A History of Deion Sanders’ Nike Sneakers and Contract
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Nine games into his second season as head coach, Deion Sanders has the Colorado Buffaloes sitting atop the Big-12 standings and with a prime opportunity to make the College Football Playoffs by winning the division championship. And as his team’s success is increasing on the field, his return to Nike after a long and vocal hiatus has also been a hit on the sneaker release calendar.
Earlier this year, Sanders’ most-acclaimed Nike sneaker, the Air DT Max 96, began its first run of retros bearing Prime Time’s original logos. The first such release proved serendipitous, as the black and white colorway from the shoe’s initial run features gold accents that now just so happens to match the colors of the University of Colorado.
A slow and steady slate has since seen Sanders’ third signature sneaker release in three new colorways continuing to make use of black and gold, and a black and red version coming this week invokes his time playing for the Atlanta Falcons. Next year will also see the return of Sanders’ first shoe, the Air Diamond Turf, while mashups of the LeBron 21 with two of Sanders’ sneakers still await releases.
In this period ascendancy from Coach Prime across multiple fronts, Footwear News is taking a look back at his signature shoe history and his on-and-off relationship with Nike. Find out everything you need to know about Deion Sanders and Nike below.
Deion Sanders’ First Nike Contract and Air Diamond Turf 1
Sanders signed his first contract with Nike in 1992, when he was playing both professional football and baseball for the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Braves. He also had offers on the table from LA Gear and British Knights, the latter of which offered him terms worth $750,000. Nike’s offer was only worth $250,000 in the first six months but included the possibility for higher compensation, which ended up netting Sanders seven figures upon the conclusion of those first six months.
In 1993, Nike released Sanders’ first signature sneaker, the Air Diamond Turf, which followed the lead of fellow two-sport athlete Bo Jackson’s cross-trainers but broke new ground by featuring on the field as cleats and off of it as proper sneakers. Sanders wore the Air Diamond Turf on both the football and baseball field, and it featured a snugger inner bootie similar to that popularized on the Air Huarache line. A strap across the midfoot brought even greater security, while Air cushioning featured inside the thick midsole.
A Diamond Turf logo on the tongue featured a football within a baseball diamond, highlighting Sanders’ prowess in the two sports. The sneaker also debuted in a black, red and white colorway to match the colors of the Falcons and Braves, with whom he’d won a World in 1992.
Nike Air Diamond Turf 2
The Air Diamond Turf 2 would come in 1994, when Sanders played in his lone season for the San Francisco 49ers and in his first of two consecutive seasons with the Cincinnati Reds (he’d return to the team again in 1997 and 2001). More rounded lines defined Sanders’ second shoe, and the midfoot strap once again featured a cut-out but with additional windows on the upper beneath for even better breathability. More rounded lines featured throughout the entire sneaker, and Sanders wore it while high-stepping an interception return for a touchdown during the Niners’ Super Bowl win.
Nike Air DT Max 96
It would be two more years until the Air DT Max 96, short for “Diamond Turf,” launched in the year that gave it its name and in which Sanders won his second Super Bowl in a row by moving to the Dallas Cowboys. A more dramatic design shift defined Sanders’ third shoe, including a less-prominent strap, as the lines of the upper continued to the midsole to look like it’d been struck with claws. It also featured a higher cut than its predecessors and was the first shoe in Sanders’ signature line to feature a visible Air unit, courtesy of the Max cushioning on the heel.
Nike Air Diamond Turf 4, Air Diamond Turf 5 and Air Diamond Turf 6
Two lesser-sung models would come in the following two years, the Air Diamond Turf 4 and Air Diamond Turf 5. Both came while Sanders was still playing for the Cowboys, resulting in matching colorways that included a very silver Air Diamond Turf 5, and continued to pair straps with visible Air Max units.
In 2015, when Sanders had long since stopped endorsing the company, Nike quietly released the Air Diamond Turf 6, which was essentially a modernized spin on the original Diamond Turf.
Deion Sanders’ Split With Nike
After his signature line ended, Sanders continued to wear Nike cleats through to the end of his NFL career, which lasted four years more than that of the MLB, including a number of player-exclusive Air Jordan colorways. But at a certain point, which remains unclear, Sanders left because he was unhappy with Nike’s compensation.
In a 2017 interview on Complex‘s “Sneaker Shopping,” Sanders laid out his gripes in the clearest fashion. After getting into the design process a bit and his desire to take inspiration from Lamborghinis, he said: “We created these together, but they don’t want to see me. They don’t want to direct the deposit.”
When asked as a follow-up if he’d ever return to Nike, Sanders said, “Never.” He also added that his sneakers outsold “everybody,” including Michael Jordan because of the more limited nature of Air Jordans.
Under Armour became Sanders’ new home in 2009, and when he started his coaching career with Jackson State in 2000 he was able to switch the football program’s allegiances from Nike to the brand that he’d been signed with for more than a decade.
Deion Sanders’ Return to Nike
When Sanders became the University of Colorado’s football head coach in 2023, he was put in an awkward position. He was still signed with Under Armour, but Nike had been the football team’s outfitter since 1995. Initially, Sanders appeared publicly in Colorado apparel not made by Nike — but he eventually started wearing Nike Colorado gear and a report from USA Today revealed he was contractually obligated to do so while acting in the capacity of his job.
This nebulous relationship of Sanders and Nike would come to a close before the start of his first season with Colorado, as it was officially announced in July 2023 that Coach Prime had rejoined Nike. “We welcome Deion Sanders back to the Nike family,” Nike said in a statement to FN, while Sanders said in an Instagram caption, “‘We Coming’ @nike #CoachPrime.”
Sanders was then regularly seen in an exclusive Nike trainer modeled after his third signature shoe, and in January of this year, he showed off retros pairs of his signature sneakers hand delivered by a Nike representative and announced they’d release again for the first time with his original logos, including the goal post and plate mark on the tongue and his portrait beneath the outsole of the Air DT Max 96.
Deion Sanders’ Nike Retros
Prior to Sanders’ Nike reunion, the Swoosh did still revive his signature shoes, albeit without the same marks tied to him. The first Air Diamond Turf was retroed in 2005, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2017 while the Air Diamond Turf 2 was brought back in 2012. The Air DT Max 96 was also brought back in 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2018. None of his remaining sneakers have been reissued.
So far, only the Air DT Max 96 has hit stores again in four colorways (soon to be five). 2025 should be a bigger year for Sanders and Nike, though, boosted by the return of the first Air Diamond Turf and additional editions of the Air DT Max 96.
About the Author:
Ian Servantes is a Senior News Editor for Footwear News specializing in sneaker coverage. He’s previously reported on streetwear and sneakers at Input and Highsnobiety after beginning his career on the pop culture beat. He subscribes to the idea that “ball is life” and doesn’t fuss over his kicks getting dirty.
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