Nebraska's Awesome New T-shirt Cannon Is Just One Part of the Game Day Branding Puzzle

The University of Nebraska has raised the T-shirt cannon bar with a new branded T-shirt cannon that reportedly launches 114 T-shirts in under 10 seconds.

Take a look at this bad boy.

Tractor pulling Herbie's T-Shirt Cannons? Peak Nebraska. 🌽

114 shirts are launched in under 10 seconds. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/kz6ZIywa3d

— Nebraska Huskers (@Huskers) April 22, 2023

The school debuted the T-shirt cannon as part of its spring football game, which doubled as a welcome to new football coach Matt Rhule. Fun fact: Rhule was the football coach for Temple University while I was a student there. Our T-shirt cannon game was severely lacking. I don't know if Hoooter the Owl had the dexterity that Herbie does at Nebraska, so it might be for the best. Philadelphia mascots have a checkered past with projectiles, too.

Anyway, this takes the idea of the branded T-shirt to a new level. Everyone already loves T-shirt cannons (as long as they're used safely), but this integrates it into a full branded experience.

The mascot is riding on a branded trailer, pulled by a tractor, featuring Nebraska signage. The T-shirt cannon has the logo printed on it, and it launches branded T-shirts.

Electric first quarter break from the new Herbie. pic.twitter.com/gOPk27Q6Jb

— Elic Chisam (@Chisam_Elic) April 22, 2023

It's hard not to be excited about something launching more than 100 T-shirts in under 10 seconds.

But what distributors should really take away from this is that you don't have to have the biggest or most exciting T-shirt cannon. You don't have to have a T-shirt cannon at all. But you can turn an event like handing out a T-shirt into something greater, and use pieces like printing, vehicle wraps, and other promotional products to make the whole thing an experience.