University of Oregon Unveils New Uniforms Designed By Three Kids Battling Cancer

Joe MacDonald, Sophia Malinoski, and Ethan Frank. Image via GoDucks/Twitter.

The University of Oregon’s athletic teams have long served as models for some of the craziest uniforms in college sports. The school is the alma mater of Nike founder Phil Knight, and, due to the university’s close ties to the company, its fields regularly doubles as de facto runways for the coolest, strangest, and technologically advanced uniforms that the sportswear giant can dream up.

Yesterday, the latest collaboration between the school and the football team was revealed from an unexpected trio of designers. The team’s Nike Vapor Untouchable uniforms were concepted not by Nike’s design team, but by three young cancer patients residing at OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland as part of a line dubbed Stomp Out Cancer.

The jerseys and gloves are the work of 13-year-old Ethan Frank and feature the Oregon Duck stomping on the word “CANCER” with the word “OVERCOME” written across the knuckles. “I picked ‘OVERCOME’ because I had to overcome fears that people were going to go into my head and take out a piece of it,” Frank says in a video.

Joe MacDonald, age 14, was the creative spark behind the team’s socks, shoes, and pants. They forego the typical Oregon green for a bright variation on the school’s secondary color, yellow. He also added a subtle design element into the footwear that speaks to the school’s environment. “The biggest design element on the cleat that relates to me, that tells a story, is the (camouflage) on the cleat – like the trees, the tram. They were able to bring it into the camo and make their own design to put onto the cleats,” he said.

The youngest, 10-year-old Sophia Malinoski, tackled the team’s helmets and items to be worn on the sideline and by fans including a cancer ribbon in place of the second “o” in Oregon.

The team will put these uniforms to the test when they take the field in Week 2 against Nebraska on Sept. 9 and will be on sale to the public a few days earlier with all proceeds benefiting OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Also included in the line will be items such as these Air Max 90 Ultra 2.0s.