Grading Oregon Uniforms From 1994 To 2013
By Kyle Kensing
Rich Brooks coached Oregon to the 1995 Rose Bowl, snapping a nearly four decade of Pasadena-less Januaries for the Ducks. In the nearly two decades since, UO has become a model of Pac-10/12 consistency, reaching the Granddaddy of ‘Em All Twice in the last three years and primed for a third such run in 2012.
The product on the field has been consistency for UO, anyway. That consistency has coincided with the unpredictability of what the Ducks will wear on any given game day. Nike has made UO its official fashion plate, introducing new concepts long before other programs get to try them out. Editor’s note: tip of the cap to SaturdayBlitz.com’s own Zach Pugh, whose 3 & Out this week inspired this post.
The only thing uglier than UO’s play in a 38-8 beatdown to BYU at the ’06 Las Vegas Bowl was its gold ghost flame helmet. The headgear appeared to be partially inspired by Ghost Rider, partially by flat Surge cola. The helmets would not have been so bad, were they not paired with a diamond plate pattern on the shoulders and thighs that just looked tacky. Click here for my official grade. If you need it spelled out, think what a first semester frat boy gets on a major exam, the night after his first kegger.
The diamond plating stuck around for 2007 and through 2008, though the overall uniform improved with the retirement of the ghost flame helmet. However, the highlight yellow look since adopted at West Virginia, Cal and Minnesota leaves much to be desired, particularly when paired with the gaudy plate pattern. Not one of Nike’s better efforts.
This one gets a C-.
Joey Harrington was everywhere from 2001 to sometime in 2003. Nike used its vast resources to promote his Heisman candidacy in ’01 with a giant billboard in Times Square. The campaign didn’t work — Eric Crouch won the bronze statue in one of the worst votes of all-time (the player I believe deserved it, David Carr, finished fifth). It did put Oregon’s outside-the-box uniforms on the national radar, however.
The above linked look might be tame compared to more recent UO garb, but at the time it was outlandish. Harrington would rock a similar look as the cover model for EA Sports’ NCAA Football 2003.
The green shoulder transitioning into a yellow stripe is an odd look that seems more fitting of a minor league than the then-Pac-10; but of course, this was 2001 and the XFL was still a thing. C
2011 BCS Championship
Silver has become an increasingly important accent color to UO’s ensemble, though in the BCS title game it was the prominent hue. Maybe going with the medal most closely associated with second place didn’t get the Ducks in the right frame of mind — gold might have been more apt — but UO did look good in its loss to Auburn. B+
Chrome Domes
The winged pattern is decidedly more understated than the previous Nike creations, but the Swoosh Brand decided to add some garishness back to the uniform for January’s Rose Bowl. UO has sported ghost flames, gloss, and matte looks on their helmets, and against Wisconsin debuted the chrome headpiece. The concept art was actually far weirder than the finished product, Nike’s designers accenting the concept pieces with a stupid winged background that made the uniforms look like Batman’s costume. B+
Oct. 6, 2011: The Quack Is Back
Reviews of the Ducks’ Thursday night get-ups, worn against Cal last October were mixed. The black matte helmet and pants combination with the green tops is one of the best UO has going, but the jersey had the noted deviation of incorporating the school’s mascot, Puddles. Frankly, Puddles is way cooler than the letter O. This wasn’t a throwback per se, only in the sense it harked back to the days when that angry mallard was more prominently featured. He really should be a bigger part of things. How many other mascots dole out such vicious beatings?
Aside from the early-mid 1990s -isms in how the uniform was worn, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the gear UO sported during Brooks’ Rose Bowl run. That shade of yellow helmet has mostly been retired, and the green has been replaced by one a shade or two darker. The more forest look of the current green is an improvement, but overall this is a classic football uniform. A-
Back to the Future (2009)
UO and Nike paid homage to the Ducks’ teams of the past when it welcomed Cal to Autzen in 2009. The yellow helmet and block UO returned, and Nike improved on the classic look with that aforementioned darker tint. Check out Nike Blog’s great gallery from that game. A+.
2010 White Wings
Think of Oregon’s uniform transformation like the internet. When you logged onto your dial-up modem in 1999 and saw a website for the first time, you were probably blown away by animated .GIFs and assorted other gaudiness. As the web has grown and become more refined, a clean look is better. Similarly, UO has settled down with the garishness (by and large) and found uniforms that are unique without being ostentatious. A