25 years "Owning the O"

On Dec. 23, 1998—twenty-five years ago—the University of Oregon dropped the "Interlocking UO" logo from its everyday official usage and introduced the Nike O. The UO still is a secondary mark and is often used in "throwback" merchandise, though. 

In terms of Oregon uniform tracking, that event was sort of like the change from BC to AD—"Before Nike" and "After Nike" if you will! 

The 1998 season was the last of the old uniforms and the 1999 season was the beginning of the new Nike sets. At the December 1998 Aloha Bowl media event on Waikiki Beach, the public got their first look at the future uniforms. (but they did not wear them in the bowl game, which they lost again to Colorado)

In 2019, Goducks.com and Rob Moseley put out two detailed stories about that event:

"...the debut of the now-iconic "O" logo that has made the University of Oregon an international brand...was unveiled on Dec. 23, 1998, when the Ducks in coordination with Nike introduced new uniforms, school colors and the logo during the week leading up to the football team's Aloha Bowl appearance. But its genesis was more than two years earlier, in the wake of the 1995 UO football team's Cotton Bowl appearance. For UO alum and Nike CEO Phil Knight, it was the first game in which his alma mater was outfitted in uniforms supplied by the company he co-founded – but also it was the Ducks' second straight loss in a New Year's Day bowl game."

https://goducks.com/news/2019/8/15/general-oral-history-the-o-turns-20.aspx

https://goducks.com/news/2019/8/22/general-oral-history-the-o-turns-20-part-ii.aspx

As a Duck, and graphic artist, I have always been intrigued by their assertion that the 1998 O logo was created by "combining" the  plan of their two then-stadiums: Hayward Field (before they demolished in 2018) and Autzen Stadium (before they made it lopsided by expanding south side in 2003)

Before the new O logo, the interlocking letters was a common way of making a college logo and therefore might be visually confused with other similar school like Oklahoma, USC and Utah among many others:

But going even farther, Oregon wanted to "Own the O" and with several other more well-known universities in states with an O-name, that was hard. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ohio State and Oregon State all use more adorned Os. And luckily the others don't rely on a single O as their primary, and Oregon State uses their Beaver head most of the time:

Learn more about the current official usage of the O logo: https://communications.uoregon.edu/uo-brand/marks-logos/primary-logo

The irony is that we all look back to 1998s as the birth or the "Oregon Uniform craze" but in reality it was an-almost decade long birth of the trend that has swept college football the last 20 years:

Joey Harrington shows off the consistent home/way look of first seasons of the Nike rebrand. 1999-2002

• The 1999 uniform template was used for four seasons and was VERY consistent with green helmets and two jersey/pant combos.
• 2003 they piveted to a slightly more mix-and-match style by adding yellow back in. Four different combos.
• 2004: Five combos
• 2005, the first non-green/white/yellow jersey was introduced: black. Nine different combos.
• 2006, eight seasons of dark green helmets with an O came to end with the hated "grellow" helmet in the Las Vegas Bowl loss. Ten combos.
• 2007 with Chip Kelly's arrival as OC, the whole "Oregon Way" shifted to news looks each week a and introduced white helmets   Twelve combos, with only one repeat.
• 2008: Black helmets added.
• 2009: The maturation of the "Oregon way" with pretty much every color used from here on out.

Pac-12 Championship Game: December 1, 2023

The LAST Pac-12 Championship Game, and the last Pac-8/10/12 game ever? 

If so, it was a doozy—arguably one of the most consequential conference games in living memory:  #3 vs. #5; winner Washington will most likely end up in the last 4-team playoff; and both QB will be invited to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Not to mention these two teams jet off to be instant heavyweights in the new Big-10 next season.

Oregon opted for what they wore last week but with white jersey. This combo has not been worn since 2021 Alamo Bowl loss, and then back to  2019 ASU loss and 2016 loss! (So with this loss, I can imagine it being a retired combo!) But then an Alamo Bowl win in 2013. 

But green-white-white was the standard road uniform during the early 2000s.

Week 13: November 24, 2023

It's the last Civil War game of the Pac-12 era, and the matchup is not currently scheduled for the future, but there seem to be possible rumors of it working out once Oregon goes to the Big-10.

So the Ducks pull out a combo that I cannot find them using ever before! And it appears to be the first time they have paired green jersey with white pants since last year's Utah game. It's the first appearance of white pants in the Civil War since 2008 and 2009. Three of the last four Civil Wars have featured mono green head to two, and green jersey has been the normal kit for the last decade.

The details on glove and arm logo honor Tight End Spencer Webb #4 who died accidentally in 2022, and would have been a senior this year.

Week 12: November 18, 2023

Oregon, in its last regular season road game to ASU decided to revisit three of their recent alternate colors: Chrome, Eggshell, and Nightmare Green. ASU on the road late in the season is a dangerous place (see 2019) for Duck teams with Natty aspirations, so I hope that this look falls more toward the good luck that these colors have meant lately, and not in the white/silver/black look that was unlucky.

This combo is new to the Ducks, and this is only the first 3-color combo since 2017! The chrome helmet makes its 4th appearance this season, the most since the 2017 season as well. Second appearance this season for both eggshell jersey and nightmare pants.

Week 11: November 11, 2023

USC comes to Autzen for what looked like a huge matchup earlier in the season, but the stakes are much higher for Oregon. The night game atmosphere and the fact that Oregon is playing for the heights of the postseason made the Ducks dig for something bold. Not as dramatic as a blackout/ninja that fans were hoping for though. (I can see why: 2011, #3 ranked Ducks in ninja all black got beat at Autzen and ruined the natty chance)   

This black-yellow-black combo is being worn for the 7th time, and the first time since 2021, and seemingly the first time vs USC. This look was more common in the Chip Kelly years.

Looking back at this heated rivalry, only the last 30 years of it have been competitive, coinciding with the mid 1990s Phil Night-led Nike rejuvenation of the Duck facilities, uniforms and marketing of Oregon. That paired with a bit of a dry spell for USC in the 1990s before Pete Carroll made USC hugely relevant in the 2000s, but ironically only beat Oregon half his games.

According to Winsipedia, Oregon has gone 12-7 in the games played since 1993. But from 1915-1993, Oregon only went 10-32-2!

https://www.winsipedia.com/games/oregon/vs/usc

I thought it might be nice to look back at some of the more interesting modern USC-UO games and what the Ducks wore:

1998: the first of 4 straight Oregon wins, and last of the old-school uniforms

Oregon Big 10 schedule

 The Ducks sched for next fall was announced today!

A few musings:

• Opening conference play with two Big 10 powerhouses in Autzen in early October! I hope the Ducks wear some good school colors!
• Road games in Michigan and Wisconssin in November! Some people are complaining about cold weather, but if you have been to Pullman, WA in November, this aint much worse! Madison on Nov. 16 could be snowy, so the away whites might be camo.
• I wish we could swap Idaho for Oregon State, but I realize that the non-conference scheds are made years in advance!
• I'm glad that Illinois and Maryland provide a buffer around the Away game with Michigan!
• As a graphic artist I find it funny to have two M logos and then two W logos!

Week 10: November 4, 2023

The Ducks back at home—fresh from a drubbing of Utah in SLC and a  #6 place in the initial CFB rankings— are wearing one of the drabbest combos they can think of. I thought last week's black-white-black was dreary, but Oregon is going for chrome and Nightmare green. With a gray and rainy day in Autzen it makes for a dull combo. 

2020 Rose Bowl

The Ducks have been proven winners in Nightmare Green with a record of 11-2 since they introduced this variant of their really dark green in 2019. Granted the first game was their loss to Bo Nix's Auburn team! That year they wore it 7 times, most famously in the 2020 Rose Bowl victory. 

That 2020 game was the first and last time they wore Chrome helmets (but with black wings) paired with mono Nightmare green. And chrome helmets are being worn for the third time this season. In 9 helmets they have won chrome 3 times, black 3 times, apple green twice and yellow once. I'm hopiong they finish the season with more school color helmets!

It may be me, but the exact shade of green seems much more olive drab brown the last few times they have work it.