The Most Important Sneaker Moments In NFL History
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In spite of their well-earned reputation of being a No Fun League, the NFL has finally succumbed to sneaker culture. While actual games still have rules that prevent players from going the full NBA route where nothing matters and players can wear whatever color and brand that they want, the restrictions have been loosened ever so slightly. Instead of everybody wearing the same Vapor or adiZero cleats, there are opportunities here and there for players to show some personality on the field that doesn’t involve touchdown celebrations.
In a different time, Deebo Samuel would have been fined, suspended, and maybe talked about on sports talk radio for weeks because he had the nerve to wear a pair of custom Air Jordan 1 Low Dior cleats even though grey, white, and the Dior monogram pattern are clearly not part of the San Francisco 49ers uniform. But Deebo was never fined, nobody said a word, and sneakerheads have been enjoying a renaissance where customs and remixed classics are thriving.
It was a slow process to get to a point where the league no longer clamps down on players too hard for wearing pink cleats outside of October, but the energy to stand out with footwear has been a part of the league since the start of the Super Bowl era. As we approach the new season (🤞with hopes of a surprise San Francisco 49ers run to their sixth championship), here are the greatest sneaker moments in NFL history. From signature shoes and painting boots to diamond-encrusted swooshes, it has been fascinating to watch the league’s on-foot evolution.
White Riddell Football Cleats
Image via Heritage Auctions
Athlete: Joe Namath
Year: 1967
Namath was not the first player in professional American Football to wear white cleats. That honor goes to Fred Williamson. Nicknamed The Hammer, Williamson wore white cleats or black cleats completely covered in white tape throughout his AFL career. What Namath did was popularize the practice, courtesy of an exhausted New York Jets equipment manager who got tired of taping up Broadway Joe’s black cleats with white tape every week. Bill Hampton, who had the job from 1964 to 2000, ordered the white cleats as a gift for Joe and as a relief to himself. One legendary Super Bowl run later, Joe is credited with being the white cleat pioneer. That’s the power of playing in New York and being QB1, but we know what’s up. If only the NFL had merged into the AFL and Williamson had played for a New York team, the story might be a little different.
White Shoes
Player: Billy “White Shoes” Johnson
Year: 1974
Fun fact: Despite earning the nickname “White Shoes” in high school for dying his black shoes white, Billy Johnson did not always wear white shoes in the NFL. But once he did wear white shoes, nothing would be the same. One of the early pioneers of touchdown celebrations, the All-Pro wide receiver and kick returner would get the people going with his signature “Funky Chicken” dance and blindingly white shoes that would soon become more commonplace as the players bucked tradition and started to show a little bit more of their personality.
Nike Field General
Player(s): Dan Fouts, Archie Manning, Jim Plunkett
Year: 1982
When you think about iconic Nike posters, chances are images of Michael Jordan floating through the Chicago skyline, George Gervin sitting on a throne of Ice, and Bo Jackson looking like the third member of the Road Warriors with his bat and shoulder pads are what probably come to mind. You’re forgiven for forgetting the Field Generals poster that featured star QBs Dan Fouts, Archie Manning, and Jim Plunkett along with others in military garb rocking the eponymous turf shoe. With its signature waffle outsole designed to grip on turf, the Field General was largely forgotten after new shoes with improved tech started to hit the market. If it wasn’t for the recent 2024 retro run that included a handful of high-profile collabs, the Field General might still be languishing in the archives alongside that amazing poster.
Walter Payton KangaROOS
Player: Walter Payton
Year: 1982
Sweetness was the perfect descriptor for the late Walter Payton’s game. Playing in the era when running backs were still looked upon as the primary option to move the ball, Payton’s combination of style and power made him one of the league’s most popular figures. In 1982, Payton signed an endorsement deal with KangaROOS and the timing could not have been better. Over the next few seasons, Payton would break Jim Brown’s career rushing yards record, help lead the Bears to a 15-1 season that culminated with one of the most dominant Super Bowl performances, a 46-10 beatdown of the New England Patriots. Oh, and he would record the iconic “Super Bowl Shuffle” song alongside his team and pose for the cover wearing a ROOS headband and turf shoe.
Nike Air Trainer SC 2
Player: Bo Jackson
Year: 1989
Designed by Tinker Hatfield, the Nike Air Trainer SC 2 was meant to be your footwear of choice no matter your sport. And in a case of serendipitous fortune or genius foresight, Nike happened to have the perfect athlete to pitch the new category to the masses. Bo Jackson seldom wore the Air Trainer SC 2 or any of the other famous trainers he endorsed in the NFL or in Major League Baseball. By the time he got a signature shoe with his name on it, the Nike Air Bo Turf in 1992, his football days were over thanks to injury. But the legend of his multisport arc and charismatic appeal masked those shortcomings to the point where all we remember now are those dope Nike commercials, that one time he stiff-armed the s**t out of Deion Sanders in college, and Tecmo Bowl.
Air Jordan 4
Player: Ronnie Lott
Year: 1990
As more football stadiums adopted astroturf for their home field, several NFL players opted out of cleats and turf shoes for basketball shoes because they could better handle the harder and slicker surfaces. After meeting Michael Jordan and coming away in awe of his greatness, San Francisco 49ers legend and Hall of Fame safety Ronnie Lott wore one of the most iconic basketball shoes of all-time, the Air Jordan 4 Playoff/Bred for Super Bowl XXIV against the Denver Broncos. Photos of Lott wearing the Js are still iconic today, an example of the crossover appeal of Air Jordans and sneakers as a whole.
Nike Air Diamond Turf
Player: Deion Sanders
Year: 1993
If Bo Jackson’s football career had not been derailed by injuries, there’s a timeline where he and Deion Sanders have a thunder and lightning-style marketing campaign for Nike. While Jackson represented tough and rugged smashmouth football, Sanders was ushering in a new sleeker and flashier era. The Diamond Turf marked the beginning of Deion’s five signature shoe run, and unlike Jackson, these kicks would see plenty of action on the field. As a member of the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys, Sanders would win Super Bowls in back-to-back seasons rocking the Nike Air Diamond Turf 2 and the Nike Air DT Max ‘96.
adidas EQT Key Trainer
Player: Keyshawn Johnson
Year: 1996
New York Jets rookie Keyshawn Johnson would make sneaker history as the first NFL player to debut with a signature shoe, the adidas EQT Key Trainer. According to various interviews, Johnson says that the trainer, which featured the fan favorite Feet You Wear technology, went from design to reality in six months. Johnson would play a critical role in helping the Jets rebound from a miserable 1-15 season the year prior to a respectable 9-7, justifying his hype immediately. After lying dormant for nearly 20 years, the Key Trainer got a retro in 2014 to help remind the new generation that Keyshawn was that damn good (for a few seasons).
Nike Zoom Turf
Player: Barry Sanders
Year: 1996
Technically, the Nike Zoom Turf was not Barry Sanders’ signature shoe. A lot of NFL players with Nike contracts wore the Zoom Turf in matching team colors. And yet, when thinking about the Zoom Turf, the only player that comes to mind is the greatest running back in NFL history, Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders. With a stunning design that would feel right at home just as much on a basketball court as a football field, Sanders broke out highlight after highlight in the Zoom Turf, rendering anyone else who wore them as afterthoughts. The momentum would continue into the following season as Sanders wore the Zoom Turf Jet ‘97 en route to an NFL MVP win.
Reebok ES22
Player: Emmitt Smith
Year: 1997
Emmitt Smith fans might have something to say with our declaration that Barry Sanders is the GOAT running back. And with Super Bowl rings and rushing records that now feel untouchable, the case is very strong for Smith. Another notch in Smith’s favor is that unlike Sanders, he has signature shoes with his name on them, starting with the ES22 in 1997. Debuting alongside a hilarious commercial starring blaxploitation-era stars like Richard Roundtree and Pam Grier, the ES22 would become a sneakerhead favorite thanks to its unique design that featured Hexalite cushioning.
Air Jordan 11 PE
Player: Randy Moss
Year: 2001
For the 2001 NFC Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs, Randy Moss wore a player-exclusive version of the Air Jordan 11 with a purple patent leather mudguard, white leather upper, gold trim, and #84 branding on the collar. As one of the original Jordan Brand athletes, Moss’ otherworldly talent made him a perfect fit for the Jumpman and what they represented. Moss would go on to headline his own run of signature shoes like the Jordan Super Freak and Jordan Mossified with the occasional break to show off other exclusive Air Jordans like the Air Jordan 9 and Air Jordan 13.
Nike Zoom Vick 2
Player: Michael Vick
Year: 2004
An honorable mention for one of the greatest second signature shoes of all-time, the Nike Zoom Vick 2 elevated Michael Vick to superstar status. With a bold black and white split look that had plenty of Air Jordan 12 energy, the Vick 2 personified the quarterback’s talents as a dual threat on the field. Another element that helped the Vick 2 stand out was the Michael Vick Experience commercial that simulated Vick’s game-breaking abilities onto a fictional amusement park ride. Considering the NFL’s hold in the culture today and their partnership with Nike, an actual Michael Vick Experience ride would be the most anticipated theme park ride since Star Wars at Disneyland.
Cam Newton’s Custom Under Armour Cleats
Player: Cam Newton
Year: 2011
As evidenced by Fred “The Hammer” Williamson, Joe Namath, L.C. Greenwood, and Billy “White Shoes” Johnson, customizing cleats is not something Cam Newton created. But by the time Under Armour started sending Cam specialized cleats to wear for pregame activities, he was setting the stage for the NFL to stop acting like a bunch of old farts. What started out as a way for Cam to get his swag became a minor controversy as it was revealed that Newton was getting fined even for just wearing them during pregame. Eventually, other players would join in on the custom cleat game like Odell Beckham Jr. to share their personality and style to the world. By 2016, the NFL, sensing this was a losing battle, would eventually relax the rules and allow special weeks during the season for players to wear custom cleats in actual games for causes they want to champion. Cam might not have been the first, but he was responsible for an entire cleat revolution.
Nike Zoom Revis
Player: Darrelle Revis
Year: 2012
Despite his most iconic highlight being on the other side of a Randy Moss touchdown, there’s no denying that Revis Island was a very real and very dangerous place to traverse if you were a wide receiver during that time. Darrelle Revis' dominance was such that he became the first player since Deion Sanders to get a Nike signature shoe. Designed by Ken Link, the Zoom Revis was a perfect encapsulation of not only Revis’ abilities but his love for his hometown of Pittsburgh. Dropping just as sneaker culture was becoming mainstream, the Zoom Revis was treated to a kaleidoscope of colorways that resonate to this day among collectors. From honoring the neighboring New York Knicks to working with the late DJ Clark Kent on a 112 piece, the Zoom Revis is a sneaker that could easily be the focus of a big push by Nike in a few years as they dig through the archives.
Nike Air Trainer Cruz
Player: Victor Cruz
Year: 2015
With its bulky look and lifestyle-centric approach, there was no chance we were ever going to see Victor Cruz wear his signature trainer on the field. By this time, the focus of every brand was to turn every cleat into feathery light pieces that barely felt like anything was on your feet. Instead, the Air Trainer Cruz was the culmination of Victor Cruz’s passion for sneakers and his place in the culture as a tastemaker who wore nothing but heat and made just as many headlines with his footwear on the field and off it. With its not-so-subtle resemblance to the Nike Air Yeezy 2, sneakerheads were torn between praising the shoe because that was the wave during that time and hating on it because it was too much like a Yeezy.
Odell Beckham Jr.’s $200,000 Super Bowl Cleats
Player: Odell Beckham Jr.
Year: 2022
Cam Newton was fined for his cleats so Odell Beckham Jr. could rock Shoe Surgeon cleats with 1,494 individual round, brilliant white diamonds that weigh a total of 25 carats with impunity. Even though he did not wear them during the Super Bowl (sadly he got hurt in other cleats in the second quarter of the game), Beckham’s journey as the successor to Cam Newton as NFL Player with the Best Custom Cleat Game was complete. OBJ would continue to rock custom cleats at his next stops in Baltimore and Miami despite a legal battle with Nike that ended with nobody winning, but it’s hard to top a Super Bowl where you rock cleats that cost as much as a Porsche.
Air Jordan 1 Unbannable Cleats
Player: Jalen Hurts
Year: 2025
As part of the rollout for the Air Jordan 1 High 85 Bred that celebrates the 40th anniversary of the iconic sneaker and ad campaign that kicked off the legendary Air Jordan line, Jalen Hurts wore a cleated version of the Bred 1 with a black bar over the Swoosh and the message “Unbannable” during Super Bowl LIX warm-ups. Hurts would switch to an Air Jordan 11 PE for the actual game, but just like Odell Beckham Jr. a few years prior, the cleats popping up for pregame was more than enough to get interest buzzing for the release of the Bred Jordan 1 a few days later. Not that it was easy to buy or anything like that, stock was limited to a very select few NBHD locations, but the buzz over the sneaker was the victory that Nike was looking for.
From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com
