Boston Globe January 22nd 1986

 NEW ORLEANS -- Thinking of redecorating? The NFL has just the stuff for you. Chicago Bears wallpaper, a New England Patriots rug, perhaps a Miami Dolphins lamp. Going out for the evening? How about a Kansas City T-shirt, a New York Giants hat and a pair of Minnesota gloves? The same people who bring you Super Bowl XX can also bring you a house and wardrobe full of officially licensed memories.

"We have 130 companies who manufacture nearly 400 items," said Rusty Martin, director of club relations for NFL Properties, the multimillion-dollar company that licenses merchandise in 50 states and 10 foreign countries. "We started distributing Super Bowl material six months ago."

Formed in 1963 with only a handful of people, NFL Properties now has 85 employees: 55 in New York and a design staff in Los Angeles. The company is divided into four divisions -- retail licensing, promotional licensing, publishing and league and club services.

"We award a license based on three things," said Martin. "Marketing strategy, the quality of the product and the ability to distribute. A company can't just make a Patriots warm-up suit, it has to make them for all 28 teams."

The office in Los Angeles insures that all the colors are correct, that the New England Patriot is a perfect color blue and the San Francisco 49er a representative shade of red. Trench Manufacturing Co. of Buffalo won the rights to the official Super Bowl T-shirt, and Insignia Corp. of Dallas has official plastic cups. NFL Properties claims that 48 percent of Americans own at least one NFL-related item.

The company has recently manufactured two lines of its own -- a stuffed animal collection called "Huddles," and "Pro Line" apparel, which duplicates the official helmets, uniforms and jackets worn by the 28 teams.

"We sent the Jets 20 sweaters before their Monday night game against the Dolphins," said Martin. "When Joe Walton wore it on the sideline, the manufacturer sold out."

On the second floor of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, a souvenir shop has been in operation since last month. Shopkeeper Lucita Lewis said that Super Bowl posters and Chicago Bears T-shirts have been the most popular items.

"We had a hairdressers convention here last week," said Lewis. "They seemed to love anything with the Refrigerator on it."

For Super Bowl XX, 32 companies were licensed to manufacture products with the official symbol -- a blue and white shield with 24 stars, a football and three letters that spell NFL. The NFL claims that its trademark is recognized by 94 percent of men and 84 percent of women and children -- companies must therefore pay 7 1/2 percent of their yearly gross for the right to manufacture the coveted trademark. A percentage of that money goes into NFL charities.

The growth of NFL Properties can be traced to the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 and the popularity of Monday night football. Dozens of products also can be found in France, Germany, Sweden and Great Britain. Fringe items such as official toilet seats or lingerie have been rejected, but the NFL considers 50 new products a year.

The league must protect its valuable trademark, so NFL Properties spends $600,000 a year in litigation and enforcement.

"If we find a bootleg product," said Martin, "we send the company a letter asking them to cease and desist. If they don't, we take them to the court, although 99 out of 100 cease and desist."

More than a dozen investigators have been hired to guard against counterfeit items being sold in New Orleans. They work with the police department and have set up a hot line for anyone who feels he or she has purchased a bogus item. Last year at the Super Bowl in Palo Alto, Calif., more than 75 agents seized $500,000 worth of unlicensed merchandise.

"We average 1,000 counterfeit cases a season," said Martin, "so we a keep an investigator in each league city year-round."

NFL Properties also designates Kodak as the official film of the NFL and American Airlines as the official transportation of the Pro Bowl. The publishing division printed this year's Super Bowl program (more than 500,000 were ordered), and the club services division handles fan mail addressed to the various teams.

"We have the advantage of tremendous exposure for the NFL," said Martin. "And our booming business is a reflection of the popularity of the game."