From Whataburger and Dr. Pepper to Buc-ee’s and H-E-B, Texans have a lot of pride in their locally-based brands and businesses.
Among the long list of iconic brands to come out of the Lone Star State is Academy Sports and Outdoors.
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Whether it’s a last-minute stop for new shin guards on Saturday morning or an anticipated trip to snag championship merchandise immediately after a big game, Academy is a go-to store for Texans looking for sporting goods.
Despite its start as a tire shop, Academy was able to evolve its brand into what residents in Texas and 15 other states know today.
The first Academy Tire Shop opened in 1938 in San Antonio and expanded to four stores in the 1950s after its founder Max Gochman moved the business, then known as Academy Super Surplus, to Austin.
While it seems the growth of the Texas-based store occurred slowly at first, things began to move quickly after the corporate office moved to Houston in 1978.
Two years after the move, sporting goods and outdoor items including fishing, camping gear were introduced to Academy’s product assortment.
In 1983, Academy ran its first multi-page newspaper ad during the holiday season, pushing sales to $25 million.
After adding athletic brands Nike and Adidas to its product lines, sales reached $50 million in 1985.
Over the next decade, the company would exit the military surplus business, expand out of state and reach $100 million in sales all before even changing its name to Academy Sports + Outdoors in 1995.
Today, Academy Sports + Outdoors operates more than 250 stores and its sales exceed $4.8 billion.