Nike has apparently obtained a new form of technology that allows them to sponsor athletes that existed in the bygone days before the footwear mega-giant came into being. It’s a growth industry. Think about it, there were thousands of athletes in the modern era that never had the luxury of having their own designer shoe. Now, they can.

And what better place to start than with a athlete who has a movie coming out about his life and times? The media attention will be tenfold. Brilliant. Enter Ernie Davis, or at least his statue, since Davis has sadly been dead since 1963. See, Davis was an All-American running back from Syracuse in the early 60′s and was the first black man ever to win a Heisman trophy. He was the first pick in the 1961 draft, but never played a down in the NFL. He contracted leukemia and died only two years later.

And now, he’s a Nike athlete. Seriously.

Syracuse University unveiled a new statue of Davis on campus this past week. It is meant to celebrate the life of one of their most celebrated student-athletes and it does that readily, poised outside of the Carrier Dome, home of the Syracuse Orangemen. It also shows off not one, not two, but three Nike Swooshes on Davis’ apparel. One on the side of the shoe, one on the heel and one on his jersey.

The sculptor says that he was working off a picture of Davis from 1963, which is weird, because Nike didn’t have it’s ubiquitous Swoosh until 1971. In fact, Nike was originally just the name of one shoe in their catalog. The company, founded in 1962, after Davis’ playing days were over, was originally known as Blue Ribbon Sports.

This presents the start of a unique opportunity for companies across the spectrum. The re-branding of historical figures. Abraham Lincoln for Stu’s Big & Tall, Albert Einstein for Aquanet, Franklin Roosevelt for Hoverround. It’s a boom industry, and with the news last week, we could certainly use one of those.

So, somehow, Nike has managed to sew a swoosh, either intentionally or unintentionally, onto a player long dead before they made their first football cleat. If it were me, I’d look into the sculptor’s bank records, because there just might be a sizable check deposited from one Nike Inc. in there.

The again, the guy could have just been stupid enough to think that, not only would Davis be wearing Nike apparel, but that he’d also be wearing modern-day helmet and pads to go with his shiny Nike cleats. Oh, who am I kidding, no one is that stupid. Right? Right?!

Crap…