“All black everything” was a significant statement well before Jay-Z spit those words on “Run This Town.” Before the personal sneaker preferences donned by the 1997 National Champion Arizona Wildcats and expressing your team pride via NIKEiD creations were the norm, five top-tier freshmen decided to take their talents to Ann Arbor. Those youngsters broke out of the sports realm and took the entire world by storm. Dubbed the “Fab Five”, the talented teenagers were a divisive group that pitted old school against new school, and urban against rural. Regardless of the side you were on, their impact on society is undeniable.
Fab Five center Juwan Howard proudly states, ”To be a part of a special group like that is flattering. My kids get more excited than I do these days, but I’m humbled.”
Juwan Howard in Nike Air Flight Huarache
While at the University of Michigan, the “Fab Five” wore long shorts that were uncommon at the time, and laced up the Nike Air Flight Huarache in unison in 1992.
“They were different. They were fresh. They were Nike,” explains Fab Five Forward Ray Jackson on his initial love for the shoe. “Nobody else had them. Back then, it was kind of space age. The design of the shoe was ahead of its time.”
However, the shoe was not an instant hit for the entire crew. “That was the shoe I was really apprehensive about. The colors obviously did not match our uniform colors,” remembered Juwan Howard. “I was always the one to match from top to bottom, so when I saw that, I wasn’t feeling it,” he continues. However, in hindsight, Howard admits his error in judgment. “Obviously, I was wrong,” Howard concedes. “That shoe ultimately resembled the Fab Five.”
Nike Air Flight Huarache
After falling short in the championship game in the 1991-1992 season, the Fab Five returned the next year on a mission. Embracing their roles as full-blown villains, the squad rocked menacing bald heads, and broke an accepted basketball truth. Back then, basketball players wore white socks, period. However, the Fab Five were more than a basketball team. They were icons. They were trendsetters. They were a representation of the cool, hip crowd. They were the image of a generation. That image was painted clearly when they took to the court in the all-black Nike Air Force Max. Howard reminisces, “We were really excited and hyped about the shoe. By it being an all-black shoe with a touch of grey in it, we thought it was a perfect shoe to present to the urban world.”
A timely trip to a Houston (Michigan was playing Rice University at the time) Foot Locker for black Nike socks by Jackson’s friend delivered what would become a timeless gem, and the “presentation” transitioned to a contribution. Matching socks were nothing new to Jackson, as he recalls, “Growing up, I always liked to match my socks. I would do Polo socks with a Polo shirt, so with basketball it wasn’t any different. In high school, I stole 10 pair of purple socks from the soccer team, and gave them to everybody on the basketball team to match our purple jerseys.” With the pressure of lofty expectations mounting, the black socks were more than an accessory. They symbolized the group simply “getting back to basketball and having fun.”
Fab Five in black Nike Air Force Max and black Nike socks
However, the black socks with black shoes trend almost never happened. “My friend brought me two pair. I had a pair of grey/blue ones, too. Everybody liked the black ones so that’s what we ran with from that point on,” said Jackson, fondly describing the small decision that would change basketball forever. Kids from every corner of the world and every level of society rushed to the nearest sporting goods store for a pair of black socks to rock with their black shoes. For Howard, old habits die hard, as he still prefers all-black sneakers. “The Air Jordan 10 (“Stealth) they came out with last year are sweet. I also like the all-black LeBron 9. Those (along with the Nike Air Force Max) are my top three”.
The sneakers and style of the Fab Five have been forever etched in basketball lore. Calling it a “trend” would be a disservice to their cultural importance. Even Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls rocked black shoes and black socks while winning their second 3-peat of NBA Championships. “I can’t believe the impact. The shorts and the whole ‘swag,’ as kids say today, just allowed kids to be free and who they are on the court. I’m excited about that,” remarks Jackson on the Fab Five’s influence. As Howard aptly recollects, “We not only shocked the world, we rocked the world.”
That is an understatement.
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Fab Five Members Juwan Howard & Ray Jackson Discuss Iconic Style at Michigan |
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