Im old, theyre old and we just fit: Andy Reids beloved Air Force 1s are the latest ex

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Travis Kelce was one of the first players to notice something different about Andy Reid.

Early last season, Kelce scanned his head coach, then tilted his eyes downward toward Reid’s feet. Reid, one of the NFL’s oldest coaches at age 61, walked around the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice facility the way he always did, with a calm, smooth gait. But Kelce noticed new footwear: Nike Air Force 1s.

Advertisement

“Me being a vintage guy, I always appreciate it when I see somebody rocking ’em,” Kelce said. “It’s just cool seeing Big Red out there dropping the Forces. It gives a little swagger to him.”

Kelce describes himself as a “sneakerhead,” someone who cares deeply about the shoe game. He appreciates Reid, who helped him become one of the NFL’s best tight ends during his seven-year career. And Kelce really loves that Reid wears his own customized, signature-style Air Force 1s.

Consider Kelce to be the marketing director for Reid’s sneakers, known as the AR1s at the Chiefs’ facility. Kelce, who launched his own lifestyle brand, Tru Kolors, over the summer, has recognized all the details in the two main sneakers in Reid’s collection.

“He used to have A.W.R., which are his initials, on the back,” Kelce said. “He switched them this year to just having A.R. on them. On game day, it’s always all black, and for practice he’s got the white-and-red (swoosh) ones on. I don’t know what his love is for them. But hey, for the big guy, I’m sure they run right in his size.”

In his 21st season as an NFL head coach, Reid’s “look” is as recognizable as his on-field success with the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

His thick mustache and prescription eyeglasses are signatures, as are the Tommy Bahama Hawaiian shirts he wears at the NFL’s annual owners meetings. Reid’s avatar in the Madden NFL video game is easy to match: red Chiefs ball cap, with a large, laminated play-calling sheet and red Chiefs windbreaker. This has led to fans — and even celebrities — impersonating him.

His famous shoes were even highlighted in the Chiefs’ recent social-media presentation of Reid’s “brother,” Randy Reid, played by actor and well-known Chiefs fan Eric Stonestreet.

Meet Randy Reid, younger brother of head coach Andy Reid. 😒

He owns a jet ski business in California, loves soft-serve ice cream, and is passionate about his brand of football. #GiveRandyARing pic.twitter.com/BzmSQsblPi

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 5, 2019

Reid, though, is aware his sneakers get the most fashion respect among players. In fact, he’s pretty much the only person in the Chiefs’ organization who wears the Air Force 1s. Everyone else — from assistant coaches to the training staff and the equipment department — wears the white-and-black swoosh Nike Air Zoom Vomero 12 sneakers during practices and games.

For Reid, the Air Force 1 is an iconic Nike throwback, a sneaker he wore in his first year as a full-time coach in 1983 as the offensive coordinator at San Francisco State.

Advertisement

“I’m old, they’re old and we just fit,” Reid said, smiling. “It’s funny how the old things are kind of the cool things. It might be the last little bit of cool I have. It’s run from the top of my head, with the long hair; now it’s no more hair. But I got the Air Force 1s, man. They can’t take them away.”

Multiple players approached Reid in the weeks after he began wearing the Air Force 1s again. Some players, in between team meetings and film sessions, wondered if it was possible to acquire a pair of Reid’s custom kicks.

One of the players was Kelce, who has a large closet full of his favorite shoes. At one point last season, Kelce asked Reid if he had an extra pair to give away.

“I just randomly went up to him and said, ‘Coach, I’ve got to get one of these Air Force 1s off you because those things are too legit, man,’” Kelce said. “Andy Reid is a Hall of Fame coach. It’s a Hall of Fame sneaker. The all-black Air Force 1 is legendary forever. I had a pair when I was in high school. I wanted to get the original A.W.R.’s, a game-day edition.”

Reid enjoys discussing shoes, both new styles and old, with his players. He just never expected that his Air Force 1s would become so valued, maybe as much as a celebratory game ball after a victory.

Defensive end Justin Houston’s final day with the Chiefs was difficult. In early March, the Chiefs released him even though he was the team’s best pass rusher for much of his eight seasons in Kansas City.

Both parties knew why the relationship was ending; Houston was sliding past his prime, and the Chiefs couldn’t absorb his $21 million salary-cap hit. Reid and owner Clark Hunt thanked Houston, both in person and in statements released to the public, for his performance and his leadership. After what he called the most enjoyable season of his career, Houston hugged several members of the organization while collecting his belongings.

Advertisement

Then he asked Allen Wright, the Chiefs’ longtime equipment director, if he could get a pair of Reid’s white-and-red-swoosh Air Force 1s as a parting gift. Reid agreed, making Houston the fourth player to possess a pair of Reid’s sneakers.

“That’s mutual with Justin, and I’m a big fan of his,” Reid said. “He dotted me with a pair of Jordans when he left, so I appreciate that, too.”

When Reid was hired by the Chiefs in 2013, he used a variety of sneakers the first couple of seasons but never found a perfect fit. The large, clunky shoes Reid wore the most from 2014-17, the Nike Air Monarchs, led players to make jokes.

“The Air Dads,” Kelce said, laughing. “In the true sneaker game, the Air Force 1 has kind of gone into the archives. Now, the Air Dad has come to life. It’s funny, and I’m pretty sure it’ll all come full circle and the Forces will be the main shoe again. That’s just how fashion and the world works.”

After the 2017 season, Reid told Wright he started wearing Air Force 1s in his recreational time and liked how the wide, all-leather sneaker felt. The shoe was launched by Nike in 1982 and named after the U.S. president’s aircraft. It was the first in Nike’s basketball line to include lightweight cushioning and enhanced comfort.

Wright, without telling Reid, became the creative director of the AR1s. He went on the NikeElite website and started designing mockups of a white, low-top Air Force 1 ’07, a more modern version of the classic.

“We do a lot of things behind the scenes to try to accommodate him for what he wears,” Wright said. “He has a true opinion about what he wears. And most coaches that have been here when I’ve been here, that wasn’t the case. I say that with the utmost respect. I’ve never done one-off shoes for anyone else on the coaching staff.”

Andy Reid traded in his Air Monarchs for Air Force Ones. pic.twitter.com/a98xPkRSeH

— Carrington Harrison (@cdotharrison) July 29, 2019

Wright found the shade of red that matches the Chiefs’ primary color for the swoosh. He replaced “AIR” below Nike’s logo on the back of the shoes with Reid’s initials. When Nike shipped the sneakers to the Chiefs’ facility, Reid was surprised and impressed.

Advertisement

“That’s Allen doing his job above and beyond,” Reid said of Wright, the Chiefs’ longest-tenured employee. “I just care that they’re comfortable. And right now, that’s most important.”

Most of the Chiefs, however, know Reid adores his shoes. Outside of the team’s facility, general manager Brett Veach thinks the only other NFL coach who prefers a particular sneaker as much as Reid is Pete Carroll, who coaches in Air Monarchs.

Veach is always entertained when he sees Wright and Reid discussing the different style and color possibilities for a new pair of Air Force 1s. This past offseason, Veach joined Reid at the NFL’s scouting combine, the owners’ meetings and a Kansas City Royals home game near the start of the baseball season. Reid wore special sneakers to each event. When Reid is not with the team, he mostly walks in suede AR1s.

“Yeah, the players give me the business about it,” Reid said, laughing. “They completely destroyed me the first time I wore them. Eric Berry started it, but they all followed up on it and got after me about it with the bubble-gum soles.”

Coach Reid is a rockstar! #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/wMJ97t702c

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) July 21, 2019

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is impressed by how well Reid’s sneakers are cared for, especially during training camp. Mahomes figured Nike shipped hundreds of sneakers for camp. Instead, he learned Reid had just two pairs that he wears on alternating days. Wright said Reid brought a third pair to camp in case of emergency.

“The most slept-on part about it is not only is he wearing the different Air Force 1s — the all-whites, the white-and-red, and he has the tan ones — but the fact that no matter what shoes he’s wearing, they’re completely spotless,” said Mahomes, who also has a closet full of his favorite sneakers. “He’s walking on this wet grass. He’s either walking super light or (the equipment staff) are scrubbing them the moment he comes off the field.

“Anytime you look, his shoe is completely spotless. There’s not even a scuff.”

Reid encourages players to show their personalities, whether expressing themselves by dancing during practices and games or pursuing interests outside of football.

Advertisement

He knows bonds in the locker room can remain strong years after the players are in the NFL. Several players said that the environment inside the Chiefs’ facility is similar to their experiences in college, because any topic can be discussed with Reid.

“The understanding that he has for each and every person, and how he’s able to relate to them, is definitely a part of who he is,” Mahomes said. “He’s never going to fake what he’s thinking or how he’s feeling. People respect that.”

Reid often tells his players how blessed he is to have his job, one that allows him to show his personality through on-field innovation or off-field “Dad jokes.” He’s also quick to add his shoes are the best in the locker room.

“Just because you get a little bit older and get some gray hair, that doesn’t mean you still don’t love what you’re doing and you don’t have the fire,” Reid said. “That’s important for the guys to see. Not out of personality, though. It’s got to be a part of your personality or they go, ‘Eh, it’s a show.’ It’s important we all do that and we’re ourselves out here when we do our thing.”

When you wake up to the smell of bacon because you put it on your George Foreman Grill the night before: pic.twitter.com/cLNPEpP6PL

— Brandon Zenner (@NPNowZenner) August 3, 2019

As camp began late last month, strong safety Tyrann Mathieu, in his first season with the Chiefs, became aware of Reid’s Air Force 1s. Mathieu said everyone from his hometown, New Orleans, called the sneaker G-Nikes. He always wanted a new pair for the start of the school year, and Nelly’s 2002 hit single “Air Force Ones” with the St. Lunatics was one of his favorite hip-hop songs during that time. The video for that song, which has been viewed more than 50 million times, also featured famous St. Louis athletes such as Marshall Faulk, Torry Holt and Ozzie Smith.

“The Air Force 1 was the go-to shoe,” Mathieu said. “My favorite is the all-white ones. You can’t go wrong with them, and you can wear them with mostly anything.”

During the Chiefs’ second practice in pads, Reid and his players blared Nelly’s song as the team conducted a scrimmage period. Mathieu sang the song’s infectious hook.

Advertisement

(I said) give me two pairs
(Cause) I need two pairs
(So I) can get to stompin’ in my Air Force Ones
Big boys stompin’ in my Air Force Ones

“That was right in (my) childhood when I’m really kind of learning stuff and figuring out stuff,” Mahomes said of the song.

He added of Reid: “He knows a lot more than he leads on. He’ll throw in some comments and stuff like that. He understands what’s going on around the culture and around the world. He definitely knows the song.”

Linebacker Reggie Ragland believes Reid is the swaggiest coach in the league. Ragland, who has more than 200 pairs or sneakers, practiced in red, white and black Air Jordan 1 TD high cleats during camp. But Ragland has an idea about how to pay homage to Reid during the season.

“One of these days, I need to get me some Air Force 1 cleats and come out here just like him,” Ragland said. “I might need to get that color-coordinated one that Coach has with the red check. I need to get me a pair of those.”

After months of asking, Kelce walked into the Chiefs’ practice facility one day and there, in the middle of his locker, was a pair of AR1s, the exact edition he wanted: black, with A.W.R. on the back. Kelce smiled as held one of the souvenirs.

“He’s the best about stuff like that, man,” Kelce said. “He’s always willing to go that extra mile to give somebody that happiness, that appreciation. You have no choice but to love the guy.

“I can’t fit in them, but they’ll definitely go up in the vault. I’ll save them forever.”

(Top photo of Reid’s Air Force 1s: Courtesy of the Chiefs)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57kGptcXBpa3xzfJByZmlxX2Z9cLXMZqalnF2ptabF0Z5kqKSUYq6vsIywnGaipajBbrLIrWSappSuerOxyJ2qZpqVoby3scNmmKKqXZu8s6%2FEZmisZZGnsm7Ax55kpZmkmsC1ecSxmKaonJp6sLKMoaawZZiaeqS7zaecnKyjYsSqwMdmp6WZqZq%2FtHs%3D