Remember how poplar they were?
Were they the first Nike hit?
Remember how poplar they were?
Were they the first Nike hit?
Nike copied many model from Tiger (ASICS) including the Cortez and Marathon. The first model that was unique or new to Nike was the Obori which was given out to all the 1972 Olympic Trail Marathoners
mike_old_fart wrote:
Nike copied many model from Tiger (ASICS) including the Cortez and Marathon. The first model that was unique or new to Nike was the Obori which was given out to all the 1972 Olympic Trail Marathoners
Tiger also had the Oborhi, but I do not know who copied whom. I always assumed Nike took that one as well.
pre841 wrote:
mike_old_fart wrote:Nike copied many model from Tiger (ASICS) including the Cortez and Marathon. The first model that was unique or new to Nike was the Obori which was given out to all the 1972 Olympic Trail Marathoners
Tiger also had the Oborhi, but I do not know who copied whom. I always assumed Nike took that one as well.
Yep:
http://www.sneakerplay.com/gallery/swoosh262/256490/I got a horrible stress fracture running in Cortez. I will always despise them.
The first time I saw the Nike Cortez was at a one hour run at the University of West Virginia's track. Carl Hatfield was just back from the '72 OT Marathon in Eugene and had been given a pair. They were identical to the Tiger Cortez except for the Swoosh.
I too thought that Tiger had the Obori first. Of course Nike grew out of Blue Ribbon Sports which was created to import Tiger shoes to the US.
Thanks for the correction as I forgot Tiger did have a similar model.
Technical Knock Offs or TKO's. Usually R&D would tear apart the shoes, make some upgrades or not, and redo as their shoe. The original crew at BRS/NIKE sold Onitsuka Tigers(Asics) out of their cars, so they were very familiar with their products. I believe NIKE also made a Super Cortez that some of their elite athletes received. I wore a different NIKE shoe called the Kenya Red in 1972. Real similiar to the Cortez, but with no rubber reinforcement at the front and a tad less midsole. Precursor to the Frees!!!
runasfastasucanforaslongasucan wrote:
I wore a different NIKE shoe called the Kenya Red in 1972. Real similiar to the Cortez, but with no rubber reinforcement at the front and a tad less midsole. Precursor to the Frees!!!
I loved the Kenya Red's and the Finland Blues. I wish I still a pair of the original Boston's.
I liked the Finlands. I like blue better than red so I got them instead of the Kenya Reds. As I recall, they were very similar to the Cortez but I believe neither Blue nor Red had any sort of heel counter.
Nike's first big marketing coup was to get Farrah Fawcett Major in a pair of Cortezs for her ubiquitous 70s pinup poster. The rest is history.
Loved them too.
malmo wrote:
Nike's first big marketing coup was to get Farrah Fawcett Major in a pair of Cortezs for her ubiquitous 70s pinup poster. The rest is history.
Wasn't she on a skateboard for that picture?
loved the Kenya Reds & Finland Blues
first shoes I ever ran in
Think Bill Bowerman designed both the Tiger and Nike Cortez.
Young Wejo preparing to take a shower.
I had them and the Cortez and some of the ASICS. I remember shoo-gooing the sole back to the upper and using shoo goo when they wore down (because of my overpronating). A friend of mine cut pieces of an H.O. race car track, glued them to the sides of the heel hoping it would give him more support. Crazy old days of running.