Under Armour's Bill Hampton Dies Unexpectedly After ESPY Awards

Veteran licensed apparel marketer BILL HAMPTON died unexpectedly on his way to the airport after the ESPY Awards last night. The cause of death is undetermined. Hampton, 51, was Senior Dir of Pro Leagues at Under Armour, where he had worked since '06. He was well known across sports marketing and merchandising circles, having held similar positions with the NFL league office and with the Browns. His brother CLAY HAMPTON is Senior Dir of Operations for the N.Y. Jets, and their father, BILL, equipment manager with the Jets for more than 30 years. Under Armour Founder KEVIN PLANK called Hampton "one of the most beloved people on our brand" in an internal e-mail this morning. 16W Marketing Partner FRANK VUONO hired Hampton at NFL Properties in the ‘90s. "I can’t think of many people across the league that didn’t know him," Vuono recalled. "He was a larger-than-life guy who always made you smile and you always smiled when you thought of him. I’m sad, but that is what I’m doing now -- smiling."