Ducks honor Knight and Bowerman with a ‘love letter’

EUGENE -- The uniforms the Oregon Ducks wore Saturday started with a simple question: What would a “love letter” to Nike co-founders Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman look like?

The answer, in part: a handshake patch on one shoulder, iconography of Mt. Hood and Japan’s Mt. Fuji on the other, and symbols that include a waffle-iron print on the gloves and a gold bar on the helmets.

The design plays off Nike history, including Knight’s memoir, “Shoe Dog,” hence the “Shoe Duck” name for the uniforms.

Knight received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon, where he ran track for Bowerman. The two cemented the idea for what became Nike with a handshake after a hamburger lunch in 1964.

Nike has since become the biggest company in Oregon history, with $46.3 billion in annual sales.