Ducks Digest

Oregon Ducks Make History With Orange Bowl Helmets

Known for innovating the uniform game, the Oregon Ducks accomplish a rare feat by wearing matte black helmets for the Capitol One Orange Bowl against the Texas Tech Red Raiders.
Ally Osborne|
Oregon Ducks offensive guard Dave Iuli models Oregon's uniform for the Capitol One Orange Bowl against Texas Tech.
Oregon Ducks offensive guard Dave Iuli models Oregon's uniform for the Capitol One Orange Bowl against Texas Tech. | @GoDucks on X

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Oregon DucksTexas Tech Red Raiders

MIAMI - The No. 5 Oregon Ducks are known for innovating with their unique uniform combinations. Now, for their Capitol One Orange Bowl game against the No. 4 Texas Tech Red Raiders, the Ducks are accomplishing something they've never done before, rocking a black helmet in the College Football Playoff.

According to graphic designer Jonah Henderson, Oregon's matte black helmet with silver wings is the first time the team has ever worn black lids during a postseason game.

oregon ducks nike uniforms football orange bowl texas tech red raiders big ten conference generation o offensive line white
Oregon's starting offensive line models the uniform combination for the 2026 Orange Bowl vs. the Texas Tech Red Raiders. | @goducks on X

Henderson also states that this is the 28th postseason run (including bowl games, playoff games, etc.) to happen since the introduction of Oregon alternative color helmets for the Las Vegas Bowl in 2006 against the BYU Cougars (the Ducks wore their infamous acid green helmet with white airbrush flames, which were never seen again in Duck history).

Dec 21, 2006; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback (10) Dennis Dixon against the Brigham Young Cougars during the Las
Dec 21, 2006; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback (10) Dennis Dixon against the Brigham Young Cougars during the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas. BYU defeated Oregon 38-8. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Copyright © 2006 Mark J. Rebilas | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Details Of Oregon's Orange Bowl Uniform

The black helmet isn't the only special design choice surrounding Oregon's Orange Bowl uniform. For instance, the Ducks wore silver helmets when Denver Bronco quarterback Bo Nix helped the Ducks beat Texas Tech on the road 38-20. Using silver wings on the matte black helmet feels like a call back to that moment.

This combination of black, white jersey, and gray pants has only been done three times in Oregon history, and the inclusion of gray pants is quite the choice. For Duck fans, gray pants have a negative connotation (think of Oregon's national championship losses in 2011 and 2015, when the Ducks wore pants), even though Oregon is 16-9 when they wear gray pants (6-4 with white jerseys and grey pants).

This uniform combination, a rarity in the modern Oregon era, feels like a love letter to Oregon's alternate colors, and a step by the coach Dan Lanning corps to erase the fandom's wariness to the color. It's one thing to win, it's another to beat a popular superstition around why you might lose.

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Oregon defensive lineman Aydin Breland walks up the tunnel as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday, Jan. 1
Oregon defensive lineman Aydin Breland walks up the tunnel as the Oregon Ducks face the Ohio State Buckeyes Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025, in the quarterfinal of the College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Oregon's Postseason Helmet History

For fans wondering what the most popular postseason Oregon helmet color is since that 2006 Las Vegas Bowl acid green dream (or nightmare), green takes the cake with 13 postseason appearances. White follows next with five different game appearances, then yellow and "liquid chrome" tie at four, with a gray carbon fiber only making one appearance.

Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore carries the ball as the Oregon Ducks host the Oregon State Beavers Sept. 20, 2025, at Au
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore carries the ball as the Oregon Ducks host the Oregon State Beavers Sept. 20, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2025-2026 Duck Helmet Innovation

This season counts the most variations in Duck helmets since 2015, even without adding the first ever black postseason helmet to the pile.

Other feats Oregon accomplished this season includes the first three marble-base Oregon helmets, the first asymmetrical wings on a helmet (the "Shoe Duck" against Oregon State), the first Oregon helmets with tie dye details, the first with custom "Dancing Ducks" on the back plastic plate, the first solid white, black, and yellow wings on a helmet, and even more color combinations never seen before.

So when the Ducks take the field on Jan. 1 to face the Red Raiders, not only will fans celebrate the first ever Orange Bowl appearance for the program, but give a nod to Oregon's uniform committee for making a unicorn of postseason style.

Published
Ally Osborne
ALLY OSBORNE

A reporter for Oregon Ducks on SI, Ally Osborne is a born and raised Oregonian. She graduated from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications in 2021 after interning for the Oregon Sports Network with experience working on live sporting broadcasts for ESPN, FOX Sports, the PAC 12 Network, and Runnerspace. Osborne continued her career in Bend, Oregon as a broadcast reporter in 2021 for Central Oregon Daily News while writing for Oregon Ducks on SI. Since then, Osborne is entering her third season reporting for the publication and is frequently the on-site reporter for home games at Autzen Stadium in Eugene. She is currently the host of lifestyle shows "Everyday Northwest" and "Tower Talk Live" for KOIN 6 News in Portland, Oregon. Osborne also works as a sports reporter for KOIN 6's "Game On" sports department. In her free time, Osborne is an avid graphic designer, making art commissions for athletes across her home state. Osborne's designs have even become tattoos for a few Duck athletes.

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