One of the University of Oregon's most influential boosters, Pat Kilkenny, has this saying that he likes to throw around all the time.
It's this: "He could have been from Heppner."
Kilkenny is talking about his hometown, of course. And he means the offering as the highest praise. It's quickly understood that being from Heppner -- population 1,291 -- signals that you're worth a damn. That your handshake is glue. That you understand family, service and community. That you can be trusted and it means that you care about others.
A gifted team of football uniform designers at Nike was recently tasked with grasping this concept for a project that was unveiled this week.