COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Mountain West welcomes a new era of college football coaching following a partnership announced today with Microsoft. The agreement, secured by JMI Sports, introduces specialized Microsoft Surface devices to Mountain West coaching staffs and student athletes for the 2024 season. It also represents an evolution of Microsoft’s long-standing relationship with the National Football League and its 32 teams dating back to 2013.

Microsoft will provide Surface devices that can be utilized on the sideline and in the coaching booths. The devices will allow coaches and players to review plays in near real-time and make in-game adjustments. The sideline tablet is built to endure diverse Mountain West weather conditions, from the snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains to the sunny California coast. Teams are receiving the same number of total tablets with different combinations of sideline and coaching booth tablets to accommodate individual team needs.

“As a leader in innovation in the college athletics landscape, the Mountain West is proud to partner with Microsoft, an industry leader in technology, to provide Surface tablets to our sidelines and coaching booths,” said Gloria Nevarez, Mountain West Commissioner. “This technology will transform the digital evolution in college football and enhance communication for our student-athletes and coaches on the gridiron.”

Microsoft will also partner with the Mountain West in the exploration of additional collaboration related to AI, hardware, tablets and laptop applications, a space where it can offer unique expertise to the conference and its member institutions.

“We are excited to formally announce our partnership with the Mountain West Conference for the 2024 season, as we continue to expand our presence in collegiate athletics,” said Gabe Rudolph, Senior Manager of Strategic Partnerships at Microsoft. “The Mountain West is well positioned in the evolving landscape of college football and we share a vision for how sports and technology can come together to provide a great experience for players, coaches, and fans.”

“We are thrilled to facilitate this partnership between the Mountain West Conference and Microsoft,” said Senior Vice President (West) of JMI Sports Peter Thuresson. By equipping coaches and student-athletes with Microsoft Surface devices, we are enhancing their ability to analyze and strategize in real time, ultimately elevating the competitive experience across the conference.”

For more information on JMI Sports, a leading media rights and venue development company dedicated to transformative partnerships, please visit jmisports.com.

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ABOUT THE MOUNTAIN WEST
From its inception in 1999, the Mountain West has been committed to excellence in intercollegiate athletics, while promoting the academic missions of its member institutions. Progressive in its approach, the Mountain West continues to cultivate opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the highest level while fostering academic achievement and sportsmanship. Now in its 26th year, the MW has been assertive in its involvement with the NCAA governance structure and has taken a leadership role in the overall administration of intercollegiate athletics. The Mountain West membership is comprised of 11 all-sport members: United States Air Force Academy, Boise State University, Colorado State University, California State University, Fresno, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, University of Nevada, Reno, University of New Mexico, San Diego State University, San José State University, Utah State University and University of Wyoming. In addition, the University of Hawai‘i, Manoa and Colorado College participate in the Mountain West as single-sport members in football and women’s soccer, respectively, and Washington State University participates in women’s swimming and baseball.

ABOUT JMI SPORTS
JMI Sports is a leading media rights and venue development company that provides management of collegiate multimedia rights, sponsorship sales agency representation, and project management expertise for the development of collegiate and professional sports facilities. The company serves to maximize each client’s economic potential through customized initiatives, from marketing and branding solutions to facility design strategies.

JMI Sports’ signature collegiate multimedia rights partnerships include the University of Kentucky, the University of Utah, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh, Harvard University, DePaul University, Columbia University, San Diego State University, University of California at San Diego, and joint-venture properties of the University of Georgia (with Learfield), and University of Notre Dame (with Legends). JMI Sports also represents multimedia rights for several conferences, including the Ivy League, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Patriot League and the Atlantic 10, and serves as third-party sales representation for premier sports properties, venues and events, including the Breeders’ Cup, Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, and the Penn Relays.

JMI Sports was founded in 2006 by CEO Erik Judson and technology entrepreneur John Moores, former owner of the San Diego Padres.

To learn more, please visit www.jmisports.com.