ASHLAND, Ore., Washington Commanders football player and an Oregon Ducks legend, Marcus Mariota, donated $16,500 worth of Nike cleats to SOU‘s football players today.
The team’s motto is “we,” so their head coach says the 140 pairs of new cleats will be a valuable asset to unifying the team both on and off the field.
“Our core value in our football program is ‘we’ so it kind of coincides with us all being the one….” Says head coach, Berk Brown, “…I think, you know, when you take the field and you look the same, you look good, you feel good, you play good.”
Mariota, a Hawaiian football player, partnered with a Hawaiian SOU graduate to donate shoes to the players because of the Hawaiian representation on the team.
Sophomore and linebacker, Iona Purcell says, “being from Hawaii, we didn’t get that much exposure when we were younger and just seeing him do big things and be on a big stage it’s just kind of motivated us.. inspired us to wanna do things just like him.”
The Raiders will step out in their new cleats for their first game of the season September 7 in Ashland.
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