For over 30 years, the Nike Swoosh was a familiar constant on all Penn State uniforms, equipment, and apparel. The decades-long partnership that began back in 1993, when Penn State first joined the Big Ten, is finally coming to an end in 2026 after Penn State signed a roughly $300 million deal with Adidas.

While this ends a long-standing business relationship between the two powerhouses, the origin of the deal has its roots in the close relationship between former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno and Nike founder Phil Knight.

Beginning in the 1983 season, before the official partnership was even in place, Penn State was one of the few major college athletic programs that exclusively wore Nike cleats on the field. Paterno was an early supporter of the brand, making this decision a year before Nike signed with Michael Jordan, a huge turning point for the company.

Paterno and Knight met at Nike-sponsored junkets that would be held in the off-season for college football and basketball coaches and their wives. This era of all-expense-paid trips was a marketing strategy Nike implemented to grow close relationships with the coaches and land more exclusive apparel deals.

Knight and Paterno grew close on these trips, and Knight claimed he viewed Paterno as his new hero after losing his college track coach and Nike co-founder, Bill Bowerman.

The original 1993 deal was set to be a three-year contract and was reportedly estimated to be worth $2.6 million at the time. The exact worth of the deal over the 33 years was not known, as Penn State was able to avoid revealing the logistics of the contract under the Pennsylvania Right-To-Know law.

The now-famous Nike Swoosh on the football uniforms first appeared on the jersey’s sleeves in 1993 and was moved to the even more visible chest location in 1994, where it remains today, because Nike wanted it to stand out.

While this apparent advertisement for the brand is commonplace today, the addition of the logo was deemed a break from tradition in the 1990s.

Phil Knight and Joe Paterno’s friendship remained constant as Nike remained the major provider of Penn State Athletics.

Outside of just athletics, Knight donated $400,000 to the Paterno Library in 2011 after Paterno’s 400th win. He remained a supporter of Paterno amidst the Sandusky scandal and spoke at his memorial service after his death in 2012.

As Penn State’s time with Nike comes to a close, and the new Adidas era looms, there is no doubt that Nike has cemented its place in Penn State history after 30 years together.