Cooper Tire Announces National Collegiate Sports Sponsorship Program

    FINDLAY, Ohio--March 29, 2001--Cooper Tire & Rubber Company today announced that it has entered into agreements with six of the country's most prestigious collegiate athletic conferences to sponsor a variety of varsity sports and conference championships.
    Through the sponsorships, Cooper becomes the Official Tire of the Southeastern (SEC), Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Mountain West and Pacific-10 (Pac-10) conferences, and will provide support for individual sports and conference championship events. Among the sports and championships sponsored will be football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, track and field, soccer, swimming, field hockey, cross country, wrestling, gymnastics, tennis and golf.
    "College sports challenge student-athletes to learn, to grow and to compete in a demanding environment against tough opponents," said John Fahl, executive vice president and president of Cooper Tire's global tire operations. "At Cooper Tire, we understand that challenge all too well. Our team of associates and dealers is pushed to excel in a similar way every day. This program is a perfect fit for our corporate philosophy."
    "The NCAA has benefited significantly from the many contributions that corporate America provides to our programs, events, schools/conferences and student-athletes," said National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Director of Corporate Marketing David Knopp. "The program Cooper Tire is initiating with six of our member conferences is an appreciated example of these relationships."
    The multi-year program includes advertising, merchandising, promotional and media rights to each of the sponsored conferences, as well as, selected hospitality and special event packages for conference events and championships.
    "The geographic coverage represented by these conferences and the passionate loyalty of their alumni and fans were very attractive to us," said Fahl. "This program provides excellent opportunities for our dealers to implement targeted consumer and business-to-business marketing programs in key sales territories."
    Cooper's support of college athletics is part of an extensive national sports sponsorship program that includes associations with the Butkus Award(R), given annually to college football's top linebacker, the Professional Golf Association's (PGA) Bay Hill Invitational and legendary golfer Arnold Palmer.

    COOPER TIRE ANNOUNCES MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE
    SPORTS SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

    "The Mountain West Conference is pleased to welcome Cooper Tire as a corporate partner," said Mountain West Assistant Commissioner for Marketing Dan Butterly. "It is crucial to our development as a Division 1-A conference that we align ourselves with corporate partners that are regarded as leaders in their industries. Partnering with Cooper Tire is in keeping with that goal."
    In its second year of collegiate athletic competition, the Mountain West Conference is comprised of Brigham Young University, Colorado State University, the University of New Mexico, San Diego State University, the United States Air Force Academy, the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, the University of Utah and the University of Wyoming.

    COOPER TIRE ANNOUNCES SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
    SPORTS SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

    "On behalf of the SEC and its member institutions, we are excited to welcome Cooper Tire as a member of our corporate partner family," said SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer. "Throughout its history, Cooper has demonstrated a commitment to the principles and values that have made it one of the leaders in its industry. It's this same commitment that Cooper has shown to intercollegiate athletics that we welcome in the SEC."
    The Southeastern Conference was formed in 1933 and consists of 12 member institutions: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt. The league currently sanctions championship play in nine men's sports and 11 women's sports. Its headquarters has been located in Birmingham, Ala., since 1948. The SEC Corporate Partner Program is sold and administered by Lexington, Ky.-based Host Communications, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Bull Run Corporation .

    COOPER TIRE ANNOUNCES BIG TEN CONFERENCE
    SPORTS SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

    "Like Cooper Tire, the Big Ten Conference has a tradition of excellence," said Big Ten Conference Commissioner James E. Delany. "We're proud to bring Cooper on board as a corporate partner and look forward to working together to improve our programs and support student-athletes at all of our member universities."
    In its 105th year of collegiate athletic competition, the Big Ten Conference is comprised of the University of Illinois, Indiana University, the University of Iowa, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, Ohio State University, Penn State University, Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin.

    COOPER TIRE ANNOUNCES BIG 12 CONFERENCE
    SPORTS SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

    "Cooper Tire's support of Big 12 Conference athletics allows us to continue to bring championship-caliber programs and events to our student-athletes, alumni and fans," said Big 12 Conference Commissioner Kevin Weiberg. "We're delighted to have them as a corporate partner."
    In its seventh year of collegiate athletic competition, the Big 12 Conference is comprised of Baylor University, the University of Colorado, Iowa State University, the University of Kansas, Kansas State University, the University of Missouri, the University of Nebraska, the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State University, the University of Texas, Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University.

    COOPER TIRE ANNOUNCES BIG EAST CONFERENCE
    SPORTS SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

    "Finding corporate partners who are as committed to our vision as we are is a tough task," said Big East Conference Commissioner Michael A. Tranghese. "We're fortunate to have such an exceptional list of loyal supporters, and we're pleased to add Cooper Tire to that group."
    In its 22nd year of collegiate athletic competition, the Big East Conference is comprised of Boston College, the University of Connecticut, Georgetown University, the University of Miami, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Pittsburgh, Providence College, Rutgers University, St. John's University, Seton Hall University, Syracuse University, Villanova University, Virginia Tech University, West Virginia University and Temple University.

    COOPER TIRE ANNOUNCES PAC-10 CONFERENCE
    SPORTS SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM

    "Like Cooper Tire, the Pac-10 has a champion's reputation," said Pac-10 Conference Commissioner Thomas C. Hansen. "We both believe in the value of hard work and discipline, and the lessons learned through spirited competition. We're proud to have them as a conference sponsor and a part of the Pac-10 team."
    In its 23rd year of collegiate athletic competition, the Pac-10 Conference is comprised of the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, the University of Southern California (USC), Stanford University, the University of Washington and Washington State University.

    Cooper Tire is one of the fastest growing tire companies and is a major supplier to the world tire replacement market. Specializing in the manufacture of replacement tires for the automotive aftermarket industry, Cooper as a national brand is sold only through a network of dealers and distributors in more than 100 countries. Cooper also is one of the largest private label tire suppliers to the North American replacement market.
    Cooper Tire & Rubber Company is headquartered in Findlay, Ohio, and specializes in the manufacture and marketing of automotive products. Products for Cooper's tire group include automotive, motorcycle and truck tires, inner tubes, tread rubber and equipment. In the automotive group, Cooper is an original equipment supplier of sealing, trim, NVH control systems and fluid handling systems for the automotive industry in North America, Europe, Australia and South America. Cooper has more than 20,000 employees and 57 manufacturing facilities in 13 countries. For more information, visit the Company's web site at: www.coopertire.com.