Kevin Plank remembers sitting in his cap and gown at the University of Maryland, College Park commencement ceremony in 1996 as Hillary Clinton spoke to his graduating class. He also remembers that he was fidgeting in his seat and only half-listening.
So with the chance to address this year's graduating class, the Under Armour founder and CEO said he wanted to keep his message simple.
"What I want to talk about today is a single word, but it's more than that," he said. "It's an entity. It's a force. What I want to talk to you about today is passion."
It was passion, Plank said, that enabled him to turn Under Armour into a company that generates $4 billion annually, according to a news release announcing his selection as commencement speaker.
He was inspired to create a moisture-wicking shirt after soaking through his clothes during football practice as special teams captain for the university's football program.
"I didn't have someone to show me how it was done, there was no road map," Plank said. "But the one thing I did have, I had passion. And passion made that idea for a T-shirt become a reality."
Passion also drove him to develop and maintain personal relationships, he said, explaining how he used the connections he made while playing football in college to help expand his company by staying in touch with a network of 50 to 60 friends who went on to play in the NFL.
"I sent them each three shirts and said, 'Please try this, and if you like it, give one to each guy in the locker next to you,'" he said. "Some of the people here today, they may just well be your friends, but more importantly they could be the resources and assets you need to move forward in your life professionally."
Passion also means "being entrepreneurial in everything you do," he said.
"To be an entrepreneur, you have to support other entrepreneurs," he said. "You know that lemonade stand you drive by sometimes? Here's my challenge. The next time you see one, stop."
Plank, 43, has continued to support the university since he graduated 20 years ago, contributing $25 million toward the transformation of Cole Field House into an indoor practice facility.
"It's great that we have a commencement speaker who is not only famous but who cares so much about the university and is a Terp himself," said Patrick Ronk, a graduating senior who served as two-time student body president. "Many schools get big names but they aren't attached to the school as much as Kevin is, and that's why he's special."