The Oregon Ducks Honor Nike’s History with Shoe Duck Uniforms
Published
The University of Oregon is responsible for the creation of the largest sportswear brand on the planet, Nike. Both co-founders of the company, Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman, attended the school and connected thanks to the track and field team. With this deep connection to the company, the Ducks are often given special Nike gear, whether that be player-exclusive cleats and sneakers or special uniforms. The latter was the case when the Ducks took the field on Saturday against Oregon State, as the new Shoe Duck rivalry uniform was officially unveiled.
Just like Nike’s recent NFL rivalries uniforms, a ton of thought and care went into the uniforms and accompanying apparel for the Oregon Ducks’ new Shoe Duck unis. Everything from the jersey to the pants, cleats, and helmet all tell the story of Phil Knight’s founding of Nike with Bill Bowerman, their passion for the Ducks athletics program, and events in their lives. Oregon staff and players helped with the design over the last two years, choosing a base color of anthracite for the jersey and gold cleats as an homage to Phil’s book Shoe Dog, which details the founding of Nike.
Some hidden features nod to specific events in Nike’s history and the lives of Bill and Phil, like the gloves, which bear a waffle print to represent the waffle iron Bill Bowerman used to make early prototype Nike sneakers. The helmet features the wing of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, placed asymmetrically to represent the tail of Knight’s private jet. On the shoulders of the jerseys, there are two patches. One features a handshake to remember the initial verbal agreement between Knight and Bowerman when they founded Blue Ribbon Sports (the predecessor to Nike), and the other features UO’s motto “Mens Agitat Molem” (minds move mountains).
Luckily, Nike has produced a series of clothing items featuring the anthracite and gold color palette of the Shoe Duck uniforms, allowing fans to honor Phil and Bill. Included is a game jersey, hats, long and short-sleeved shirts, hoodies, and joggers. Check below to shop the entire Oregon Shoe Ducks collection.
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy attending concerts and catching the latest movies. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
