Oregon Ducks Equipment Room Tells a Bigger Story About Nike

Eugene — The University of Oregon has often been dubbed “Nike University,” and when stepping into Oregon football’s equipment room, it becomes even more obvious why.

Nike co-founder Phil Knight graduated from Oregon in 1959 and, alongside former Oregon track and field coach Bill Bowerman, went on to build what would become Nike. Since then, Knight has remained closely tied to his alma mater. He supports the university and its athletic department financially, while Nike has also continued to supply the Ducks with some of its latest footwear, uniforms and equipment.

Oregon football Nike Ducks equipment room cleats uniforms technology college football Phil Knight — Oregon Football Equipment Room | Oregon OnSI

Oregon On SI's Olivia Cleary went behind the scenes inside the Ducks’ equipment room to get a closer look at what goes into outfitting Oregon football and why the technology inside the room may be just as impressive as what the Ducks wear on Saturdays.

The full video, in collaboration with Bleacher Report College Football, can be found here.

Inside Oregon Football’s Nike Equipment Room

Wall displays showcase player-exclusive Air Jordans and other sneakers conceptualized by legendary Nike designer and Oregon alum Tinker Hatfield. Shelves are filled with cleats and shoes in colors and designs that probably won’t be found at a local Nike store. On top of that, custom Dunks created with local NIL collective Division Street sit ready for players.

It is easy to look around and see the room as a giant Oregon-themed sneaker store. But it is much more than that. The equipment room is also a testing ground.

Long before some of the newest materials, footwear designs and equipment technologies make their way to other college programs or eventually become available to the public, they can make their way through Eugene first.

“We’re like a Tier Zero school when it comes to Nike, so we’re always getting things that other schools won't—testing and whatnot,” Mitchell Godfrey, Oregon football’s assistant equipment manager, told Oregon On SI. “Here at practice, we’re wearing jerseys that won’t even be in design for four or five years from now. We kind of call ourselves the guinea pigs of college football.”

That relationship allows Oregon to get an early look at new fabrics, construction methods, footwear and other equipment designed with performance in mind. Some of it might eventually become something other football teams will sport or fans can buy, but some of it might never make it that far.

The Ducks get to test various new uniforms and cleats with cutting-edge technology in one of the most demanding environments possible: a college football season. But it isn’t just about being faster or more aerodynamic or about aesthetics.

“Our number one priority is obviously player safety,” Godfrey said.

That priority is especially important when it comes to equipment like helmets and protective gear, but some of the most interesting technology in Oregon’s equipment room is designed around something much simpler.

The Unusual Technology Behind Oregon’s Cleats

One of the more unique pieces of equipment is Oregon’s Nike shoe steamer.

“With the amount of cleats we’re doing, it takes too long for an athlete to break in a cleat in one week,” Godfrey explained.

Modern football cleats are designed to be lightweight and supportive, but that can also mean they are much stiffer when they come straight out of the box. Instead of asking players to spend days breaking them in, the steamer uses heat and steam to soften the materials before the cleat is molded to the athlete’s foot.

The process is simple. The cleats are heated for a few minutes before the player puts them on and moves around in them, allowing the softened material to conform to the shape of the foot as it cools.

According to Godfrey, only four of Nike’s shoe steamers exist, with Oregon having three and the Seattle Seahawks having one of their own.

Oregon also uses technology to get a much more detailed picture of each athlete’s foot before determining what equipment works best for them.

A 3D foot scanner and pressure mat can measure the dimensions of a player’s foot while also showing how pressure is distributed across the sole. So instead of just asking an athlete what size shoe he wears, the equipment staff can use that information to help determine which cleat model and fit works best for that individual player.

The Ducks can also create custom insoles based on an athlete’s foot shape and pressure distribution.

When combined with the foot-scanning technology and the cleat-steaming process, Oregon is able to take something as basic as putting on a pair of football cleats and turn it into a much more personalized process.

The colors, uniforms and shoes are what immediately catch attention. But underneath all of the Oregon green, yellow, black and whatever combination the Ducks happen to be wearing that week, there is an entire operation built around technology, testing and player performance.

Oregon has spent decades pushing the boundaries of what a college football uniform can look like. Inside the equipment room, the Ducks are pushing the boundaries of what that equipment can do, too.

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