“An old friend returns,” said the Oregon Football team “X” account regarding former Oregon Ducks quarterback Joey Harrington.
Yes, the original Times Square billboard, Heisman Trophy hopeful, and Oregon legend himself Joey Harrington will help usher in the new Duck uniforms for their second “Generation O” launch.
In a video posted to “X” accompanying the announcement, the camera focuses on the former mallard green and yellow “O” helmet from the 2000’s era of Oregon Football. Harrington walks behind the helmet, picking it up.
“Man you, you’ve been through a lot,” Harrington says as clips of his tenure at Oregon flashes on screen.
In the video, Harrington writes a letter to Nike, asking to fix up his helmet before comically placing the letter and headwear into an orange, Nike branded mailbox (that surely every Duck fan will be asking to install on their block).
Seconds later, Harrington receives a package and letter back from Nike. In the letter, Nike states the iconic “O” logo will return to the helmet. It is also mentioned that the release date for these uniforms will be July 18th, the eve of the EA Sports College Football 25 general release. This is significant to Harrington as he was the cover of EA Sports’ NCAA Football 2003 game.
“You’re back,” Harrington excitedly says to the new helmet.
There’s a lot to break down in this video, but the main focus is the new helmet handled by Harrington. Instead of the mallard green, the headwear takes on the modern green apple color made popular by the 2014 Rose Bowl versus the Florida State Seminoles. The Oregon “O” lays on the side of the helmet instead of the titular wings seen in most modern Oregon uniform releases.
In a reply to the video on “X”, Harrington said, “My kids have let me know that once something is old enough to be ‘retro’ it’s cool again. Looks like I’m old enough! So honored to be part of this @oregonfootball program, this @uoregon community and the incredible state of Oregon.”
Van Horne Brands, the father and son duo of former Nike designer Todd Van Horne and Quinn Van Horne, are behind the designs for “Generation O” in partnership with the Oregon Football Equipment Team and Nike.
“We heard you. The Helmet O is back!” said the Van Horne Brands’ “X” post in response to the release video.
Quinn Van Horne also posted on his personal “X” account while replying to a fan, “The new helmet does have some of the sparkle the old mallard helmet did, just in the new apple green color and anodized gloss finish, different from the old matte helmet. All about those details!”
The duo also designed the “Fly Era” jerseys for “Generation O’s” first release featuring former Oregon running back D’Anthony Thomas. “Fly Era” is an all black uniform combination with green details. Its big draw are the shoulder pads, which include the carbon patterned wings of the modern era mixed with the steel grated design of the 2000’s uniforms, back when Harrington slung the pigskin.
Given the Ducks intentionally including Harrington in this new release, and making a point of showing his EA Sports’ cover, it’d be interesting to see if the rest of the new uniform is paying homage to this vintage design seen in the videogame. The color-blocking of green, yellow, and black, the yellow stripes on the sides of the jersey, the bold and borderless numbers, and even the numbers on the shoulderpads would be quite the departure from current Duck uniform motifs. It’d certainly be interesting to see these design points crafted from a modern perspective.
Eager Duck fans won’t have to wait long, as with only three days away from the full reveal, Van Horne Brands, Nike, and Oregon Equipment keep some salivating for more Oregon uniform creativity.
