A Brief History of Deion Sanders and the Nike Air Diamond Turf
via @deionsanders, goat, renarts, nike
Deion Sanders has made headlines in college football throughout the years and most recently has Colorado Buffaloes fans excited as he continues to sign 4 and 5-star recruits leading up to his first season this fall. As Colorado is a school, plus that Coach Prime and the Swoosh are reuniting for the first time in decades – we took a trip down memory lane looking back at Prime Time’s Nike Diamond Turf line.
Bo Knows
In regards to the Swoosh, before Deion there was Bo. was a two-sport professional athlete himself, trucking and running over linebackers for the LA Raiders and sending moonshots and hawking balls down for the Kansas City Royals in his prime.
Nike took notice and used Bo’s versatility to push a fairly new genre of footwear, the Cross Trainer. Combining the needs of a running shoe with the lateral support of a basketball shoe, famed Nike designer went to work and cooked up the Nike Air Trainer 1 and birthed the Cross Trainer.
As Bo continued to rack up yards on the gridiron and crush baseballs into the stratosphere, Nike made Bo the face of the Cross Trainer, starting with the in 1988 with models such as the with its iconic ‘Bo Knows’ commercial and Air Trainer Max ‘91 to follow.
Unfortunately, Bo dislocated his hip in 1991 and was forced to retire from football and retired from baseball a few seasons later. The Air Trainer line was a huge hit for the Swoosh and Deion carried on the lineage of the Cross Trainer into his Diamond Turf line.
Nike Air Diamond Turf
Coming out of Florida State, Deion is arguably one of the most electrifying players to ever grace the football field. With his blinding 4.2 40 speed along with coverage skills, Deion was the epitome of what a shutdown corner is and Nike gave Prime Time his signature line in 1993, starting with the Nike Air Diamond Turf.
The midfoot strap became the signature design feature on the Diamond Turf line, as Deion wanted to secure and lock down his feet. Dressed in accordance with the Atlanta Falcons and Braves respectively as he played for both teams at the time, even playing an NFL regular season game and Game 5 in the World Series on the same day in 1993. The sneaker would make a return for the first time in 2005 with the most recent retro coming in 2013.
Nike Air Diamond Turf II
The Nike Air Diamond Turf II came along during the 1994-1995 season as Prime Time was now suiting up for the San Francisco 49ers. Using similar features to the first, the Air Diamond Turf II featured more rounded lines and mesh ventilation panels placed on the quarter panels.
On the gridiron, Deion rocked the sneaker in his return to the Georgia Dome where he high-stepped his way into the end zone, returning an interception against his former team and winning Defensive Player of the Year and a Super Bowl in the lone season with the Niners.
Nike Air Diamond Turf Max 96
The following season, Prime Time joined the Dallas Cowboys and with that came the Nike Air Diamond Turf Max 96. The sneaker’s claw marks were the standout design feature alongside the midfoot strap. This is also the first time the Diamond Turf line featured a visible Air unit which was placed in the heel and opted for a higher cut compared to the first two Diamond Turf sneakers.
Nike Air Diamond Turf IV
The Nike Air Diamond Turf IV is probably the least popular out of the line, as it opted for softer lines compared to the DT 96. An oval jewelled Swoosh logo is placed on the ankle and midfoot strap, with a visible Air Max unit seen again on the heel as well.
Nike Air Diamond Turf V
The last Diamond Turf that Deion wore was the Nike Air Diamond Turf V, which Prime Time wore during his final season with the Cowboys. The midfoot strap is used on the DT V as well, albeit a much smaller one, the sneaker features more funky metallic overlays compared to the IV, and a more upright Swoosh placed on the lateral side. Again, a visible Air unit is utilised in the heel.
Legacy of Diamond Turf
The legacy of the Diamond Turf line continued on as Deion and Nike parted ways. Like the Penny and Pippen line, Nike added a sixth signature sneaker to the collection in the Nike Air Diamond Turf 6, opting for Fuse instead of leather, and inspired by the first Diamond Turf sneaker.
Much like other kids who grew up in the 90s, LeBron James was a fan of Prime Time and had a Nike LeBron 7 colourway inspired by the Diamond Turf II and a few PEs of the Nike LeBron 15 featuring a midfoot strap and Diamond Turf logo, taken from the Nike Air Diamond Turf.
More recently in 2022, Nike has blessed a few of their football athletes – such as Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray and the Oregon Ducks football team – with the Nike Vapor DT Max ’96, which modifies the Diamond Turf Max 96 into a football cleat for today.
Deion and Nike had something special with the Diamond Turf collection and hopefully, we’ll see some retros in the near future.