words // Brandon Richard

Before the Nike Air Max Griffey Fury was released earlier this year, Major League Baseball legend Ken Griffey Jr. wore a cleated version for the Seattle Mariners back in the mid-90s. The last shoe Griffey wore prior to the launch of his signature line in 1996, the Nike Air Diamond Fury featured a full-grain leather build with a contrasting overlay that presented the illusion of finger-like cut-outs along the sides. While several players wore the model in 1995, Griffey was the recipient of his own Mariners-themed colorway, complete with his name on the tongue and jersey number embroidered below the collar. The shoe was also converted to a training sneaker that could worn casually.

Today’s Eastbay Memory Lane takes a look back at some Ken Griffey shoes from Summer 1996, including the Air Diamond Fury, Diamond Fury 2 and the original Air Griffey Metal signature. We also see the “Griffey in ’96″ t-shirt, which was an incredibly popular item during the season.

While these styles have all come on gone, you can re-live a little bit of history by picking up the Nike Air Max Griffey Fury in a variety of colorways at Eastbay today.