Nike’s archives are rich and full of obscure sneakers that had their moment, yet many fell into obscurity after decades removed from the market. Such is the case with the Nike Astrograbber, which was originally released in 1974 as one of Bill Bowerman’s first-ever American football shoes. Specifically, Bowerman crafted the shoe to grip the then-popular AstroTurf as it became commonplace on the gridiron during this era. After being revived thanks to multiple collaborations with Bode, the Astrograbber is gearing up for GR releases with the upcoming Aluminum Soft Yellow colorway kicking things off.
The resurgence of the Astrograbber and the release of GR colorways couldn’t come at a better time. North America is set to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and fashion and footwear brands have gotten an early start embracing the visual language of both American football and soccer. Over the past year, we’ve seen a surge of cleat-inspired silhouettes, like the Field General and Astrograbber from Nike, with brands mining their archives for obscure field shoes across the board.
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. When not writing for Sole Retriever, I enjoy attending concerts and catching the latest movies. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
