The Rundown Take
From the Gridiron to the Jersey Plug: Robert Hall of Alumni Apparel on Winning at the Game of Life
On this Winning at the Game of Life edition of Real Talk, Larry Frank Jr. and Shai Blue welcomed former Miami Hurricane Robert Hall — "Polo Rob," CEO of the Alumni Apparel Company — for a conversation about building a clothing brand good enough that Hall of Famers wear it on national TV.
Key Takeaways
- Alumni Apparel started as fly merch for Hall's powerhouse Houston high school, North Shore — then teammates from the U asked "why don't you do something for us?" before Edgerrin James' 2021 Hall of Fame weekend, and 30 former Canes wore his jerseys on TV.
- The viral moments stacked up: Edgerrin James and Andre Johnson both rocking his jerseys on the sideline — including together at the season-opening Notre Dame game.
- Quality is the brand: fully stitched jerseys, embroidered details, letterman-style backs, zipper pockets on every pair of shorts, and no upcharge for big sizes.
- Melvin Bratton crashed the show with an incredible story: his early-90s college-throwback company with Rueben Bain's uncle — signing Deion Sanders, Warren Moon and Bernie Kosar to sliding-scale royalty deals before NIL existed, stunning the College Licensing Committee, selling out Macy's test markets — until a Jay-Z lyric killed the throwback era overnight.
- Show-exclusive deal: code UTALK20 for 20 percent off everything at alumniapparel.com through January 1.
The Entrepreneur's Road
Hall's story is a masterclass in the side-hustle-plus-day-job path his parents modeled: a hair salon and hair store before the pandemic shut it down (his biggest loss), a roofing and construction company he ran with his mother that rebuilt homes in New Orleans after Katrina, and now a one-man apparel operation — designing, ordering, shipping, customer service, and flying to Houston on Fridays to run his high school merch booth before catching the first flight back for Canes games. His advice to young designers: never give up, keep creating what's on your heart, and pour into the customers who show you love instead of the people who don't.
Family Business
Devin ("Swine," per a new running joke) called in with support, and Bratton closed his cameo with a warning every young creator should hear: protect your ideas, get NDAs, and be careful who you pitch — big brands have taken designs from kids who couldn't afford to fight back. The panel also settled the eternal debate — Florida vs Texas football — with Hall's diplomatic scouting answer: skill positions from Florida, linemen and quarterbacks from Texas, and Larry Frank putting in a word for Louisiana's two-star legends Ed Reed and Reggie Wayne.
As a former player, Hall's take on Miami making the playoff field was pure veteran calm: he always believed the committee drama was entertainment — the U was getting in. Support the brand, share the site, and as the family says: it ain't no us without you.