AUBURN, AL (April 6, 2023) – Auburn University, in collaboration with its exclusive trademark licensing agency, CLC, announced the launch of a College Vault Baseball Collection that pays homage to baseball legend, Frank “The Big Hurt” Thomas in celebration of a statue of Thomas that is being unveiled at Plainsman Park on April 8.

The Auburn College Vault program is a vintage-inspired merchandise program that highlights historical trademarks and traditions through fashion-forward apparel and non-apparel products. The College Vault Baseball Collection will include high-end products and limited-edition Frank Thomas #35 T-shirts, jerseys, caps, and shirseys from Original Retro Brand.

“Our fans have a strong connection to the successful history of Auburn Baseball, and Frank Thomas played an integral role in the trajectory of our program,” said Jennifer Blackmon, Auburn’s director of trademark management and licensing. “We are pleased to deliver this specially curated merchandise collection that honors Frank and celebrates the rich tradition of Auburn baseball.”

Thomas was a standout in both baseball and football at Auburn in the late 1980s before achieving a 19-year professional baseball career. During his time at Auburn (1987-1989), Thomas was a three-time All-SEC player and a consensus All-American, leading the SEC in hitting in back-to-back years in 1988 and 1989. He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1989 where he was a two-time MVP and five-time All-Star among other awards. He is the only SEC player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. A statue celebrating Thomas’s athletic accomplishments will be unveiled on April 8 at Plainsman Park, the home of Auburn Tigers Baseball.

The Auburn College Vault Baseball Collection will launch with a special pop-up shop in conjunction with the statue ceremony and the Tigers’ home game against Texas A&M.

“We are excited to collaborate with Auburn University on this unique College Vault collection and retail activations to help celebrate the Tigers’ storied baseball history and a great legend of the game,” said Nicole Armentrout, CLC’s senior vice president of marketing. “The College Vault collection was established to give Auburn an avenue to properly merchandise its historic logos and icons, which have deep meaning for fans and help tell the story of the school’s rich heritage in athletics and across the university.” 

In addition to the pop-up shop location, the Auburn College Vault Baseball Frank Thomas Collection will be available at AUTeamShop.com, as well as Dick’s Sporting Goods, J&M Bookstore and Alumni Hall.

About Auburn University

Auburn University is a nationally ranked land grant institution recognized for its commitment to world-class scholarship, interdisciplinary research with an elite, top-tier Carnegie R1 classification, life-changing outreach with Carnegie’s Community Engagement designation and an undergraduate education experience second to none. Auburn is home to more than 30,000 students, and its faculty and research partners collaborate to develop and deliver meaningful scholarship, science and technology-based advancements that meet pressing regional, national and global needs. Auburn’s commitment to active student engagement, professional success and public/private partnership drives a growing reputation for outreach and extension that delivers broad economic, health and societal impact.

For media inquiries, contact:

Tammy Purves, CLC, tammy.purves@clc.com, 770-799-3275