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Original Story (10/20/25): Nike has teamed up with legendary rock band Grateful Dead and the University of Oregon for a three-way “Grateful Ducks” collaboration on the Air Max 90. The release celebrates the group’s musical and cultural influence, its deep ties to Eugene, Oregon, and Nike’s long-standing partnership with the educational institution.
The collaborative pair’s cream base is accented with pops of the official Oregon Duck colors, yellow and green, and a splash of tie-dye on the mudguard as a nod to the Grateful Dead’s psychedelic sound. A fuzzy green Nike Swoosh nods to the Grateful Dead’s Dancing Bears logo, reimagined as Grateful Ducks on the graphic insoles and accompanying keychain. Grateful Dead skull logos are rendered in yellow and green on the heel tabs, while a duck skull version is hidden on the inner tongues.
The tongue tags also feature the phrase “It Never Rains,” a reference to the Grateful Dead’s shows at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, where a commentator once famously noted “it never rains in Autzen Stadium.” The band played there ten times between 1974 and 1994, including two iconic shows in June 1990, which this shoe commemorates with “1990” on the heel logos. Beside being a shoe from 1990, the Air Max 90 was selected for this project as it was a favorite of the late Jerry Garcia, co-founder and lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead.
The “Grateful Ducks” Air Max 90 release coincides with the Oregon Football team’s “tie-dye out” game at Autzen Stadium against Wisconsin on October 25th, where the Ducks will wear special “Grateful Ducks”-themed uniforms to celebrate the relationship between Eugene and the Grateful Dead.
“As it’s the Oregon tradition to be untraditional, this is just the latest example of the relationship between Nike and Oregon represented in a football uniform accompanied by both player and fan off-field apparel,” says UO football equipment administrator Kenny Farr. “We are grateful — pun very much intended — for the opportunity to participate in this collaboration.”
The Air Max 90 will be released alongside an accompanying apparel collection that further blends the University of Oregon’s countercultural roots with the Grateful Dead’s timeless aesthetic. The range includes varsity and bomber jackets, sweatpants, hoodies, t-shirts, and classic headwear.
This marks the second collaboration between Nike and the Grateful Dead, following the Nike SB Dunk Low pack released in 2020. The relationship between the Grateful Dead and the University of Oregon began in 1965, when the band attended their first Acid Test, a psychedelic party organized by UO alum and author Ken Kesey. The band would frequently play shows on campus, and Eugene became a second home to the Grateful Dead. Eugene is also where Nike was founded by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman, who first met at the University of Oregon.
The Grateful Dead x University of Oregon x Nike Air Max 90 “Grateful Ducks” is slated to drop on October 24th via SNKRS and select retailers. Check them out below.
Update (10/21/25): Nike has officially announced the release of the “Grateful Ducks” Air Max 90 and apparel collection. First drop will be on October 21st at 2pm PT via store.dead.net, followed by a release via Class Trip on October 23rd (raffle now live), all leading up to the global release on October 24th via SNKRS, Fanatics, and select retailers. Check out the official images below, as well as the campaign starring Oregon Football’s Dante and Dakorien Moore.
Grateful Dead x University of Oregon x Nike Air Max 90 “Grateful Ducks”
Color: Sail/Green Shock-Yellow Strike
Style Code: IM2511-100
Release Date: October 24, 2025
Price: $140 USD
Resell: StockX / GOAT / KICKS CREW / eBay
