The Maryland Institute College of Art is known for many things around town, but athletics isn’t one of them. The school has a breakdance crew and a bellydancing club, but no official mascot and no sports teams. Which is why we were happily surprised to hear that the school has a starring role in the 2012 Olympics — only, not exactly in the way that you might expect.

Stephen Edmond, a 2011 MICA grad, designed the official Team USA boxing uniforms. At MICA, Edmond was a graphic design major who was voted “student leader of the year,” and elected to give a speech at commencement. After graduating, he zipped right on up to New York, where he got a job as a junior graphic designer at Everlast Worldwide — the exclusive partner for USA Boxing. Each member of the competition team got a special competition outfit that included a tank top, boxing shorts, special boxing shoes, a personalized walk-out robe, and a warm-up jumpsuit.

“Partnering with Everlast gives us confidence and peace of mind because we know that our athletes will represent their country having trained with the best equipment, apparel and footwear the sport has to offer,” said USA Boxing Executive Director Anthony Bartkowski.  “Everlast is the most trusted name in boxing and there is no other brand we’d rather wear in London.” And we Baltimoreans can sit back and watch the competition with a bit of hometown pride in our hearts. (Want to see the uniforms in action? Watch boxing highlights here.)