I’m by no means a fashionista, but even I know that Oregon has been at the forefront of the explosion of the combo uniforms craze in college football. Have you ever wondered, though, how that came to be? Wonder no more.
By way of the NBC Sports, the Sports Uncovered podcast takes an in-depth peek behind the evolution and ongoing lineage of the much-discussed -- and myriad -- Oregon football uniforms. Phil Knight, of course, was the leader in the drive to make Oregon stand out above the crowd in the uniform game. The Oregon alumnus and Nike co-founder, though, wasn’t alone as he was aided by then-Ducks head coach Mike Belotti.
From NBCS Northwest:Then, Phil Knight put a different idea on the table — something that would make it more exciting, more visible, more recognizable to athletes across the nation and to that 16-19 age group. Knight was talking about changing the perception of the entire program’s character.
Bellotti/Knight’s approach to overcoming their challenges was three-fold:
1. Facilities — Once we had the facilities that would get the ‘wow factor’ when recruits came to visit or when parents came to visit
2. Uniforms— When they were on the TV they’d pop
3. Winning — Success in bowl games so that it could back up the other two
And thus, the crazy, eccentric, tricked out, statement-maker Oregon football uniforms were created.
https://art19.com/shows/sports-uncovered/episodes/5b50cc36-05d0-4728-83e1-e098f6c17d9d
So, pop-in on the podcast and catch Belotti, along with former Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington and Nike designer Tinker Hatfield, discuss how the university in Eugene utilized myriad uniforms to ignite a fashion arms race.
