and grateful that Toyota is supporting The Penn Relays with this significant sponsorship, which will enable us to further strengthen this historic event and provide a first-class experience for our athletes, coaches and fans," said Dr. M. Grace Calhoun, the T. Gibbs Kane, Jr. W'69 Director of Athletics and Recreation at the University of Pennsylvania. "We look forward to the 126th Running of The Penn Relays this April when we once again showcase athletes of all ages at Franklin Field."
 
"As a mobility company, Toyota believes that when a person is free to move, anything is possible. That's why we're proud to be a worldwide partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and support USA Track and Field," said Ed Laukes, group vice president, Toyota Marketing. "The Penn Relays is not only an important, iconic event here in Philadelphia - the meet is central to Toyota's support for all athletes in the track and field community seeking to achieve their Olympic dreams. We are thrilled to sponsor this annual event and look forward to the competition."
 
This landmark sponsorship was secured through JMI Sports, the exclusive multimedia rights partner of Penn Athletics.
 
"The Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association is proud to partner with The Penn Relays and support the athletes participating and their goals," said Paul Muller, President of the Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association. "As the 25 Toyota Dealers here in Greater Philadelphia, we look to extend Toyota's partnership with the Olympic and Paralympics Games by supporting this historic event here in our backyard," Muller added.
 
About Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association
The Tri-State Toyota Dealers Association (TDA) is comprised of 25 Toyota Dealers in the Greater Philadelphia market dedicated to providing customers in Southeastern Pennsylvania, Northwestern Delaware and Southern New Jersey communities with Toyota sales and service. The Tri-State TDA has an ongoing partnership with multiple community organizations and causes, including the association's focus on sports and its partnerships with organizations related to the Olympic/Paralympic movement.
 
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands. Over the past 60 years, we've built more than 40 million cars and trucks in North America, where we have 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama (10 in the U.S.), and directly employ more than 47,000 people (over 36,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.8 million cars and trucks (nearly 2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2019.
 
About Penn Athletics
The Division of Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics is a broad-based division comprising 33 intercollegiate teams, 37 club sport teams, and expansive intramural sport and campus recreation programs, all taking place within 22 athletics and recreational facilities. The facilities are contained within a contiguous 24-acre footprint at the eastern end of campus, commonly thought to be one of the best athletics infrastructures among urban campuses, with assets such as Franklin Field, The Palestra, and Penn Park. The Penn Relays, the oldest and largest track competition held in the US, attracts more than 110,000 spectators and 15,000 competitors each spring.
 
About JMI Sports
JMI Sports is a full-service collegiate marketing firm providing the highest quality management of athletics multimedia rights. Breaking new ground in the creation of the Total Campus Marketing program, JMI Sports works hand-in-hand with each university in the pursuit of their success, maximizing their economic potential. JMI Sports manages an impressive list of signature partnerships including the University of Kentucky, Clemson University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh, the Ivy League, and joint-venture properties of the University of Georgia and Columbia University (with IMG College), as well as the University of Notre Dame (with Legends). In addition, JMI Sports has been retained by the Patriot League and the Mountain West League to expand and develop multi-media and partnerships sales for the leagues at-large. Founded in 2006 by Erik Judson and technology entrepreneur John Moores, former owner of the San Diego Padres, JMI Sports is also a highly regarded project manager for the development of collegiate and professional sports facilities.
 
Media contacts:
Kevin Bonner
Penn Athletics
215.898.9192
[email protected]
 
Mike Mahoney
Penn Athletics
215.898.9232
[email protected]
 
Kathryn McHugh
Saatchi & Saatchi
215.680.8367
[email protected]