Bruce Kilgore

Bruce Kilgore (Image via freshnessmag.com)

Nike Air Force One (Image via StockX)

In 1982, upon release, the Nike Air Force One did not impact the market near as much as it is during the present day. Created as a basketball shoe, the Air Force One didn't gain much traction in its first few years on the market and production for the shoe was actually stopped in 1984. Obviously the Air Force One would return to production, in 1986 to be more specific, and has been popular since then. The Air Force One is a go to sneaker for a number of different groups of people. The basic party girl, guys who claim to be "the freshest' in the city of New York, tough guys that you don't want to mess with, and all different types of sneakerheads are just a few of the different groups attracted to Air Force Ones. As many continue to put the sneaker on for all different reasons, does anyone stop to think who created it? I, for one, most definitely do.

Nike Air Ship (Image via nssmag.com)

The man who is responsible for the Nike Air Force One is Bruce Kilgore. Kilgore is also responsible for the Air Jordan II and the recently retro-ed Nike Air Ship - a shoe that was worn by Michael Jordan when he first started his career with the Bulls. Based on these three models, one can tell that Kilgore was prominent in early Nike Basketball product.

Nike Sock Racer (Image via sweatthestyle.com)

Outside of Nike Basketball, Kilgore created the original Nike Sock Racer - a shoe that laid important groundwork for sock-like Nike shoes of today. Kilgore also created Nike Shox. As told in the book Sneakers, Kilgore has many design tools at home and continues to pursue meaningful sneaker creation and innovation.


One important item I would like to note about Bruce Kilgore is that there is not much publicity around his name. One can't even Google him to figure out how old he is. Kilgore invented one of the most important shoes in Nike history, along with some other notable silhouettes, but isn't a household sneaker name. In a day and age where designers are put at the forefront, this lack of exposure leaves me perplexed.