Oregon football coach Mario Cristobal is preparing the Ducks to play a disciplined, physical style of football in 2018, and designers at Nike will outfit the UO football team accordingly this fall. New uniforms for the upcoming season were revealed Wednesday, with an eye toward traditional school colors and clean, professional designs. The stream-lined look features bold use of Oregon’s traditional green and yellow, allowing the Ducks’ performance on the field to command the attention. “These designs are a representation of Coach Cristobal’s direction for the football program: no-nonsense, discipline, strength and speed,” said Todd Van Horne, Nike’s creative director for football. “This uniform reflects those values.” For years, Oregon has been ahead of the curve nationally when it comes to uniform innovations, employing alternate colors, flashy designs and an array of helmets from matte black to – for the first time by a college program — chrome. Similarly, the UO offense was one of the first to embrace the up-tempo spread approach that came to dominate college football. The Ducks continue to zig while others zag; on the field, Cristobal wants to pair Oregon’s speed and explosiveness with punishing, physical play from a mammoth offensive line. Nike looked to amplify that philosophy with uniforms that exude strength and dominance through clean, bold reliance on solid colors. In a nod to their popularity with players and fans alike, the winged helmet pattern will return full-time in 2018 as well. The uniform changes were unveiled Wednesday evening at a ceremony in the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex, and introduced in tandem with changes to gameday procedures at Autzen Stadium this fall under the umbrella of “Oregon Football 2.0.” As previously announced, Autzen’s parking lots will open earlier for most games this season, a clear-bag policy is being enacted, and there will be expanded alcohol sales and monitoring. UO officials Wednesday also announced the addition of 100 new points of sale for concessions in 2018, and a 36 percent increase in temporary restrooms inside the stadium. The pregame atmosphere will be enhanced by live music before every game in the Moshofsky Center, a play area for kids featuring inflatables on Pape Field when weather permits, and the River Pig tailgater in the parking lot. There will be additional concession items including a dessert case and nacho bar in the Club Room, and a new $3 price point for corndogs, soda and peanuts throughout the stadium. A bag check will be made available, as will a drop-off for any medications – labeled by name – that needed to be kept cold. Additional filling stations for water bottles also will be available.
