Under Armour was formed in 1996 by University of Maryland footballer Kevin Plank, who was frustrated by his sweat soaked under jersey. Noting that his compression shorts remained dry, he worked along side fellow student, Jordan Lindgren to develop a compression base layer that allowed moisture to escape, whilst allowing but the body to retain heat. Word of mouth carried their business out of Plank's Grandmother's basement and across many local sports teams, who found an immediate use for their innovations.
Their big break came when USA Today pictured an Oakland Raiders player wearing the mock turtle neck top on the front page. From there the business has gone from strength to strength. Sportsmen and women from all sports continue to wear the base layer clothing as well as some of the military who use it when serving in hot climates. Their golfing ambassadors include Hunter Mahan, Ross Fisher and Steve Marino.