Nike yesterday unveiled new Oregon State uniforms and logos that “stayed true to OSU’s tradition, while adding to the look of the uniforms,” according to Cliff Kirkpatrick of the Corvallis GAZETTE-TIMES. The biggest change is a “more sleek, fierce appearance” to the Beaver logo. The school “kept the OSU and dropped the OS and there’s a new Beavers script, while the font and design borrow from the classic look of the 1960s.” The print font has “notches in the lettering to symbolize a beaver chewing.” The color scheme “remains orange, black and white,” with a metallic bronze “added as a trim.” There are three different football uniforms “with all black, all white and all orange.” All the helmets have “stripes from front to back in the center.” The white helmet “has the Beaver head, the black helmet is plain and the orange helmet has the jersey number on the side.” The men’s soccer uniforms “have the European club team look with a diagonal design on the front and the basketball jerseys have the Beaver head shaded on their backs.” Football coach Mike Riley said, “We talked (with Nike) about the things they wanted to put into it -- heritage, tradition. It’s new, but I think it’s us. That’s why (Nike) wanted to talk with us through this to tie it all in.” Kirkpatrick reports OSU’s rebranding “concluded a two-year process with Nike.” OSU liked the idea of “having a uniform look for all its teams, and the contemporary look would help in recruiting as an appeal to young people” (Corvallis GAZETTE-TIMES, 3/5).
LOOK GOOD, FEEL GOOD: In Portland, Lindsay Schnell writes the “uniform craze might be overhyped across the country, but Riley will be the first to say that looking good is important to athletes, and cool gear can play a part in the recruiting game.” Riley said, “This stuff absolutely matters to kids, and I think it looks really sharp.” OSU WR Brandin Cooks said, “Look good, feel good, play good -- athletes really buy into that. So for Nike to do this, for them to work with our people to put it together for us, that’s really special.” OSU AD Bob De Carolis referenced the Univ. of Oregon's famed uniform designs and said, “It’s not about anything that’s going on in Eugene. It’s about trying to get a consistent look for us that has a little bit of a cool factor” (Portland OREGONIAN, 3/5).
