Dad SZN is a family affair for Nick Foles and Pat O’Donnell, who started their apparel brand in the veteran NFL punter’s garage

NFL punter Pat O’Donnell and former Eagles quarterback Nick Foles joined forces to develop Dad SZN, a brand representing a community of dads who cherish the daily grind of raising children.

When O’Donnell first brought the idea to Foles last year, the MVP of Super Bowl LII was still adjusting to retirement. A few months later, Foles realized he wanted to join the venture.

“I had retired and I knew I needed about a year just to acclimate to life, to be in California full-time,” Foles said. “And I knew I didn’t have the bandwidth at the time … I always told him, ‘I love the idea, don’t give up on it. Maybe, at some point I’ll be ready to do it.’

“And then it was in January of 2024, where every day I was just thinking about Dad SZN. Pat and I were on the phone every single day, like five phone calls a day just talking about different things and we both agreed that we wanted to create an apparel brand that dads can be proud of.”

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As a father of three, and a son who lost his dad to cancer, O’Donnell’s mission is to celebrate fatherhood and create a brand that challenges the norms and societal stereotypes surrounding modern day fathers.

“It’s just that older generation of thinking,” O’Donnell said. “The 9-to-5 dad works, he comes home, kisses the kids goodnight. And I think you’re starting to see it change a bit and you’re starting to see more stay-at-home dads, and we’re lucky enough when we play 10-plus years in the league, we’re now able to be around our children in our young 30s.

“We’re able to be more present. And I think what we’re trying to do is portray that you could still be this masculine man but also be there helping raise children at the same time. That’s what we’re trying to portray.”

Since its inception, the brand has partnered with NFI Industries, a distributor based in Camden. But they haven’t always had help. For the first six months, O’Donnell was shipping orders out of his garage.

“It was literally like every story you hear,” O’Donnell said. “Companies just building out of their garage and they slowly evolve and get a little bigger. So yeah, we expanded a bit into NFI and have somebody shipping for us now. But, I think that time that I was shipping out of my garage really taught me a lot. Everyone says you start from the bottom and I think that’s how you build a company.”

With a small team — including Foles, his wife, Tori, and O’Donnell and his wife, Shelby — they’ve learned a lot about how to run a company.

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“We’re heavily involved in all the designs and the different color schemes,” Foles said. “And I think that’s what’s really unique about our brand that surprises people. They always think because we played in the NFL for so long, some company of guys that are trying to create something came in and were like ‘Hey, we’ll give you part of the company if you just be the face of it.’

“That’s not the case. This is truly Pat and I and our wives, figuring out how to create an authentic brand while raising kids … We’re trying to do it ourselves with people that are like-minded and believe in what we’re doing.”

Despite a complex schedule, O’Donnell and Foles have committed to running Dad SZN together — whether that means taking meetings in between workouts or Foles accepting a call on an eight-mile run as he prepares for future marathons.

The brand features a variety of different hats, hoodies and T-shirts — ranging from $25 to $60 — including a Philly, Philly line, which was something important to Foles.

“I think I’ve always had an awesome relationship with the city, being drafted here,” Foles said. “I mean, the obvious thing is the Super Bowl, but it’s more than that. I mean, I just love it … And then I know from the city and the fan base that it’s a generational fan base. It’s a family fanbase. It’s moms and dads taking their kids to the game, providing love for the game. We wanted to do something special and create the Philly, Philly dad line.”

Added O’Donnell: “I would say the presence that we have in Philly and New Jersey is obviously a huge homage to Nick and what he’s done there. The goal is to slowly start expanding.”