Nike-Air-Trainer-Low-Sketch_native_1600.jpg
Designer Tinker Hatfield's sketch of the Nike Trainer 1 low. (Nike)
Nike's first signature shoe deal – a shoe designed especially for a particular athlete – was created for which sport:
- Hockey
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Football
- Golf
- Running
- Soccer
- Tennis
- None of the above
Yep, trick question. The answer is 9, none of the above.
Welterweight wrestler Wayne Wells, who won the gold medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics held in Munich, Germany, was Nike's first signature athlete.
Wells' place in Nike lore is but one of the factoids included in an article posted Tuesday to Nike's website, "Inside Access: The Nike Signature Athlete Legacy."
Some other tidbits:
- Tinker Hatfield designed the Nike Air Trainer SC in 1990 for multi-sport athlete Bo Jackson.
- Nike's first signature basketball shoe -- Air Jordan 1 -- was launched in 1985.
- In 30 years, 19 athletes have had Nike signature basketball shoes.
- The number of signature athletes with ties to Nike, Inc. has grown over the years to more than 30.
- Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter and LeBron James are the only athletes who've had more than 10 signature shoes.
-- Allan Brettman