In Ann Arbor, that perfect storm would be formed by two fronts: five freshman friends unnerved by expectations and two talented designers destined to defy convention. "If the shoe fits in with other things that are going on culturally, you get a perfect storm,” Tinker Hatfield told Nike.
In the ‘80s lightning struck in Chicago with Michael Jordan as well as New York City with Run-DMC.Įarly in the ‘90s, those same cyclones would blow from Beaverton into Ann Arbor. Sneaker history is made when a model matches the moment, when design dons the daring. However, in the early ‘90s it was the oversold underclassmen changing the guard with grandpa garb that instantly influenced the youth. In that decade, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein eventually did the same in the boxer brief category to massive sales. While socks were often an afterthought on the basketball court save John Wooden’s blister-free fundamentals, the Ann Arbor anarchists made logo-laden undergarments a must have. To no surprise, it sold even more sneakers and socks for Nike. The black-on-black aesthetic spoke volumes. Sworn to secrecy, the starters wore their tearaway pants until tip-off as a surprise unveiling of unity, also foreshadowing sentiments that served as a statement towards their eventual exploitation. While the shoes were not strikingly unique compared to that of the market, the pairing of the black shoes with the black socks was. In the beginning, the Fab Five made the Maestro their own as they often did. This Tracy Teague trailblazer became the first of a Maestro trilogy, later led by Scottie Pippen in his alpha dog season in Chicago and eventually spread around the league in its final installment across the Beaverton brand’s brilliant backcourt. The guards chose the Nike Air Maestro, a performance pair that played to Flight camp fit and Huarache ideals, shedding the bulk of the ‘80s with an exoskeleton upper, snug inner bootie and decidedly ‘90s black Durabuck upper. Matching the black socks were black sneakers. At the time, they didn’t even have five pairs of black Nike socks at the entire mall! So a couple of us had on black Nike socks and a couple of us just had on black dress socks.” They were grey Nike socks with a blue Swoosh, but we all went to the mall and were on the hunt for black ones. “We were in Texas to play against Rice and one of Ray’s good friends brought him socks to rock at home to be fresh. “The black socks were initiated by Ray Jackson,” Jalen Rose told ESPN in 2011. What Bob Cousy, Michael Jordan and Larry Johnson did not wear was black socks. The exception to the norm proved the Fab Five’s spiritual successors - the early ‘90s UNLV Runnin’ Rebels - who wore black leather Nikes in 1991 while defending their national title.īlack shoes in basketball had been around for decades and been rocked right before the Fab Five arrived in Ann Arbor.
This was true on the college court even while most schools in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s kept it clean by rocking white tennis. For decades, black sneakers were a staple in basketball, first for their aesthetic durability and later to symbolize postseason unity. The Fab Five did not invent black sneakers.ĭating back to the days of Bob Cousy, black sneakers of the canvas and leather variety have carried everyone from Bill Russell to Michael Jordan when making hardwood history. Peep the five footwear favorites of the Fab Five era that define their run. While the baggy shorts sported by Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King changed the course of history, the sneakers worn closely beneath them beckoned a new era just the same. By the early ‘90s, the Fab Five scratched the entire record when it came to cultural influence.
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In the past, pro athletes were meant to move the needle for footwear in apparel. From Day 1, the Fab Five pushed back on their Nike rep by rocking signature shoes that capitalized on contrast. Previously, coaches collected checks by putting their players in matchy models. Suddenly, the Fab Five exploded in the Big Ten.
In a moment’s notice, nothing was the same.įor years, execs exalted the Big East. In that year, Nike fired the godfather of prep product placement, Sonny Vaccaro, and five freshmen found their way to Ann Arbor. The relationship between corporate brands and collegiate ballers became turned upside down in an instant.
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The battle around outfitting college basketball’s best exploded in the ‘80s but forever changed course in the ‘90s.Įarly on, the likes of Converse, Nike and adidas padded the pockets of Dean Smith, John Thompson and Bobby Knight as a way to get their logos on college courts that not only had regional reach but soon massive audiences due to booming national TV contracts.
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