EXHIBITS

Exhibit A -   Form of Opinion of Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation       A-1
Exhibit B -   Form of Opinion of Counsel of each Selling Stockholder........       B-1
Exhibit C -   Form of Lock-up Letter........................................       C-1
Exhibit D -   Form of Comfort Letter of Deloitte & Touche LLP...............       D-1
Exhibit E -   Form of Certificate of Chief Financial Officer................       E-1

c/o  Merrill Lynch & Co.
       Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
                      Incorporated

North Tower
World Financial Center
New York, New York 10281-1209

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and the persons listed in Schedule B hereto (collectively, the "Selling Stockholders"), confirm their respective agreements with Merrill Lynch & Co., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated ("Merrill Lynch") and each of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (collectively, the "Underwriters," which term shall also include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 10 hereof), for whom Merrill Lynch, Goldman, Sachs & Co., Banc of America Securities LLC and William Blair & Company, L.L.C. are acting as representatives (in such capacity, the "Representatives"), with respect to (i) the sale by the Company and the Selling Stockholders, acting severally and not jointly, and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the respective numbers of shares of Common Stock, $.01 par value per share, of the Company ("Common Stock") set forth in Schedules A and B hereto, and (ii) the grant by the Selling Stockholders to the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the option described in
Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any part of __________ additional shares of Common Stock to cover over-allotments, if any. The aforesaid __________ shares of Common Stock (the "Initial Securities") to be purchased by the Underwriters and all or any part

of the __________ shares of Common Stock subject to the option described in
Section 2(b) hereof (the "Option Securities") are hereinafter called, collectively, the "Securities."

The Company and the Selling Stockholders understand that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of the Securities as soon as the Representatives deem advisable after this Agreement has been executed and delivered.

The Company, the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters agree that up to _______ of the Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters (the "Reserved Securities") shall be reserved for sale by the Underwriters to certain eligible employees and persons having business relationships with the Company ("Reserved Share Invitees"), as part of the distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters, subject to the terms of this Agreement, the applicable rules, regulations and interpretations of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. and all other applicable laws, rules and regulations. To the extent that such Reserved Securities are not orally confirmed for purchase by such Reserved Share Invitees by the end of the first business day after the date of this Agreement, such Reserved Securities may be offered to the public as part of the public offering contemplated hereby.

The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "Commission") a registration statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-96587) covering the registration of the Securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), including the related preliminary prospectus or prospectuses. Promptly after execution and delivery of this Agreement, the Company will either
(i) prepare and file a prospectus in accordance with the provisions of Rule 430A ("Rule 430A") of the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1933 Act (the "1933 Act Regulations") and paragraph (b) of Rule 424 ("Rule 424(b)") of the 1933 Act Regulations or (ii) if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule
434 ("Rule 434") of the 1933 Act Regulations, prepare and file a term sheet (a "Term Sheet") in accordance with the provisions of Rule 434 and Rule 424(b). The information included in such prospectus or in such Term Sheet, as the case may be, that was omitted from such registration statement at the time it became effective but that is deemed to be part of such registration statement at the time it became effective (a) pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 430A is referred to as "Rule 430A Information" or (b) pursuant to paragraph (d) of Rule 434 is referred to as "Rule 434 Information." Each prospectus used before such registration statement became effective, and any prospectus that omitted, as applicable, the Rule 430A Information or the Rule 434 Information, that was used after such effectiveness and prior to the execution and delivery of this Agreement, is herein called a "preliminary prospectus." Such registration statement, including the exhibits thereto and schedules thereto at the time it became effective and including the Rule 430A Information and the Rule 434 Information, as applicable, is herein called the "Registration Statement." Any registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations is herein referred to as the "Rule 462(b) Registration Statement," and after such filing the term "Registration Statement" shall include the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. The final prospectus in the form first furnished to the Underwriters for use in connection with the offering of the Securities is herein called the "Prospectus." If Rule 434 is relied on, the term "Prospectus" shall refer to the preliminary prospectus dated ___________, 2002 together with the Term Sheet and all references in this Agreement to the date of the Prospectus shall mean the

date of the Term Sheet. For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or any Term Sheet or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system ("EDGAR").

Just prior to the completion of the offering, (1) the Company intends to file a charter amendment with the State of Delaware which authorizes the issuance of shares of Common Stock, Class B common stock (the "Class B Common Stock"), and preferred stock, (2) the Company will undertake a stock split in the form of a dividend of all previously existing shares of Common Stock (the "Existing Common Stock") into Common Stock and (3) Edward W. Stack and his relatives will then exchange their shares of Common Stock for shares of Class B Common Stock (the "Exchange") pursuant to an Exchange Agreement to be entered into among the Company and Mr. Stack and his relatives (the "Exchange Agreement"). All of such transactions are collectively referred to herein as the "Pre-Offering Transactions." The Underwriters shall only be purchasing shares of Common Stock (post-split) pursuant to this Agreement. For purposes of this agreement, the term "Other Selling Stockholders" refers to all stockholders other than Edward W. Stack (and entities controlled by or affiliated with Mr. Stack).

SECTION 1. Representations and Warranties.

(a) Representations and Warranties by the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, as of the Closing Time referred to in Section 2(c) hereof, and as of each Date of Delivery (if any) referred to in Section 2(b) hereof, and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows:

(i) Compliance with Registration Requirements. Each of the Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has become effective under the 1933 Act and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement has been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been complied with. At the respective times the Registration Statement, any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any post-effective amendments thereto became effective and at the Closing Time (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the Date of Delivery), the Registration Statement, the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and any amendments and supplements thereto complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and the Prospectus, any preliminary prospectus and any supplement thereto or prospectus wrapper prepared in connection therewith, at their respective times of issuance and at the Closing Time, complied and will comply in all material respects with any applicable laws or regulations of foreign

jurisdictions in which the Prospectus and such preliminary prospectus, as amended or supplemented, if applicable, are distributed in connection with the offer and sale of Reserved Securities. Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto (including any prospectus wrapper), at the time the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement was issued and at the Closing Time (and, if any Option Securities are purchased, at the Date of Delivery), included or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If Rule 434 is used, the Company will comply with the requirements of Rule 434 and the Prospectus shall not be "materially different," as such term is used in Rule 434, from the prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time it became effective. The representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Prospectus or any amendments or supplements to the Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by any Underwriter through Merrill Lynch expressly for use in the Registration Statement or Prospectus.

Each preliminary prospectus and the prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the 1933 Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the 1933 Act Regulations and each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering was identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

(ii) Independent Accountants. The accountants who certified the financial statements and supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement are independent public accountants as required by the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.

(iii) Financial Statements. The financial statements included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, present fairly the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries at the dates indicated and the statement of operations, stockholders' equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries for the periods specified; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement present fairly in accordance with GAAP the information required to be stated therein. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus present fairly the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. The as adjusted financial information included in the Prospectus presents fairly the information shown therein, have been prepared in accordance with the Commission's rules and guidelines with respect to pro

forma financial statements and pro forma financial information and have been properly compiled on the bases described therein, and the assumptions used in the preparation thereof are reasonable and the adjustments used therein are appropriate to give effect to the transactions and circumstances referred to therein. All financial statements and pro forma financial statements required to be included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus pursuant to the 1933 Act, the 1933 Act Regulations and Regulation S-X have been included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus. The financial information included in the Registration Statement with respect to fiscal 1997 is accurate and has been derived from the Company's consolidated financial statements as of February 28, 1998 and for the fiscal year then ended; the fiscal 1997 financial statements not included in the registration statement fairly present the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries as of February 28, 1998 and for the fiscal year then ended and were prepared in conformity with GAAP and on a basis consistent with the Company's audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement; the financial information for fiscal 1997 which is included in the Registration Statement which is not directly included in or derivable from such audited financial statements for fiscal 1997 has been derived from the books and records of the Company which during fiscal 1997 and through the date hereof were maintained in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards and rules and regulations adopted by AICPA and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as amended.

(iv) No Material Adverse Change in Business. Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, (A) there has been no material adverse change in the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business (a "Material Adverse Effect"), (B) there have been no transactions entered into by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, other than those in the ordinary course of business, which are material with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, and (C) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock.

(v) Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement; and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(vi) Good Standing of Subsidiaries. Each subsidiary of the Company (each a "Subsidiary" and, collectively, the "Subsidiaries") has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its

incorporation or organization, has all requisite power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; except as otherwise disclosed in the Prospectus, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock of each such Subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of any Subsidiary was issued in violation of the preemptive or similar rights of any securityholder of such Subsidiary. The only subsidiaries of the Company are the subsidiaries listed on Exhibit 21 to the Registration Statement.

(vii) Capitalization. The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as of the date indicated as set forth in the Prospectus in the column entitled "Actual" under the caption "Capitalization" and upon consummation of the sale of the Securities and the Pre-Offering Transactions and assuming no convertible securities or options currently exercisable for common stock are exercised or converted will be as set forth in the Prospectus in the column entitled "As Adjusted" under the caption "Capitalization." The shares of issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company, including the Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Selling Stockholders, have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company, including the Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Selling Stockholders, was issued in violation of the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company; the shares of capital stock to be issued by the Company in connection with the Pre-Offering Transactions, including the Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Selling Stockholders, have been duly authorized and as of the Closing Time will be validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable and will not be issued in violation of the preemptive, anti-dilution or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company; and the sale of shares of Common Stock by the Company to the Underwriters will not trigger any anti-dilution rights of any securityholder of the Company and the sale of shares of Common Stock by the Selling Stockholders to the Underwriters will not trigger any co-sale or tag-along rights or other similar rights of any other securityholder of the Company.

(viii) Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

(ix) Authorization and Description of Securities. The Securities to be purchased by the Underwriters from the Company have been duly authorized for issuance and sale to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement and, when issued and delivered by the Company pursuant to this Agreement against payment of the consideration set

forth herein, will be validly issued and fully paid and non-assessable; the Common Stock and Class B Common Stock conforms in all material respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the Prospectus and such description conforms to the rights set forth in the instruments defining the same; no holder of the Securities will be subject to personal liability by reason of being such a holder; and the issuance of the Securities is not subject to the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.

(x) Absence of Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of its charter or by-laws or in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary is subject (collectively, "Agreements and Instruments") except for such defaults that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and in the Registration Statement (including the consummation of the Pre-Offering Transactions and the issuance and sale of the Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described in the Prospectus under the caption "Use of Proceeds") and compliance by the Company with its obligations hereunder have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any subsidiary pursuant to, the Agreements and Instruments, and will not result in the payment of any fee or an obligation to pay any fee to any other broker, dealer or other similar institution other than the Underwriters (except as disclosed in the Prospectus), nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws of the Company or any subsidiary or any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any subsidiary or any of their assets, properties or operations. As used herein, a "Repayment Event" means any event or condition which gives the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder's behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any subsidiary, provided that the obligation of the Company to use all of the net proceeds of the offering received by it to repay indebtedness outstanding under its principal credit facility will not be deemed a Repayment Event hereunder so long as no default or event of default otherwise exists under such credit facility.

(xi) Absence of Labor Disputes. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any subsidiary exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the

employees of any of its or any subsidiary's principal suppliers, vendors, manufacturers, customers or contractors, which, in either case, may reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(xii) Absence of Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by any court or governmental agency or body, domestic or foreign, now pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against the Company or any subsidiary, which is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement (other than as disclosed therein), or which would be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or which would be expected to materially and adversely affect the properties or assets thereof or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement (including the Pre-Offering Transactions) or the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder; the aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any subsidiary is a party or of which any of their respective property or assets is the subject which are not described in the Registration Statement, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(xiii) Accuracy of Exhibits. There are no contracts or documents which are required to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or to be filed as exhibits thereto which have not been so described and filed as required.

(xiv) Possession of Intellectual Property. The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual property (collectively, "Intellectual Property") necessary to carry on the business now operated by them, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property invalid or inadequate to protect the interest of the Company or any of its subsidiaries therein, and which infringement or conflict (if the subject of any unfavorable decision, ruling or finding) or invalidity or inadequacy, singly or in the aggregate, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(xv) Absence of Further Requirements. Except for the filing of the Company's Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, which will occur on or prior to the Closing Date, no filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency is necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, in connection with the offering, issuance or sale of the Securities hereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement (including the Pre-Offering Transactions and the use of the proceeds of the sale of the Securities as described in the Prospectus under "Use of Proceeds"), except (i) such as have been

already obtained under the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations or state securities laws and (ii) such as have been obtained under the laws and regulations of jurisdictions outside the United States in which the Reserved Securities are offered.

(xvi) Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company and its subsidiaries possess such permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations (collectively, "Governmental Licenses") issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to conduct the business now operated by them; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental Licenses, except where the failure so to comply would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; all of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except when the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect would not have a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(xvii) Title to Property. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real property owned by the Company and its subsidiaries and good title to all other properties owned by them, in each case, free and clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security interests, claims, restrictions or encumbrances of any kind except such as (a) are described in the Prospectus or (b) do not, singly or in the aggregate, materially affect the value of such property and do not interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company or any of its subsidiaries; and all of the leases and subleases material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one enterprise, are in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any subsidiary has any notice of any material claim of any sort that has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any subsidiary under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or such subsidiary to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease.

(xviii) Investment Company Act. The Company is not, and upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Prospectus will not be, an "investment company" or an entity "controlled" by an "investment company" as such terms are defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act").

(xix) Environmental Laws. Except as described in the Prospectus and except as would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health,

the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products (collectively, "Hazardous Materials") or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, "Environmental Laws"), (B) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending or threatened administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (D) there are no events, facts or circumstances that would reasonably be expected to form the basis of any liability or obligation of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, including, without limitation, any order, decree, plan or agreement requiring clean-up or remediation, or any action, suit or proceeding by any private party or governmental body or agency, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to any Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.

(xx) Registration Rights. There are no persons with registration rights or other similar rights to have any securities (1) registered pursuant to the Registration Statement (except for rights which have been complied with or waived) or (2) otherwise registered by the Company under the 1933 Act (except as described in the Prospectus).

(xxi) Related Party Transactions. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any affiliate (as the term is defined in 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act")) of the Company, on the one hand, and any director, officer, stockholder, customer or supplier of any of them, on the other hand, which is required by the 1933 Act or by the 1933 Act Regulations to be described in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which is not so described or is not described as required.

(xxii) Suppliers. No supplier of merchandise to the Company or any of its subsidiaries has ceased shipments of merchandise to the Company or indicated, to the Company's knowledge, an interest in decreasing or ceasing its sales to the Company or otherwise modifying its relationship with the Company, other than in the normal and ordinary course of business consistent with past practices in a manner which would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(xxiii) Stabilization or Manipulation. Neither the Company nor any of its officers, directors or controlling persons has taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in, or that has constituted or which might reasonably be expected to constitute, the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale of the Securities.

(xxiv) Accounting Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (A) transactions are executed in accordance with management's general or specific authorization; (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (C) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management's general or specific authorization; and (D) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

(xxv) Tax Returns. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns that are required to have been filed by them pursuant to applicable foreign, federal, state, local or other law or have duly requested extensions thereof, except insofar as the failure to file such returns or request such extensions would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, and has paid all taxes due pursuant to such returns or pursuant to any assessment received by the Company and its Subsidiaries, except for such taxes or assessments, if any, as are being contested in good faith and as to which adequate reserves have been provided or where the failure to pay would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The charges, accruals and reserves on the books of the Company in respect of any income and corporation tax liability of the Company and each subsidiary for any years not finally determined are adequate to meet any assessments or re-assessments for additional income tax for any years not finally determined, except to the extent of any inadequacy that would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

(xxvi) MD&A. There are no transactions, arrangements or other relationships which are required to be disclosed in the Prospectus by the Commission's "Statement About Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" (January 22, 2002) which are not so described or described as required.

(xxvii) Pre-Offering Transactions. The Pre-Offering Transactions have been duly authorized by the Company and will be consummated by the Company on or before the Closing Time. The Exchange Agreement has been authorized, executed and delivered by the Company. The Company's Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation as described in the Prospectus has been approved by all necessary corporate, board and stockholder action, does not require any governmental or third party approval and will be in full force and effect on or before the Closing Time. The issuance of shares of Common Stock and Class B Common Stock in accordance with the Pre-Offering Transactions does not require registration under the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations and will not be integrated with the sale of the Securities hereunder.

(b) Representations and Warranties by the Selling Stockholders. Each Selling Stockholder severally and not jointly represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, as of the Closing Time, and as of each Date of Delivery, and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows:

(i) Accurate Disclosure. To the best knowledge of each Selling Stockholder (other than an Other Selling Stockholder), the representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 1(a) hereof are true and correct. Such Selling Stockholder has reviewed and is familiar with the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto (including any prospectus wrapper) includes any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that, with respect to any Selling Stockholder who is an Other Selling Stockholder, this representation and warranty is limited to information furnished in writing by or on behalf of such Other Selling Stockholder expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), or any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto). Such Selling Stockholder is not prompted to sell the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder by any information concerning the Company or any subsidiary of the Company which is both (i) not set forth in the Prospectus and (ii) required to be set forth therein pursuant to the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations promulgated thereunder by the Commission.

(ii) Authorization of Agreements. Such Selling Stockholder has the full right, power and authority to enter into this Agreement and a Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement (the "Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement") and, to the extent a party thereto, the Exchange Agreement and to sell, transfer and deliver the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder. The execution and delivery of this Agreement and the Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement and, to the extent a party thereto, the Exchange Agreement and the delivery of shares of Existing Common Stock, Common Stock and Class B Common Stock to the custodian under the Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement and the sale and delivery of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and compliance by such Selling Stockholder with its obligations hereunder have been duly authorized by such Selling Stockholder and do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any tax, lien, charge or encumbrance (except for taxes which may be payable by the Selling Stockholder as a result of this Agreement) upon the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder or any property or assets of such Selling Stockholder pursuant to any contract, stockholders agreement, registration rights agreement, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, license, lease or other agreement or instrument to which such Selling Stockholder is a party or by which such Selling Stockholder may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of such Selling Stockholder is subject, nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws or other organizational instrument of such Selling Stockholder, if applicable, or any applicable treaty, law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any government, government instrumentality or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over such Selling Stockholder or any of its properties.

(iii) Good and Marketable Title. Such Selling Stockholder has good and marketable title to the shares of Existing Common Stock, Common Stock, Class B Common Stock or options or warrants exercisable for shares of Common Stock deposited with the Custodian and such Selling Stockholder has or will at the Closing Time and on the Date of Delivery have good and marketable title to the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder, in each case free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, charge, claim, equity or encumbrance of any kind, other than pursuant to this Agreement; and upon delivery of such Securities and payment of the purchase price therefor as herein contemplated, assuming each such Underwriter has no notice of any adverse claim, each of the Underwriters will receive good and marketable title to the Securities purchased by it from such Selling Stockholder, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, charge, claim, equity or encumbrance of any kind.

(iv) Due Execution of Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement. Such Selling Stockholder has duly authorized, executed and delivered, in the form heretofore furnished to the Representative, the Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement with Edward W. Stack and Michael F. Hines as attorneys in fact (each, an "Attorney in Fact") and the Company as custodian (the "Custodian"); the Custodian is authorized to deliver the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder and to accept payment therefore; and each Attorney-in-Fact is authorized to execute and deliver this Agreement and the certificate referred to in Section 5(g) or that may be required pursuant to Sections 5(n) and 5(o) on behalf of such Selling Stockholder, to sell, assign and transfer to the Underwriters the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder, to determine the purchase price to be paid by the Underwriters to such Selling Stockholder, as provided in Section 2(a) hereof, to authorize the delivery of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder hereunder, to accept payment therefor, and otherwise to act on behalf of such Selling Stockholder in connection with this Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized by such Selling Stockholder and has been duly executed and delivered by or on behalf of such Selling Stockholder. To the extent such Selling Stockholder is or is supposed to be a party to the Exchange Agreement, the Exchange Agreement has been authorized, executed and delivered by such Selling Stockholder.

(v) Absence of Manipulation. Such Selling Stockholder has not taken, and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action which is designed to or which has constituted or which might reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities (other than entering into the lockup agreement described in the Registration Statement and Prospectus).

(vi) Absence of Further Requirements. No filing with, or consent, approval, authorization, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any court or governmental authority or agency, domestic or foreign, is necessary or required for the performance by such Selling Stockholder of its obligations hereunder or in the Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement, or, if a party thereto, the Exchange Agreement, or in connection

with the sale and delivery of the Securities hereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, except (i) such as may have previously been made or obtained under the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations or the bylaws or rules of the NASD or as may be required under state securities laws and (ii) such as have been obtained under the laws and regulations of jurisdictions outside the United States in which the Reserved Securities are offered.

(vii) Restriction on Sale of Securities. During the period of 180 days from the date of this Agreement, the Selling Stockholder will not, without the prior written consent of Merrill Lynch, directly or indirectly, (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant for the sale of, or otherwise dispose of or transfer any shares of the Company's Existing Common Stock, Common Stock, Class B Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Existing Common Stock, Common Stock, Class B Common Stock or other securities of the Company, whether now owned or hereafter acquired by the undersigned or with respect to which the undersigned has or hereafter acquires the power of disposition, or request that the Company file any registration statement under the 1933 Act, as amended, with respect to any of the foregoing or (ii) enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the Existing Common Stock, Common Stock, Class B Common Stock or any other securities of the Company, whether any such swap transaction is to be settled by delivery of Existing Common Stock, Common Stock, Class B Common Stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise. This Agreement shall not be deemed to prohibit the sale of shares of Common Stock pursuant to the Purchase Agreement or the transactions described in the letter agreement attached hereto as Exhibit C (subject to the conditions described therein).

(viii) Certificates Suitable for Transfer. Certificates for all of the Securities to be sold by such Selling Stockholder pursuant to this Agreement, in suitable form for transfer by delivery or accompanied by duly executed instruments of transfer or assignment in blank with signatures guaranteed, have been placed in custody with the Custodian (in the form of shares of pre-split Existing Common Stock) with irrevocable conditional instructions to deliver such Shares (in the form of shares of post-split Common Stock) to the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement.

(ix) No Association with NASD. Neither such Selling Stockholder nor any of his/her/its affiliates (within the meaning of NASD Conduct Rule 2720(b)(1)(a)) directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control with, or is an associated person (within the meaning of Article I, Section 1(q) of the By-laws of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.) of, any member firm of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc., other than as set forth on an appendix to such Selling Stockholder's Power of Attorney and Custody Agreement or the stockholder questionnaire submitted to the Company.

(x) Power and Authority. If such Selling Stockholder is a corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company or trust, such Selling Stockholder has been duly organized or incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company or trust in good standing under the laws or its jurisdiction of incorporation or organization, as applicable, and has the power and authority to own its property and to conduct its business and is duly qualified to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which the conduct of its business or its ownership or leasing of property requires such qualification, except to the extent that the failure to be so qualified or be in good standing would not result in a material adverse change in the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business affairs or business prospects of such Selling Stockholder, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or materially impair its ability to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby.

(c) Officer's Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries delivered to the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters at the Closing Time and such Date of Delivery (if any) shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby; and any certificate signed by or on behalf of any of the Selling Stockholders as such and delivered to the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed a representation and warranty by such Selling Stockholder to the Underwriters as to the matters covered thereby.

SECTION 2. Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing.

(a) Initial Securities. On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company and each Selling Stockholder, severally and not jointly, agree to sell to each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company and each Selling Stockholder, at the price per share set forth in Schedule C, that proportion of the number of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule B opposite the name of the Company or such Selling Stockholder, as the case may be, which the number of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter, plus any additional number of Initial Securities which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of
Section 10 hereof, bears to the total number of Initial Securities, subject, in each case, to such adjustment among the Underwriters as the Representatives in their sole discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchase of fractional securities.

(b) Option Securities. In addition, on the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Selling Stockholders, acting severally and not jointly, hereby grant an option to the Underwriters, severally and not jointly, to purchase up to an additional __________ shares of Common Stock as set forth in Schedule B, at the price per share set forth in Schedule C, less an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Initial Securities but not payable on the Option Securities. The option hereby granted will expire 30 days after the date hereof and may be exercised in whole or in part from time to time on one

or more occasions only for the purpose of covering over-allotments which may be made in connection with the offering and distribution of the Initial Securities upon notice by the Representatives to the Company and the Selling Stockholders setting forth the number of Option Securities as to which the several Underwriters are then exercising the option and the time and date of payment and delivery for such Option Securities. Any such time and date of delivery (a "Date of Delivery") shall be determined by the Representatives, but shall not be later than seven full business days after the exercise of said option, nor in any event prior to the Closing Time, as hereinafter defined. If the option is exercised as to all or any portion of the Option Securities, each of the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, will purchase that proportion of the total number of Option Securities then being purchased which the number of Initial Securities set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter bears to the total number of Initial Securities, subject in each case to such adjustments as the Representatives in their discretion shall make to eliminate any sales or purchases of fractional shares. If less than all of the Option Securities are to be sold, Option Securities will be sold by the Selling Stockholders on a pro rata basis in accordance with the number of Option Securities set forth in Schedule B; provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, up to 300,000 (pre-split) of the Option Securities to be sold by Edward Stack or members of Edward Stack's family will be sold first before any other Option Securities.

(c) Payment. Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates for, the Initial Securities shall be made at the offices of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, One New York Plaza, New York, New York 10004, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company, at 9:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on the third (fourth, if the pricing occurs after 4:30 P.M. (Eastern Time) on any given day) business day after the date hereof (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 10), or such other time not later than ten business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called "Closing Time").

In addition, in the event that any or all of the Option Securities are purchased by the Underwriters, payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates for, such Option Securities shall be made at the above-mentioned offices, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company, on each Date of Delivery as specified in the notice from the Representatives to the Company and the Selling Stockholders.

Payment shall be made to the Company and the Selling Stockholders by wire transfer of immediately available funds to a bank account designated by the Company and a single bank account designated by the Custodian, against delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the Underwriters of certificates for the Securities to be purchased by them. It is understood that each Underwriter has authorized the Representatives, for its account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, which it has agreed to purchase. Merrill Lynch, individually and not as representative of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase price for the Initial Securities or the Option Securities, if any, to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds have not been received by the Closing Time or the relevant Date of

Delivery, as the case may be, but such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.

(d) Denominations; Registration. Certificates for the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, shall be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Representatives may request in writing at least one full business day before the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be. The certificates for the Initial Securities and the Option Securities, if any, will be made available for examination and packaging by the Representatives in The City of New York not later than 10:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on the business day prior to the Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be.

(e) Appointment of Qualified Independent Underwriter. The Company and the Selling Stockholders, severally and not jointly, hereby confirm their engagement of Merrill Lynch as, and Merrill Lynch hereby confirms its agreement with the Company and the Selling Stockholders to render services as, a "qualified independent underwriter" within the meaning of Rule 2720 of the Conduct Rules of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. with respect to the offering and sale of the Securities. Merrill Lynch, solely in its capacity as qualified independent underwriter and not otherwise, is referred to herein as the "Independent Underwriter."

SECTION 3. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:

(a) Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests. The Company, subject to Section 3(b) hereof, will comply with the requirements of Rule 430A or Rule 434, as applicable, and will notify the Representatives immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement shall become effective, or any supplement to the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus shall have been filed,
(ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or for additional information, and (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes. The Company will promptly effect the filings necessary pursuant to Rule 424(b) and will take such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such prospectus. The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order and, if any stop order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment.

(b) Filing of Amendments. The Company will give the Representatives notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement (including any filing under Rule 462(b)), any Term Sheet or any amendment, supplement or revision to either the prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time it became effective or to the

Prospectus, will furnish the Representatives with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters shall object.

(c) Delivery of Registration Statements. The Company has furnished or will deliver to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and will also deliver to the Representatives, without charge, a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and of each amendment thereto (without exhibits) for each of the Underwriters. The copies of the Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

(d) Delivery of Prospectuses. The Company has delivered to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each preliminary prospectus as such Underwriter reasonably requested, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act. The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, such number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) as such Underwriter may reasonably request. The Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

(e) Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus. If at any time when a prospectus is required by the 1933 Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which it is necessary, in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters or for the Company, to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order that the Prospectus will not include any untrue statements of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser, or if it shall be necessary, in the opinion of such counsel, at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Prospectus in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3(b), such amendment or supplement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to make the Registration Statement or the Prospectus comply with such requirements, and the Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment or supplement as the Underwriters may reasonably request.

(f) Blue Sky Qualifications. The Company will use its best efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the applicable

securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions (domestic or foreign) as the Representatives may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect for a period of not less than one year from the later of the effective date of the Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject. In each jurisdiction in which the Securities have been so qualified, the Company will file such statements and reports as may be required by the laws of such jurisdiction to continue such qualification in effect for a period of not less than one year from the effective date of the Registration Statement and any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement.

(g) Rule 158. The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the 1934 Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act.

(h) Use of Proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Prospectus under "Use of Proceeds."

(i) Listing. The Company will use its best efforts to effect the listing of the Common Stock (including the Securities) on the New York Stock Exchange.

(j) Restriction on Sale of Securities. During a period of 180 days from the date of the Prospectus, the Company will not, without the prior written consent of Merrill Lynch, (i) directly or indirectly, offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase or otherwise transfer or dispose of any share of Existing Common Stock, Common Stock, Class B Common Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Existing Common Stock, Common Stock, Class B Common Stock or other securities of the Company or file any registration statement under the 1933 Act with respect to any of the foregoing or (ii) enter into any swap or any other agreement or any transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, the economic consequence of ownership of the Existing Common Stock, Common Stock, Class B Common Stock or any other securities of the Company whether any such swap or transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Existing Common Stock, Common Stock, Class B Common Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise. The foregoing sentence shall not apply to (A) the Securities to be sold hereunder, (B) any shares of Common Stock or Class B Common Stock issued by the Company upon the exercise of an option or warrant or the conversion of a security outstanding on the date hereof and referred to in the Prospectus, (C) any shares of Common Stock or Class B Common Stock issued or options to purchase Common Stock or Class B Common Stock granted pursuant to existing employee benefit plans of the Company referred to in the Prospectus, or (D) the consummation of the Pre-Offering Transactions (including the issuance of shares of Class B common stock in exchange for shares of common stock as described in the Prospectus).

(k) Reporting Requirements. The Company, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act or the 1934 Act, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

(l) Compliance with NASD Rules. The Company hereby agrees that it will ensure that the Reserved Securities will be restricted as required by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (the "NASD") or the NASD rules from sale, transfer, assignment, pledge or hypothecation for a period of three months following the date of this Agreement. The Underwriters will notify the Company as to which persons will need to be so restricted. At the request of the Underwriters, the Company will direct the transfer agent to place a stop transfer restriction upon such securities for such period of time. Should the Company release, or seek to release, from such restrictions any of the Reserved Securities, the Company agrees to reimburse the Underwriters for any expenses (including, without limitation, legal expenses) they incur in connection with such release.

(m) Compliance with Rule 463. The Company will file with the Commission such information as may be required pursuant to Rule 463 of the 1933 Act Regulations.

SECTION 4. Payment of Expenses.

(a) Expenses. The Company will pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including
(i) the preparation, printing and filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits) as originally filed and of each amendment thereto, (ii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of this Agreement, any Agreement among Underwriters and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificates for the Securities to the Underwriters, including any stock or other transfer taxes and any stamp or other duties payable upon the sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the Company's counsel, accountants and other advisors, (v) the qualification of the Securities under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 3(f) hereof, including filing fees and the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith and in connection with the preparation of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, (vi) the printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each preliminary prospectus, any Term Sheets and of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto, (vii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of the Blue Sky Survey and any supplement thereto, (viii) the fees and expenses of any transfer agent, registrar or custodian for the Securities, (ix) the filing fees incident to, and the fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters in connection with, the review by the NASD of the terms of the sale of the Securities, (x) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Securities on the New York Stock Exchange,
(xi) all costs and expenses of the Underwriters, including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters, in connection with matters related to the Reserved Securities which are designated by the Company

for sale to Reserved Share Invitees and (xii) the fees and expenses of the Independent Underwriter.

(b) Expenses of the Selling Stockholders. The Selling Stockholders, severally and not jointly, will pay all expenses incident to the performance of their respective obligations under and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including (i) any stamp duties, capital duties and stock transfer taxes, if any, payable upon the sale of the Securities to the Underwriters, and their transfer between the Underwriters pursuant to an agreement between such Underwriters, and (ii) the fees and disbursements of their respective counsel and accountants.

(c) Termination of Agreement. If this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives in accordance with the provisions of Section 5, Section 9(a)(i) or Section 11 hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of their out-of-pocket expenses, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters.

(d) Allocation of Expenses. The provisions of this Section shall not affect any agreement that the Company and the Selling Stockholders may make for the sharing of such costs and expenses.

SECTION 5. Conditions of Underwriters' Obligations. The obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company and the Selling Stockholders contained in Section 1 hereof or in certificates of any officer of the Company or any subsidiary of the Company or on behalf of any Selling Stockholder, to the performance by the Company and the Selling Stockholders of their respective covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions:

(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement. The Registration Statement, including any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, has become effective and at Closing Time no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued by the Commission under the 1933 Act or proceedings therefor initiated or, to the Company's knowledge, threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters. A prospectus containing the Rule 430A Information shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 424(b) (or a post-effective amendment providing such information shall have been filed and declared effective in accordance with the requirements of Rule 430A) or, if the Company has elected to rely upon Rule 434, a Term Sheet shall have been filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 424(b).

(b) Opinion of Counsel for Company. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation, counsel for the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters to the effect set forth in Exhibit A hereto and to such further effect as counsel to the Underwriters may reasonably request.

(c) Opinion of Counsel for each of the Selling Stockholders. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the opinion, dated as of the Closing Time, of counsel for each of the Selling Stockholders, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters to the effect set forth in Exhibit B hereto and to such further effect as counsel to the Underwriters may reasonably request.

(d) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received the opinion, dated as of Closing Time, of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters with respect to the matters set forth in clauses (i), (ii), (v),
(vi) (solely as to preemptive or other similar rights arising by operation of law or under the charter or by-laws of the Company), (viii), (x) and (xi), and the penultimate paragraph of Exhibit A hereto. In giving such opinion such counsel may rely, as to all matters governed by the laws of jurisdictions other than the law of the State of New York, the federal law of the United States and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, upon the opinions of counsel satisfactory to the Representatives. Such counsel may also state that, insofar as such opinion involves factual matters, they have relied, to the extent they deem proper, upon certificates of officers of the Company and its subsidiaries and certificates of public officials.

(e) Officers' Certificate. At Closing Time, there shall not have been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus, any material adverse change in the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, and the Representatives shall have received a certificate of the Chief Executive Officer of the Company and of the Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that (i) there has been no such material adverse change, (ii) the representations and warranties in Section 1(a) hereof are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of Closing Time, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to Closing Time, and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or are, to our knowledge, contemplated by the Commission.

(f) Certificate of Chief Financial Officer. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received a certificate of the Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, dated as of the Closing Time, as to the financial information relating to the 1997 fiscal year included in the Registration Statement, which certificate shall be in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives and in the form attached hereto as Exhibit E.

(g) Certificate of Selling Stockholders. At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received a certificate of an Attorney-in-Fact on behalf of each Selling Stockholder, dated as of the Closing Time, to the effect that (i) the representations and warranties of each Selling Stockholder contained in Section 1(b) hereof are true and correct in all respects with the same

force and effect as though expressly made at and as of Closing Time and (ii) each Selling Stockholder has complied with all agreements and all conditions on its part to be performed under this Agreement at or prior to Closing Time.

(h) Accountant's Comfort Letter. At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received from Deloitte & Touche LLP a letter in the form of Exhibit D hereto, dated such date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants' "comfort letters" to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

(i) Bring-down Comfort Letter At Closing Time, the Representatives shall have received from Deloitte & Touche LLP a letter, dated as of Closing Time, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to subsection (g) of this Section, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to Closing Time.

(j) Approval of Listing. At Closing Time, the Securities shall have been approved for listing on the New York Stock Exchange, subject only to official notice of issuance.

(k) No Objection. The NASD has confirmed that it has not raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the underwriting terms and arrangements.

(l) Lock-up Agreements. At the date of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto signed by the persons listed on Schedule D hereto. The Company represents and warrants that Schedule D includes a complete list of all directors, executive officers, stockholders and optionholders (who hold more than 4,680 (post-split) options each) of the Company as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Time.

(m) Pre-Offering Transactions. At Closing Time, the Pre-Offering Transactions as described in the Prospectus shall have been consummated in a manner satisfactory to the Underwriters.

(n) Conditions to Purchase of Option Securities. In the event that the Underwriters exercise their option provided in Section 2(b) hereof to purchase all or any portion of the Option Securities, the representations and warranties of the Company and the Selling Stockholders contained herein and the statements in any certificates furnished by the Company, any subsidiary of the Company and the Selling Stockholders hereunder shall be true and correct as of each Date of Delivery and, at the relevant Date of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received:

(i) Officers' Certificate. A certificate, dated such Date of Delivery, of the Chief Executive Officer of the Company and of the Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company confirming that the certificate delivered at the

Closing Time pursuant to Section 5(e) hereof remains true and correct as of such Date of Delivery.

(ii) Certificate of Chief Financial Officer. A certificate, dated such Date of Delivery, of the Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company confirming that the certificate delivered at Closing Time pursuant to Section 5(f) remains true and correct as of such Date of Delivery.

(iii) Certificate of Selling Stockholders. A certificate, dated such Date of Delivery, of an Attorney-in-Fact on behalf of each Selling Stockholder confirming that the certificate delivered at Closing Time pursuant to Section 5(g) remains true and correct as of such Date of Delivery.

(iv) Opinion of Counsel for Company. The opinion of Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation, counsel for the Company, dated such Date of Delivery, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such Date of Delivery and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(b) hereof.

(v) Opinion of Counsel for each of the Selling Stockholders. The opinion of counsel for each of the Selling Stockholders, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Date of Delivery, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such Date of Delivery and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by
Section 5(c) hereof.

(vi) Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. The opinion of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, counsel for the Underwriters, dated such Date of Delivery, relating to the Option Securities to be purchased on such Date of Delivery and otherwise to the same effect as the opinion required by Section 5(d) hereof.

(vii) Bring-down Comfort Letter. A letter from Deloitte & Touche LLP, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives and dated such Date of Delivery, substantially in the same form and substance as the letter furnished to the Representatives pursuant to Section 5(h) hereof, except that the "specified date" in the letter furnished pursuant to this paragraph shall be a date not more than three days prior to such Date of Delivery.

(o) Additional Documents. At Closing Time and at each Date of Delivery, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company and the Selling Stockholders in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated shall be satisfactory in form and substance to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters; and the Company shall have obtained all

consents and/or waivers which may be required in order to consummate the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated.

(p) Termination of Agreement. If any condition specified in this Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement, or, in the case of any condition to the purchase of Option Securities, on a Date of Delivery which is after the Closing Time, the obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase the relevant Option Securities, may be terminated by the Representatives by notice to the Company at any time at or prior to Closing Time or such Date of Delivery, as the case may be, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 and except that Sections 1, 6, 7 and 8 shall survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 6. Indemnification.

(a) Indemnification of Underwriters. (1) The Company and (other than with respect to clause (ii) below) the Selling Stockholders, severally and not jointly, agree to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act as follows:

(i) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information and the Rule 434 Information, if applicable, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

(ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of (A) the violation of any applicable laws or regulations of foreign jurisdictions where Reserved Securities have been offered and (B) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact included in the supplement or prospectus wrapper material distributed in connection with the reservation and sale of the Reserved Securities to Reserved Share Invitees or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, when considered in conjunction with the Prospectus or preliminary prospectus, not misleading;

(iii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission or in connection with any violation of the nature referred to in Section 6(a)(1)(ii)(A) hereof, provided that (subject

to Section 6(d) below) any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company (and, with respect to indemnification by an Other Selling Stockholder, the consent of such Other Selling Stockholder, which shall not be unreasonably withheld); and

(iv) against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by Merrill Lynch), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission or in connection with any violation of the nature referred to in
Section 6(a)(1)(ii)(A) hereof, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i), (ii) or (iii) above;

provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through Merrill Lynch expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information and the Rule 434 Information, if applicable, or any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto); provided, further, however, that the liability of any Selling Stockholder under this Section shall not exceed the product of the number of Securities sold by such Selling Stockholder (including any Option Securities) and the initial public offering price of the Securities as set forth in the Prospectus (net of underwriting discounts and commissions); provided, further, however, that in the case of any Other Selling Stockholder this indemnity agreement shall only apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense if such loss, liability, claim, damage or expense arises out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing by or on behalf of any Other Selling Stockholder expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), or any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto).

(2) In addition to and without limitation of the Company's obligation to indemnify Merrill Lynch as an Underwriter, the Company also agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Independent Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls the Independent Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act, from and against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, incurred as a result of the Independent Underwriter's participation as a "qualified independent underwriter" within the meaning of Rule 2720 of the Conduct Rules of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. in connection with the offering of the Securities.

(b) Indemnification of Company, Directors, Officers and Selling Stockholders. Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act, and

each Selling Stockholder and each person, if any, who controls any Selling Stockholder within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a)(1) of this Section, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430A Information and the Rule 434 Information, if applicable, or any preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through Merrill Lynch expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto) or such preliminary prospectus or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto).

(c) Actions against Parties; Notification. Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. In the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(a)(1) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by Merrill Lynch, and, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 6(b) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Company and the Selling Stockholders, as the case may be. An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action; provided, however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party. In no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for all indemnified parties in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances; provided that, if indemnity is sought pursuant to
Section 6(a)(2), then, in addition to the fees and expenses of such counsel for the indemnified parties, the indemnifying party shall be liable for the fees and expenses of not more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from its own counsel and that of the other indemnified parties for the Independent Underwriter in its capacity as a "qualified independent underwriter" and all persons, if any, who control the Independent Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of 1934 Act in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances if, in the reasonable judgment of the Independent Underwriter, there may exist a conflict of interest between the Independent Underwriter and the other indemnified parties. Any such separate counsel for the Independent Underwriter and such control persons of the Independent Underwriter shall be designated in writing by the Independent Underwriter. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 6 or Section 7 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or

consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

(d) Settlement without Consent if Failure to Reimburse. If at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel pursuant to the terms hereof, such indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of the nature contemplated by Section 6(a)(1)(iii) effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 45 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request, (ii) such indemnifying party shall have received notice of the terms of such settlement at least 30 days prior to such settlement being entered into and (iii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed such indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement.

(e) Indemnification for Reserved Securities. In connection with the offer and sale of the Reserved Securities, the Company agrees, promptly upon a request in writing, to indemnify and hold harmless the Underwriters from and against any and all losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by them as a result of the failure of Reserved Share Invitees to pay for and accept delivery of Reserved Securities which, by the end of the first business day following the date of this Agreement, were subject to a properly confirmed agreement to purchase.

(f) Other Agreements with Respect to Indemnification. The provisions of this Section shall not affect any agreement among the Company and the Selling Stockholders with respect to indemnification.

SECTION 7. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 6 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) above but also the relative fault of the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions, or in connection with any violation of the nature referred to in Section 6(a)(1)(ii)(A) hereof, which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.

The relative benefits received by the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total

net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the Selling Stockholders and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus, or, if Rule 434 is used, the corresponding location on the Term Sheet, bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Securities as set forth on such cover.

The relative fault of the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or the Selling Stockholders or by the Underwriters and the parties' relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission or any violation of the nature referred to in Section 6(a)(1)(ii)(A) hereof.

The Company, the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters agree that Merrill Lynch will not receive any additional benefits hereunder for serving as the Independent Underwriter in connection with the offering and the sale of the Securities. The Company, the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this
Section 7. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 7 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, no Other Selling Stockholder shall be required to contribute any amount, together with amounts paid pursuant to Section 6, in excess of the product of the number of Securities sold by such Other Selling Stockholder (including any Option Securities) and the initial public offering price of the Securities set forth in the Prospectus (net of underwriting discounts and commissions).

No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of
Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

For purposes of this Section 7, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same

rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company or any Selling Stockholder within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company or such Selling Stockholder, as the case may be. The Underwriters' respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 7 are several in proportion to the number of Initial Securities set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule A hereto and not joint.

The provisions of this Section shall not affect any agreement among the Company and the Selling Stockholders with respect to contribution.

SECTION 8. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive Delivery. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of the Selling Stockholders submitted pursuant hereto, shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or controlling person, or by or on behalf of the Company or any of the Selling Stockholders, and shall survive delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters.

SECTION 9. Termination of Agreement.

(a) Termination; General. The Representatives may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company and the Selling Stockholders, at any time at or prior to Closing Time (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto), any material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or
(ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to market the Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or the New York Stock Exchange, or if trading generally on the American Stock Exchange or the New York Stock Exchange or in the Nasdaq National Market has been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by such system or by order of the Commission, the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. or any other governmental authority, or a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance securities in the United States, or (iv) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities.

(b) Liabilities. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 hereof, and provided further that Sections 1, 6, 7 and 8 shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 10. Default by One or More of the Underwriters. If one or more of the Underwriters shall fail at Closing Time or a Date of Delivery to purchase the Securities which it or they are obligated to purchase under this Agreement (the "Defaulted Securities"), the Representatives shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters reasonably acceptable to the Company, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; if, however, the Representatives shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period, then:

(a) if the number of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the number of Securities to be purchased on such date, each of the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters, or

(b) if the number of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the number of Securities to be purchased on such date, this Agreement or, with respect to any Date of Delivery which occurs after the Closing Time, the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and of the Selling Stockholders to sell the Option Securities to be purchased and sold on such Date of Delivery shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter.

No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.

In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement or, in the case of a Date of Delivery which is after the Closing Time, which does not result in a termination of the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase and the Selling Stockholders to sell the relevant Option Securities, as the case may be, either (i) the Representatives or (ii) the Company and any Selling Stockholder shall have the right to postpone Closing Time or the relevant Date of Delivery, as the case may be, for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements. As used herein, the term "Underwriter" includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section 10.

SECTION 11. Default by one or more of the Selling Stockholders or the Company. (a) If a Selling Stockholder shall fail at Closing Time or at a Date of Delivery to sell and deliver the number of Securities which such Selling Stockholder is obligated to sell hereunder, and the remaining Selling Stockholders do not exercise the right hereby granted to increase, pro rata or otherwise, the number of Securities to be sold by them hereunder to the total number to be sold by all Selling Stockholders as set forth in Schedule B hereto, then the Underwriters may, at

option of the Representatives, by notice from the Representatives to the Company and the non-defaulting Selling Stockholders, either (a) terminate this Agreement without any liability on the fault of any non-defaulting party except that the provisions of Sections 1, 4, 6, 7 and 8 shall remain in full force and effect or
(b) elect to purchase the Securities which the non-defaulting Selling Stockholders and the Company have agreed to sell hereunder. No action taken pursuant to this Section 11 shall relieve any Selling Stockholder so defaulting from liability, if any, in respect of such default.

In the event of a default by any Selling Stockholder as referred to in this Section 11, each of the Representatives, the Company and the non-defaulting Selling Stockholders shall have the right to postpone Closing Time or Date of Delivery for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required change in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements.

(b) If the Company shall fail at Closing Time or at the Date of Delivery to sell the number of Securities that it is obligated to sell hereunder, then this Agreement shall terminate without any liability on the part of any nondefaulting party; provided, however, that the provisions of Sections 1, 4, 6, 7 and 8 shall remain in full force and effect. No action taken pursuant to this
Section shall relieve the Company from liability, if any, in respect of such default.

SECTION 12. Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication (including, without limitation, email or facsimile). Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed to the Representatives at North Tower, World Financial Center, New York, New York 10281-1201, attention of Equity Capital Markets; with a copy to Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, One New York Plaza, New York, New York 10004, attention of Valerie Ford Jacob, Esq.; notices to the Company shall be directed to it at Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc., 200 Industry Drive, RIDC Park West, Pittsburgh, PA 15275, attention of Edward Stack, with a copy to Buchanan Ingersoll Professional Corporation, One Oxford Centre, 301 Grant Street, 20th Floor, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219, attention Lewis U. Davis, Jr., Esq.; and notices to the Selling Stockholders shall be directed to them c/o Edward Stack, as Attorney-in-Fact, c/o Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc., 200 Industry Drive, RIDC, with a copy to Foster Pepper & Shefelman PLLC, 1111 Third Avenue, Suite 3400, Seattle, Washington 98101, attention Lucas Schenck, Esq.

SECTION 13. Parties. This Agreement shall each inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Sections 6 and 7 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders and

their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.

SECTION 14. GOVERNING LAW AND TIME. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.

SECTION 15. Effect of Headings. The Article and Section headings herein and the Table of Contents are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company and the Attorney-in-Fact for the Selling Stockholders a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement among the Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders in accordance with its terms.

Very truly yours,

DICK'S SPORTING GOODS, INC.

Title:

[NAMES OF SELLING SHAREHOLDERS]

Title: Attorney-in-fact

CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,
as of the date first above written:

MERRILL LYNCH & CO.
MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH
INCORPORATED
GOLDMAN, SACHS & CO.
BANC OF AMERICA SECURITIES LLC
WILLIAM BLAIR & COMPANY, L.L.C.

By: MERRILL LYNCH, PIERCE, FENNER & SMITH

INCORPORATED

For themselves and as Representatives of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto.

                                                     Number of
                                                      Initial
         Name of Underwriters                       Securities
         --------------------                       ----------
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith
                     Incorporated...............
Goldman, Sachs & Co.............................
Banc of America Securities LLC..................
William Blair & Company, L.L.C. ................

Total...........................................
                                                    ==========

Sch A-1

                                   Number of Initial      Maximum Number of Option
                                 Securities to be Sold      Securities to be Sold
                                 ---------------------      ---------------------
Dick's Sporting Goods, Inc.

Selling Stockholders





Total  ......................

Sch B-1

SCHEDULE C

DICK'S SPORTING GOODS, INC.

__________ Shares of Common Stock

($.01 Par Value Per Share)

1. The initial public offering price per share for the Securities, determined as provided in Section 2, shall be $__________.

2. The purchase price per share for the Securities to be paid by the several Underwriters shall be $__________, being an amount equal to the initial public offering price set forth above less $__________ per share; provided that the purchase price per share for any Option Securities purchased upon the exercise of the over-allotment option described in Section 2(b) shall be reduced by an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Initial Securities but not payable on the Option Securities.

Sch C-1

SCHEDULE D