Nike Pays Homage to One of Bill Bowerman's Finest Pupils With the "Kenny Moore" Cortez Collection
The race never ends.
Nike’s Cortez silhouette has made a strong return this year thanks to special iterations dedicated to Long Beach, Compton and its appearance in the Forrest Gump film. We’ve also seen a collaboration alongside Mr. Cartoon, which pays homage to its west coast connection. This time around, Nike turns back the clock a little bit further to shed some light on the athlete that’s partially responsible for its creation.
During Bill Bowerman‘s coaching days at Oregon, one of his most reliable distance runners in Kenny More unfortunately injured his foot. As a result, Bowerman went back to the drawing board in order to create a model for Moore that incorporated more foam cushioning and better arch support. This led to the birth of the Nike Cortez, formerly known as the Tiger Cortez.
As an ode to the model’s history, Nike has cooked up three celebratory colorways all sporting engaging designs. You’ll find yellow nylon, blue suede, and white leather iterations as a part of the trio. The nylon edition sports contrasting turquoise coloring, and the blue suede model is complemented by white throughout. The white leather edition however sees the removal of the Swoosh altogether, replaced by “Moore” in a handwritten font as a nod to the sample pair Kenny wore during his track and field days.
There’s currently no expected launch date for this Nike Cortez trio, but stick with us and we’ll keep you updated as additional information surfaces.
