HOMAGE’s Ryan Vesler talks return of ‘Elevator Ernie Johnson’ shirt: ‘It was just such a classic moment.’

On Tuesday, famed WBD Sports broadcaster Ernie Johnson Jr. will be inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Johnson is part of a notable nine-person class there, including NBC Sports analyst Cris Collinsworth, Big East commissioner Val Ackerman, long-time CBS producer Lance Barrow, NBC Sports reporter Andrea Joyce, and more. And in honor of that, apparel company HOMAGE is bringing back a classic shirt: “Elevator Ernie Johnson,” a shirt Johnson wore in a dunk contest against Craig “Skywalker” Sager forever ago, and one he discussed on TNT back in 2009 the first time HOMAGE did this.

As AA founder Brian Powell wrote up in 2009, that was quite the moment to see that on TV. And it’s interesting to see it now come back around, with HOMAGE again working with Johnson to make “Elevator Ernie”  available on their site again ahead of Johnson’s Hall of Fame induction. In an email interview with AA, HOMAGE CEO Ryan Vesler said Johnson’s famed career deserves all the tributes possible, and this was a perfect one to salute him with.

“Ernie Johnson is a legend in his own right,” Vesler said. “From the moment I heard he would be inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, I knew we had to bring back the Elevator Ernie Johnson tee that is an homage to the original shirt Ernie wore in the Dunk Contest with Craig ‘Skywalker’ Sager.”

He said the original dunk contest clip stands out as a fun sports moment, and a clearly-identifiable point in time.

“Ernie was wearing incredibly short shorts that were all the rage in the 1980s, and dramatically dunking on a miniature kiddie hoop while being cheered on by the crowds. It was just such a classic moment in basketball history, so much so that clips of the content continue to follow Ernie to this day.”

And Vesler said that on-air shoutout from Johnson in 2009 was a huge moment for his business, and one that came from Johnson going well above and beyond.

“I had no idea and certainly no expectation that Ernie was going to shout out to the shirt, let alone mention me and the company by name,” Vesler said. “If you watch the clip, he even goes so far as to spell out HOMAGE just to make sure viewers understood. That was in the very early days for us and it really put us on the map. “HOMAGE clothing” became a trending search on Google. It seemed everybody was trying to find out more.”

Vesler said the impacts were incredible, even leading to a website overload.

“Our website crashed. It was the early days of HOMAGE, and our servers back then just couldn’t handle it. At the same time, friends and family started blowing up my phone.”

He said the particular game that shoutout came on was perfect, too.

“Ernie was commentating on the Cleveland Cavaliers game, so everybody in Ohio was tuned into it. And I’m from Ohio, and HOMAGE is based in Ohio, so the calls kept coming nonstop until eventually my phone just died. The fact that Ernie did any of this–that he made note and took the time to mention me and HOMAGE–just shows the generosity of spirit that Ernie has.”

This time, part of the proceeds from Elevator Ernie shirts will go to support the Oscar R. Pope Memorial Scholarship Fund at Ole Miss. Pope was the marketing coordinator for the NBA on TNT and NBA TV before he passed away at 32 in 2021. Vesler said charitable contributions are a big part of HOMAGE’s brand, with the subjects they work with picking the charities, and this one was perfect given Pope’s work with Johnson on Inside The NBA.

“Giving back is a big part of what we do at HOMAGE. We support a number of local and national non-profit organizations. It’s just part of our DNA. When we work with athletes or in this case sports commentators on tribute tees, we really defer to them to recommend the organization and cause. Everything we do is a collaboration, from the design of the shirt to the cause it supports.”

“In the case with Ernie, the Oscar R. Pope Memorial Scholarship Fund is something very near and dear to his heart. Oscar left such a mark with his colleagues at TNT and they continue to honor him with this fund. And we are honored to be part of that.”

This is only one of several media shirts HOMAGE has done, from the John Clayton Slayer tribute to the Angry Runs collection with NFLN’s Kyle Brandt. Vesler said sports media figures can often be a good fit for them to work with, especially when there’s a standout image involved.

“Every person has a story to tell, and our goal is to tell that story in a graphic. When we collaborate with sports media figures, athletes, or others, we dig deep into their story. We get to know who they are as a person. We uncover what is uniquely identifiable to them. We have just one chance – one image – to capture a tremendous amount of “story.” And that image has to be able to fit on a t-shirt.”

“It may seem simple or easy–and we want it to seem this way – but it’s really a very thoughtful creative process that involves combing through old footage, archives, scouring eBay and other sites with vintage pieces, talking with people, putting ourselves in the fans’ shoes, and more. The old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” really does accurately describe what we strive for at HOMAGE.”

And Vesler said that was particularly simple with “Elevator Ernie.”

“Ernie made our jobs easy on this one. There is no image that has greater impact nor is more enduring than him in that t-shirt in that dunk contest. There are countless sports media figures who rise above and deserve acknowledgement for their contributions. Paying homage to them on a t-shirt is just a small slice of the pie to honor extraordinary accomplishments. John, Kyle, and now Ernie are just the start for us.”

Elevator Ernie shirts are available on the HOMAGE website here.