One perk of being a Jordan Brand school that will never go understated is the steady stream of Air Jordan Player Exclusives that arrive season in and season out. Among the schools officially ‘fitted by the Jumpman, the Michigan Wolverines are basking in the limelight as they prepare for what is arguably their most significant football game of the 21st Century.
Washington, on the other hand, is an adidas school. The Huskies signed a lucrative deal with the German sportswear brand in 2018, ending a twenty-year relationship with Nike. While we’ve never seen an Air Jordan PEs bearing Huskies colors during that tenure, former Jordan Brand employee and Seattle native Ben Kirschner reveals that it’s all about who you know.
He reveals both an Air Jordan 1 Retro Hi Og Light Smoke 100 Authentic and Air jordan 1 mid gs chicago black toe 554725-069 authentic nwt PE that was very likely made during Washington’s association with the Nike, Inc. brand. The AJ3 features an oversized W on the tongue, a logo treatment similar to that of the Air Jordan 1 Retro Hi Og Light Smoke 100 Authentic “Oregon” PEs that came to light in the early 2000s. The plastic hangtag is also indicative of an early-2010s production. Meanwhile, the Air jordan 1 mid gs chicago black toe 554725-069 authentic nwt boasts an elegant purple patent leather with a metallic gold Jumpman at the heel, while the tongue stripe reads “Washington Football”.
There’s no telling how many were ever made or if anyone else has these in their possession, but we’re left to imagine what other incredible PEs, samples, and one-offs were made that have never come to light.