In last week’s home matchup against in-state rivals, the Oregon State Beavers, the Ducks debuted a new uniform: the “Shoe Duck.” It was designed as a tribute to Nike cofounder Phil Knight and all the funding he has provided the University of Oregon — and it’s obvious that it meant more to the program.

“We can’t give (Phil) and Penny enough flowers for the things that they’ve done for this program and for everybody in the sport of college football and sports in general,” head coach Dan Lanning said before the game. “So, pretty awesome to honor somebody that matters so much to us.”

The base color of the jerseys and pants is listed as “Dark Anthracite Grey.” The numbers on the jerseys are white with a gold outline and dark smears in the middle, which resemble what shoes often look like after they’ve been worn several times. 

The color gold is also used for the players’ nameplates, the cleats and the designs on the white, matte marble-style helmets. Along with the name “Shoe Duck,” the gold represents Knight’s memoir about starting Nike titled, “Shoe Dog,” where he talks about the “gold standard.” The cleats were designed by former Oregon football player Mattrell McGraw. The sleeves of the jerseys contain tiger stripes, which represent Onikua Tiger, the first company Knight worked for.

“He has a big impact on this university and on the world,” quarterback Dante Moore said after the game. “Just the person he is, the brand he’s built (and) the good soul he is as a person. He’s done so much for this program and we have a chance to honor him. I feel like we’re playing out there for our brothers, but also playing for Phil.”

The uniform also contains a couple of patches. One of them is a handshake, which represents Knight’s partnership with Bill Bowerman, his former coach in founding the company originally called “Blue Ribbon Sports,” and known today as “Nike.” The other patch portrays two mountains: Mount Hood in Oregon and Mount Fuji in Japan. This commemorates the influence Knight gained in working for a company based in Japan before ultimately creating his own in Oregon. It also celebrates the international success Nike has had. The mountains are separated by the phrase, “Mens Agitat Molem,” which is Latin for “Mind Moves Mountains,” a phrase commonly used to advertise the University of Oregon.

On the helmets, one side has the traditional duck wing that is used for many of the other helmets worn by the Oregon football team in recent years. The other side has the winged Greek goddess of victory, which was originally carved out of marble and is where the name “Nike” comes from. One of the most well-known slogans of Nike — “Just Do It” — can be found on the back of the helmets, while another commonly used phrase, “There is no finish line” can be found on the inner collar of the jerseys. Also on the back of the helmets is a gold bar, which represents the captain’s symbol for when Bowerman served in the military.

The gloves contain waffle prints, which represent Bowerman’s use of a waffle iron to build the soles of the shoes he and Knight made when Nike was first getting started.

“Coming up with a jersey that basically honors you and everything you’ve done for this university,” Oregon linebacker and Eugene native Bryce Boettcher said while presenting the uniforms to Knight. “Really what the jersey represents is just a thank you from all of us on the team, and honestly, the state of Oregon.”