- Partnership between MAC and Rocket Mortgage will keep the championship game in Detroit, marking its 17th consecutive year at Ford Field.
- Rocket Mortgage offers $1,000,000 to non-profit focused on ending veteran homelessness if opening or second-half kickoff returned for touchdown
DETROIT, December 9, 2020– The Mid-American Conference (MAC) today announced a multi-year partnership with Detroit-based Rocket Mortgage, making America’s largest mortgage lender the title sponsor of the annual MAC Football Championship Game at Ford Field.
The 2020 Rocket Mortgage MAC Football Championship Game, which pits the Conference’s top teams from the East and West Divisions against each other, will take place Friday, December 18 at 7:30 p.m. ET and will air live on ESPN. The event marks the 17th consecutive year the game will be played in the heart of Detroit at Ford Field, making it the second longest-running championship game at the same venue in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).
“At Rocket Mortgage, we have a legacy of playing a role in presenting some of the largest events in sports – from the first college basketball game hosted on an aircraft carrier through the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic to the largest game of Super Bowl Squares ever organized,” said Casey Hurbis, Chief Marketing Officer of Rocket Mortgage. “When we learned about the opportunity to be part of the MAC Football Championship Game, while also helping to keep the game here in Detroit, we knew we had to be a big part of this event.”
In addition to being the title sponsor of the game, Rocket Mortgage’s philanthropic arm, the Rocket Community Fund, will be adding a unique twist to the event in hopes of making a significant impact on the lives of those who have served in the military. With the Rocket Mortgage Charity Kickoff, if a kickoff at the opening of the game or beginning of the second half is returned for a touchdown, it will donate $1,000,000 to Community Solutions – an organization deeply committed to eliminating veteran homelessness across the country. This is an extension of Rocket’s long-standing commitment to ensure those who have served our country have stable and consistent housing.
“It is a privilege to partner with Rocket Mortgage,” said MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher. “This partnership will assist the Conference in continuing the longest-running collegiate event in the city of Detroit, the heart of our conference footprint. During our time in Detroit, we have tried to give back and contribute to the community. That culture of contributing to Detroit is embedded in the DNA of Rocket Mortgage. I look forward to our collective efforts in celebrating the member institutions of the Conference, college football and this great city!”
The final games of the MAC’s regular season, which will decide the teams competing in the Rocket Mortgage MAC Football Championship Game, will be played on December 12.
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
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About Mid-American Conference Founded in 1946, the Mid-American Conference is an NCAA Division I, 12-member conference that sponsors 23 championships and is one of ten members of the Football Bowl Subdivison (FBS). With total enrollment of nearly 300,000 students, the league represents institutions of higher learning in five (5) states – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, and Ohio.
Current full member institutions and the year they joined are — East Division: University of Akron (1992), Bowling Green State University (1952), University at Buffalo (1998), Kent State University (1951), Miami University (1947), Ohio University (1946). West Division: Ball State University (1973), Central Michigan University (1971), Eastern Michigan University (1971), Northern Illinois University (1975-86, rejoined in 1997), University of Toledo (1950), Western Michigan University (1947). The conference office is based in Cleveland, Ohio.
JMI Sports is the multi-media rights partner of the Mid-American Conference.
About Quicken Loans/Rocket Mortgage Detroit-based Quicken Loans, the nation’s largest home mortgage lender, enables the American Dream of homeownership and financial freedom through its obsession with an industry-leading, digital-driven client experience. The company closed $145 billion dollars of mortgage volume across all 50 states in 2019. In late 2015, Quicken Loans introduced Rocket Mortgage, the first fully digital mortgage experience. Currently, 98% of all home loans originated by Quicken Loans utilize Rocket Mortgage Technology.
Quicken Loans moved its headquarters to downtown Detroit in 2010. Today, Quicken Loans and Rocket Companies employ more than 22,000 full-time team members nationwide. The company generates loan production from web centers located in Detroit, Cleveland and Phoenix and operates a centralized loan processing facility in Detroit. Quicken Loans ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction for primary mortgage origination by J.D. Power for 11 consecutive years, 2010 – 2020, and also ranked highest in the country for customer satisfaction among all mortgage servicers seven consecutive years, 2014 – 2020.
Quicken Loans was once again named to FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list in 2019 and has been included in the magazine’s top 1/3rd of companies named to the list for the past 17 consecutive years. In addition, Essence Magazine named Quicken Loans “#1 Place to Work in the Country for African Americans.”
