Nike Launches New Army and Navy Football “Enforcer” Uniforms

BEAVERTON, Ore.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nike (NYSE:NKE) will debut its new “Enforcer” football uniforms this weekend as one of college football’s most storied rivalries enters into its 109th meeting. The new uniforms, which will be seen for the first time during the Army vs. Navy football game, were developed as the next evolution of Nike’s shrink wrap uniform with high performance materials that will help the athletes perform at their highest standard.

“When we showed the uniforms to the team they went nuts. We thought it was very important that our uniform represented both the Navy and the Marine Corps.”

The Nike “Enforcer” uniforms designed for the Army and Navy squads are lightweight, breathable and more form-fitting, enabling superior field performance. The uniforms provide greater moisture management and reduction of grab points while also incorporating inspiration from two of the nation’s military units in its design.

Army

Building off the strong and unique look that the U.S. Military Academy has traditionally displayed, Army’s football team will debut a helmet and pant with a digital print camouflage pattern. The pant will feature the name “West Point” along the right side with a Swoosh design trademark. “Boots on the Ground,” Army’s slogan, will run along the left side of the pant.

In place of the name plate, “Duty, Honor, Country” will be displayed on the back of each player’s jersey along with their uniform number. Each player will also have a unit patch on the front of their jersey.

“The thought behind our new uniform design is something I’m very proud of and have enjoyed working with Nike on this special project,” said Army football head coach Stan Brock. “One side of our pant leg says 'Boots on the Ground.' This is a distinction of West Point and it is what makes us different from the other service academies. That’s an attitude that really separates us.”

Navy

Navy has a long tradition and Nike designers wanted to highlight Navy’s tradition in its uniform. This is the first collaboration Nike has done with Navy on a unique design. Navy football players will wear their traditional sun gold helmet and their jersey will have the United States Marines “globe and anchor” logo, which calls out the connection between the Marine Corps and the Navy. Also, included in the jersey are the shoulder boards, Navy with Gold trim, which depict the wings of the Blue Angel plane. Each player will also wear a unit patch representing different units of both the Army and the Navy from around the world.

Navy will wear a replica of the Marine Corps Elegant Dress Pants with the fold and red officer blood stripe running down each pant leg.

“We are extremely excited to wear these uniforms,” said Navy football head coach Ken Niumatalolo. “When we showed the uniforms to the team they went nuts. We thought it was very important that our uniform represented both the Navy and the Marine Corps.”

“Nike has been working with the Army and Navy football programs on the development of the 'Enforcer' uniforms since the spring,” said Nike’s Creative Director, Todd Van Horne. “We chose to introduce the next evolution of our football uniforms with Army and Navy based on the game’s historic nature and the tradition the two teams represent.”

While developing the new look for each team, Nike was determined to honor each academy’s past and current history with these new uniforms.

Nike’s latest addition to its modified football uniform line is available for high school teams to order beginning December 7, 2008, for the upcoming Fall '09 season.

NIKE, Inc.

NIKE, Inc., based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world's leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global football (soccer) brand; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit nikebiz.com.