Last Wednesday the scene in the Oregon media room in the Casanova Center looked more like a kindergarten class about to receive popsicles than a football press conference.
University officials, Nike personnel, athletes and media representatives gathered for the next step in Oregon football: the unveiling of uniforms intended to enhance the performance of the athletes and once again bring the spotlight to the game of pigskin in Eugene.
Highlighted in the change are all-white and all-yellow helmets, although the specific colors for those helmets haven’t been identified, according to Todd Van Horne, creative director of U.S. sport apparel at Nike.
An all-white jersey with green numerals is also a first, but Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said that some of the uniforms would be saved for special occasions.
Oregon, which used a record nine different uniform combinations last season, now has even more options.
“There are enough uniform combinations that I’m going to be coaching for 10 more years just to see them all,” said Bellotti, who says he doesn’t have a favorite. “I think each uniform stands on its own. The mix and matching of uniforms is probably the most exciting part.”
Black is also a dominant color in the new uniforms with an all-black jersey with green shoulder
pads and yellow numerals to be another combination. A green jersey with black shoulder pads and yellow numerals as well as a yellow jersey with green shoulder pads and numerals are the other combinations.
“We wanted to respect the past. We see that that past is about change. We are respecting the past but representing the
future,” Van Horne said.
There are four pants – all-white, black, green and yellow – with “Oregon” inscribed down the left leg.
The first version of the new uniforms were rushed last season to accommodate a special viewing during the Civil War, when the Ducks beat Oregon State by scoring the most points in the 109-year series, winning 56-14. Bellotti believes that new uniforms provide a spark toward the athletes’ psyches, proven by the performance against their in-state rival on more than one occasion.
Prior to the Civil War game in 1995, Oregon unveiled new pants.
“We came back in after pregame warmup, they didn’t know about it, it was totally unbenounced to them,” Bellotti said of his players. “They jumped around like kids at Christmas. It was the most exciting thing I’ve ever seen. It taught me the importance of … a new look sometimes is really invigorating and exciting.”
The uniforms were not designed only for the excitement of the players; the technology of the uniforms will help lighten their weight by 28 percent when dry and 34 percent when wet.
“It’s not only reducing weight, it’s a shrink-wrap fit, it’s improved ventilation,” Van Horne said. “For a running back, to boil it all down, for 15 steps during each play this could be the amount of 408 yards less pounds less carried by the end of the game. That weight, the ventilation, that all adds to the science
behind the uniform.”
Nike promo product line manager Alec Mattison said that no other university would share a similar design or features with Oregon.
“We feel very fortunate to enjoy a wonderful partnership and relationship with the people at Nike, many of whom are Oregon grads,” said Bill Moos, the director of athletics at Oregon. “We had a lot of fun and have really been the beneficiary of very, very innovative aspects of Nike.
“Our look is recognized, our mark, across the country now. We pride ourselves with never ceasing to be innovative and tapping into the great minds and talents of our friends at Nike. Our tradition at Oregon is being a step ahead. When you look at what we’ve done with facilities, with our uniforms … “
Numerous players, including Dennis Dixon, Cameron Colvin, J.D. Nelson and Dante Rosario, turned in sketches of how they would design a uniform to aid Nike during the two-year long process.
“A lot of the guys on the team really like what we did with them,” Rosario said.
And according to Bellotti, the players will continue to enjoy them up until kickoff.
“If you watch the players, before pregame warmup, there is probably a half hour of pregame warmup in front of the mirror,” he joked.
Both Nike and the athletics department feel that the uniforms signify something more than just a jersey and pants.
“This is the next step of the revolution,” Van Horne said. “We are fully confident it is the best uniform in the nation.”
All that is left to see are the results once the Ducks hit the field against Stanford on Sept. 2.
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