Case Western Alumnus Who Created "Nike Air" Technology Will Be Honored with New Uniforms, Special Patch

If you missed last week's college guide and, in particular, our little slideshow about famous alums from Northeast Ohio universities, you likely noticed a few oversights: Don Shula, for example, who graduated from John Carroll in 1951 and went on to become one of the winningest coaches in NFL history. 

The list was by no means exhaustive. And the news today that Case Western Reserve University will honor alumnus M. Frank Rudy with a spiffy new patch on all of its newly designed athletic uniforms (pictured right), reminded us of how many notable graduates slipped through the cracks.

Rudy, who graduated from Case in 1950, was an aeronautical engineer. He patented a cushioning system that was later repurposed and made famous by Nike (plus Scottie Pippen and Brendan Fraser in George of the Jungle) as the "Air" sole.   

CWRU redesigned all 19 of its uniforms in conjunction with Nike and Rudy's daughter Kim McMahon.

“It was our pleasure to unite NIKE and CWRU,” McMahon said (via the CWRU Daily). “Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity. We were aware of CWRU’s need for new coordinated uniforms, and the opportunity arose when we were in touch with fabulous, talented people at NIKE whom I knew could make this happen. Thank you so much, NIKE, for putting your renowned creativity and innovation to work to outfit these teams and to design an all-encompassing and representative MFR emblem. Thank you, CWRU, for honoring my father as a CWRU alumni and his accomplishments.”