This isn't the University of Oregon or professional sports - far from it.
But there is a little Iowan school near the Mississippi River that does have a deal with Nike. Not an apparel deal with the clothing, equipment and shoes giant, though. It's a deal with a Greek goddess.
Notre Dame (Burlington, Iowa) is the Nikes, and with a name like that some would expect them to only wear that trademarked "swoosh" on everything. We can't verify that, but we can tell you that the mascot name has to do with winning - not fashion.
Nike is the goddess of victory, and any mascot name that implies winning is one worth lauding. She was adorned with a wreath on her head to symbolize victory and a lyre to celebrate victory with music. Furthermore, the Romans called her Victoria.
The mascot logo doesn't appear glitzy by any means. Some close analysis of it definitely lends the viewer to give props to the designers, though. It's a boy's face with somewhat chubby, freckled cheeks, and a pretty tough looking sneer. Wings on each side of the face make it look like it could be a girl's face with pigtails, but those are actually part of the goddess' look. And to top it off, it appears to feature a clerical collar, like priests wear.
Notre Dame is the only school in America to go by the Nikes, and we can't find any colleges either. Hats off to a school with a sense of history and the desire to create a remarkable logo.
